In 1889, the first school building in Kentwood opened. In 1896 the Kentwood Collegiate Institution was established, and its first graduating class was in 1906. After Kentwood Collegiate opened it gained a two-story building adjacent to the original one. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited the school in 1923. A high school building opened in 1931 was destroyed by a fire in 1938, and replaced by the current high school building in 1940.[2]
A gymnasium was opened in 1942, and a stadium was added in 1950. Kentwood High consolidated with W. Dillon High School in 1969, adding grades 1 though 3 and 9 through 12. In 1971, elementary grades were removed, leaving only grades 7 through 12. The current high school building was renovated in 1979 and the American football building was renovated in 1984. In 1995, a vocational building opened. In 2011, the school was renamed after becoming a magnet fine and performing arts school.[2]
