DASH was founded in 1990 by former principal Jacqueline Hinchey-Sipes, who coined the motto "Education by Design". Over the past 15 years DASH has earned the reputation of being one of Florida's strongest public high schools, often making Miami-Dade county's highest marks on the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) exam and consistently receiving an assessment grade of A by the state. DASH has been featured in Dwell, Teen People magazine (Cool School of the Month, May 2000), and the Miami Herald.