Dickinson Fine Arts Academy is a magnet school for grades 5-8 which offers students experiences in the Fine Arts and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Students are able to attend classes in either gender-based or co-ed classrooms. STEAM topics are integrated in all subject areas through project-based learning. Expanded instruction in the arts is offered during the school day as well as after school through the After-School Arts Adventure program.
The school was named for Jesse L. Dickinson (1906-1982). Dickinson produced many amateur shows in South Bend as well as conducting the Dickinson Plantation Singers, a popular quintet during the 1930s. He also conducted choirs at churches as well as a 100-voice choir that performed at the South Bend Music Festival. Dickinson served six terms in the Indiana House of Representatives and two terms in the Indiana Senate. He attended the dedication ceremony in 1976 when the school opened.