Dena Levitz, The Examiner
2007-12-20 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

The former Armstrong Manual Training School, where jazz great Duke Ellington studied, will undergo an overhaul starting early next year so it can become a charter school by the fall, a school representative said Wednesday.

The charter site will be operated by Community Academy Public Charter School, which has four other locations around the city.

The school plan is to enroll about 900 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, more than doubling the number currently served by Community Academy, according to Cecelia Blalock, the academy’s director of communications.

Blalock said Community Academy purchased the property in 2005 and environmental abatement work has been under way throughout the fall to prepare the facility for renovation work.

Armstrong, at 1400 First St. NW, was one of the first high schools in the District for black students. It was closed a decade ago. The building is a D.C. landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The building has an extremely rich history and was a big part of the community for a long time,” she said. “And we’ve heard from residents that there’s a real demand for a good charter school in that area. So, it all fell together.”

Community Academy’s charter allows it to educate more than 4,000 students. Blalock said the organization does not necessarily intend to pursue the maximum enrollment, but it could expand in coming years.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com