Dr. Dre celebrated the opening of a new high school campus on Thursday, May 22, in his hometown of Compton — one that he helped bring to fruition.

The renowned music producer, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, cut the ribbon on the new Compton High School along with campus and Compton Unified School District officials during a ceremony on Thursday.

The state-of-the-art, $200 million campus replaces the previous building — which was more than 120 years old. School and district officials said that it’s set to give students a renewed place to learn, grow and dream beyond any limits.

“(It represents) limitless student potential, making a spark that will ignite generations,” Compton Unified board President Micah Ali said, “(be) a beacon of creativity and a launch pad for the leaders of tomorrow.”

 

 

While the new school was under construction, Compton High students attended classes at a temporary, former middle school campus. The old Compton High was demolished in 2019, and the redevelopment began.

The 31-acre campus, which is set to accommodate more than 1,800 students once it opens for the 2025-26 school year in August, boasts a half-size Olympic pool, a fully equipped weight and workout room, a more than 140,000 square-foot academic building, a more than 36,000 square-foot gymnasium and a nearly 41,000 square-foot performing arts center.

The academic building is equipped with science labs, a culinary space and much more. The campus landscape is also adorned with California native and adaptive plants.

Attendees got to tour the campus after the ceremony.

Young made a $10 million donation to help construct the performing arts building, named The Andre “Dr. Dre” Young Performing Arts Center.

Inside the center, there’s a full audio recording studio and digital music archive room, a theater with a concession and ticket booth, a video production studio, choir room and more.

 

 

“This is the type of (school) building that I would have loved to go to when I was a kid growing up,” Young said, expressing “how proud I am of seeing my city come through for this project.”

The space was built to be a flexible learning environment made for project-based learning, he added, and the recording studio and performance spaces in the performing arts center will provide opportunities for not just Compton High students, but also the entire Compton community.

“Compton is a breeding ground for talent,” Young said. “There’s something in the soil here; there’s something special about growing up here.”

That something, he said, is what took him to the heights he’s reached in his career.

“It’s a certain kind of grit that gets cultivated (when) navigating these streets,” he said, “and that grit carried me further than I could ever imagine.”

He’s excited, Young added, to see the kind of talent that emerges when that grit is paired with the well-rounded education that future students will get at the new Compton High.

“Dream big; I did,” Young said. “I’m living proof. I’m standing here as literal proof that coming from Compton, there’s nothing that can stop me, and everything and anything is possible.”

Sacramento Kings small forward DeMar DeRozan, a Compton native who graduated from Compton High School, also attended Thursday’s ceremony to celebrate the renewal of his former campus.

Music entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine, who is opening a public high school with Young in Inglewood through their Iovine and Young Education Group, attended as well.

Compton Unified School District board members, Compton Unified Superintendent Darin Brawley, CUSD executive cabinet members, the city’s mayor and councilmembers, CUSD students, families, friends and Compton High alumni also gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Compton Unified board member Denzell Perry said that celebrating the new campus means so much to him, because people doubted him throughout his life because he’s from Compton. He challenged the narrative that people must “make it out” of cities like his hometown to be successful — and urged today’s youth to also challenge that idea.

“Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do,” Perry said. “Define your own path and use this space to grow; education can change your trajectory.

Satra Zurita, vice president of CUSD’s board, said that as a third-generation Compton High alumna, she feels a personal sense of pride seeing the campus transform into something that will bolster students’ futures for many more years to come.

“I’ve lived what so many of our students are living; I know what this school means and what it can do,” Zurita said. “As we open the new campus, we celebrate not just the new building, but a bold vision.” S: Daily Breeze