Dreyfoos School of the Arts, 501 S. Sapodilla Ave.: arts magnet for grades 9-12, 1,360 students on Aug. 24 and an A in Florida's 2026 grades.
Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, the School District of Palm Beach County’s Schools & Principals list, zone maps and feeder reports and start times, Palm Beach County’s address records, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file and the federal NCES school directory.
Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts is the School District of Palm Beach County’s arts magnet high school, on South Sapodilla Avenue downtown and inside West Palm Beach city limits, according to Palm Beach County’s municipal boundary map. It has no attendance zone: every student applies and auditions. The district’s school information lists the Jaguar as its mascot. The district counted 1,360 students on Aug. 24, more than the 1,220 the building is rated for.
Who to call
- Front office: 561-802-6000, 501 S. Sapodilla Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401
- School website: dsoa.palmbeachschools.org
- Enrolling a new student: the district’s student registration page; district main line 561-434-8000
- Buses: the district’s Transportation Call Center, 561-357-1110
- Applying: the district’s Choice and Career Options office
| Address | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401 |
| Phone | 561-802-6000 |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| School day | 8:20 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. |
| City limits | Inside West Palm Beach |
| District | School District of Palm Beach County |
Principal
Principal Blake Bennett, according to the district’s Schools & Principals list. The school’s athletics page also names him as principal.
Enrollment and teachers
- District count: 1,360 students on the 11th day of the 2026-27 school year (Aug. 24, 2026). The district rates the building for 1,220, so it is at 111% of capacity, according to its 11th Day Enrollment Report.
- Federal count: 1,368 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 74 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 18 students per teacher.
How admission works
Dreyfoos is a full choice school: it has no attendance boundary, and students from anywhere in the county may apply, according to the district’s 2026-27 Choice and In-House Programs guide (PDF).
- Students apply online through the district’s choice application and need an eligible audition score in their art area to enter the lottery.
- The school, not the district office, schedules auditions and emails each applicant a date.
- The guide lists these areas: Communication Arts, Dance, Digital Arts and Photography, Music (band, keyboard and piano, strings, vocal), Theatre (acting, musical, technical) and Visual Arts.
- Lottery results for the current school year were released April 2, 2026, the guide says.
Students who are not admitted keep their zoned high school; check it on the Find My School map.
State report card
Florida grades every public school A to F, from the share of possible points it earns on state test results, learning gains and, for high schools, the graduation rate and college and career acceleration.
| School year | Grade |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | A (84% of possible points) |
| 2024-25 | A |
| 2023-24 | A |
| 2022-23 | A (informational baseline) |
From the state’s 2026 school grades file, the share of students scoring on grade level on the state tests in 2025-26:
- English language arts: 97%
- Math: 86%
- Science: 97%
- Social studies: 97%
- Graduation rate (2024-25): 100%
- College and career acceleration (2024-25): 98% of graduates
The full report card is on the state’s Florida school report cards site, an interactive dashboard; the figures above come from the downloadable file.
Calendar and bell times
From the district’s 2026-27 key dates:
- Monday, Oct. 12: no school for students; the second quarter starts Tuesday, Oct. 13
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school for students
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: fall holiday
- Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2027: winter break; Monday, Jan. 4, is also a day off for students
The school’s bell schedule runs a block schedule: first bell at 8:23 a.m., periods 1 and 2 from 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:19 a.m., and periods 6 and 7 ending at 3:40 p.m.
Sports and activities
The school’s athletics page lists bowling, cross country, boys and girls golf, swimming, girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, cheer, tennis, track and field, and boys volleyball. It lists no football team, and Dreyfoos does not appear in the FHSAA’s football classifications for 2026-27. The athletic director is Matthew Vaughan.
For the city’s football teams, see our Friday night football page and the high school scoreboard.
More on West Palm Beach schools
- The school’s website
- The district’s Schools & Principals list, with the school’s district listing
- Every public school in West Palm Beach
- Our West Palm Beach schools guide for registration, the School Board and the full calendar
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Dreyfoos School of the Arts serve?
Grades 9 through 12. It is a School District of Palm Beach County arts high school at 501 S. Sapodilla Ave. in downtown West Palm Beach.
How do you get into Dreyfoos School of the Arts?
Dreyfoos has no attendance zone. Students apply through the district’s choice program and need an eligible audition score in their art area; the school schedules the auditions.
What is Dreyfoos School of the Arts’ school grade?
Dreyfoos earned an A in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 84% of possible points. Its 2024-25 graduation rate was 100%.
What time does Dreyfoos start?
The district lists the school day as 8:20 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. The school’s block schedule starts first period at 8:30 a.m.
Have your say