The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, (established 1974), is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for American jazz bandleader and composer Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899–1974), himself a native of Washington, D.C. The building formerly housed Western High School and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The school underwent a major renovation in 2016 and a handful of beams were removed from the structure. We were fortunate to obtain some of this colorful, tight-grained heart pine, which spent the last 4 decades soaking up the vibes from outstanding musical performances. Famous alumni of the school include comedian Dave Chappelle, bassist and singer Michelle Ndegeocello, bassist Ben Williams, jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, and singer Johnny Gill.