Dr. Dre Opens New $200M High School In Compton
Dr. Dre headlined the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday (May 14) for the newly unveiled $200 million Compton High School campus, where his $10 million donation helped build a performing arts center that now bears his name.
The 31-acre site in the heart of Compton features an Olympic-size pool, a sprawling gym and modern classrooms designed to support academic and creative growth.
The school’s Performing Arts Center, a sleek facility equipped with professional-grade technology, is a tribute to Dr. Dre’s commitment to education and the arts in his hometown.
“The new Compton High School and Performing Arts Center is a world-class educational facility that is poised to become the center for innovation and creativity, bringing this life, this thing that we dreamed about, to a reality for all the students in this city,” Dr. Dre told ABC News_.
The Hip-Hop icon, born Andre Young, spoke to students, educators and community leaders about the importance of resilience and opportunity.
“It’s a certain kind of grit that gets cultivated navigating the streets and the grit carried me further than I could ever imagine,” Dr. Dre said during his speech. “But I’m also excited to see the kind of talent that emerges when grit is paired with a first-rate education. So dream big because I did.”
The new campus replaces the original Compton High School, which opened in 1896.
The updated facility is part of a broader effort to revitalize education in the area and provide students with the tools to succeed in creative and academic fields.
Construction on the new school began in 2021 and was completed earlier this year.