Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy
Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy (BOMLA) is a magnet school for boys in Dallas, Texas, and is part of the Dallas Independent School District. It sits on the former A. Maceo Smith High School campus in the Oak Cliff area. The school is named after Barack Obama; the campus is named after Antonio Maceo Smith, a Dallas civil rights leader.
BOMLA opened in August 2011 with grades 6–9 and adds one grade each year until it reaches 12th grade. In its first year, about 205 students attended. In 2018, BOMLA swapped buildings with New Tech High School and moved to the A. Maceo Smith campus; New Tech High School moved to the B.F. Darrell campus.
Admissions require meeting entrance standards in core subjects and scoring at least the 40th percentile on STAAR or ITBS tests. If eligible, students take a writing and math exam. The school offers German, Spanish, and robotics. 8th graders have an accelerated curriculum, and all students take pre-Advanced Placement courses. The goal is to keep average grades at 85 or higher, and there is a monthly Saturday Academy for extra support.
Respectful language is used at BOMLA: teachers are called Mister/Miss/Mrs, and students refer to each other and to teachers as “Brother.”
Students belong to four houses—House of Justice, House of Alliance, House of Decree, and House of Expedition. Houses earn points for good behavior and compete in activities every other Friday. At the end of a term or year, the house with the most points may win a reward like laser tag or a party.
Uniforms are required: a blue oxford shirt, tie, slacks, belt, ID badge, and jacket. Navy blazers are worn in hallways or common areas, but not required in class. Middle school uses gray ties; high school uses navy ties.
Athletics include lacrosse for grades 6–8 through a partnership with Bridge Lacrosse, and 6th graders can play basketball. Students can play sports at their home campus if BOMLA doesn’t offer them.
As of 2021, about 71% of students were Hispanic, 26% Black, 1% Asian, and 1% White.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:48 (CET).