Benjamin Banneker Academic High School is a magnet high school located in Washington, D.C., that was originally built to serve as a neighborhood Junior High School. The school's name commemorates Benjamin Banneker, an African-American scientist, surveyor, almanac author and farmer. In 1980, the school was converted to a magnethigh school for academics. The school is colloquially referred to by students and faculty as "Banneker." Some people consider it to be the top high school in the District of Columbia Public Schools, and one of the best in the region, because of its strenuous curriculum and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Banneker is located across the street from Howard University, to which it has strong ties. The school draws students from all parts of the city. Any student interested in applying must follow an entrance procedure, involving a multiple choice test, a written essay, an interview, recommendation, and a report of the applicant's standardized test scores and grades from previous years. The school's current enrollment is approximately 450 students spanning from grades 9 through 12, up from 393 in 2009-10. Benjamin Banneker Academic High School is an IB Diploma Programme world school. Banneker AHS is consistently ranked among the best high schools in the United States in U.S. News & World Report's national rankings, coming in 575th in 2015 and 602nd in 2017. In the District, Banneker is among the top high schools, awarded 2nd in 2015 and 3rd in 2017.
Community
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School serves the entire District of Columbia. Prospective students must apply and be accepted into Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. Students in the surrounding community are not necessarily able to attend Banneker AHS, due to the academic requirements for admittance. These students may attend a local high school located just a few blocks away from Benjamin Banneker AHS, Cardozo Senior High School. The school had the honor of hosting President Barack Obama for the yearly "Back To School" speech in September 2011 and October 2016.
Curriculum
Benjamin Banneker AHS is D.C.'s citywide academic high school, grades 9 through 12. The school offers a highly structured four-year program leading to college entrance. The school offers the following programs to students:
Community Laboratory Program: 270 hours of volunteer service over a four-year period to promote awareness of career goals is required of each student for graduation.
The robotics club has participated in the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams competition, twice winning a grant for their inventions: "Cell-Mate" and "DeadStop". These successful inventions have showcased at other events, and the students applied for patents for their work.
In the 2018 OPSPARC competition for students to invent a new use for NASA technology, Mikayla Sharrieff, India Skinner and Bria Snell, three black Banneker juniors, won second place with equipment to remove lead from school water fountains. The public voting component of the final was cut short after members of 4chan disrupted voting by both discouraging voting for the girls on racial grounds and hacking.
