School History

The original Booker T. Washington Elementary School was built in 1916 and today is the site of the Black and Williams Neighborhood Center. The present facility was built in 1971 and is situated in a park area on about 8 acres of land that provide an array of learning experiences for students. Extensive renovations were completed during the summer of 1999. 

Booker T. Washington Elementary became the first public Montessori Magnet School in Fayette County in February 1994. Montessori education, begun by Maria Montessori in Italy a century ago, is built upon a philosophy of learning supported by a broad curriculum.

The Academy at Lexington was a Fayette County public magnet school that began as a pilot program in the summer of 1996 at Northern Elementary. In the summer of 1997, the Academy program was held at Mary Todd Elementary School. In the fall of 1997, the program was placed within Linlee Elementary School, where it remained until May 2000. In August 2000, the Academy at Lexington was located in the annex adjoining the Central Office building downtown while renovation of its future permanent site on Price Road was underway. The school then moved to 475 Price Road in January 2002. 

With the merger of The Academy at Lexington and Booker T. Washington Elementary, the summer of 2005 proved to be a true milestone for both schools under the new name, Booker T. Washington Academy.

In 2013-14, the academy separated into Booker T. Washington Primary Academy at 707 Howard St., serving grades preK-2, and Booker T. Washington Intermediate Academy at 475 Price Road, serving grades 3-5.

In 2015-16, those two academies reunited as Booker T. Washington Elementary in the Howard Street building.