Mayor Adams, City officals, join school community members at PS 487 in the Bronx to cut the ribbon on the new building, one of 24 completed by the School Construction Authority ahead of the new school year. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
On September 4, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the opening of 24 newly completed school buildings, creating 11,010 seats for students. Mayor Adams also announced that the 2025-2029 Capital Plan will provide funding for another 33,417 seats. These announcements come just in time to welcome students across the city for the first day of the 2024-2025 school year.
The new school buildings are located across the four boroughs, with nine in Brooklyn, eight in the Bronx, one in Manhattan, and six in Queens. The buildings include: innovative learning spaces including classrooms with the latest educational technology, flexible space, and furniture; reading and speech resource rooms; art and music classrooms; science lab and prep rooms; special education classrooms; libraries; gymnasiums and auditoriums; multi-purpose spaces; medical, guidance counselor, and administrative suites; parent and community rooms; indoor and outdoor play spaces; and staff lunch and conference rooms. To beautify the new schools, the New York City School Construction Authority installed site-specific pieces in the new buildings through their Public Art for Public Schools Program.
The creation of 11,010 seats is the most since the two-decade-old record of 20,000 K-12 student seats were added by the New York City School Construction Authority in 2003. The 11,010 new seats will combat overcrowding and projected growth in schools to comply with state legislation requiring smaller class sizes.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “Our administration is committed to giving our children a first-class education, and a crucial part of a great education is having access to great facilities. The 24 new buildings we’re opening ahead of this school year — with the most K-12 seats the city has opened in two decades — will provide 11,000 additional students with seats and set our children and our communities up for success. With modern and flexible spaces, state-of-the-art technology, science labs, music rooms, sensory gyms, and more, these new schools are going to be incredible spaces for students and staff alike, will play a crucial role in fostering a sense of well-being for our children, and will help us build a safer, more affordable, and more livable city.”
Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks said, “School buildings are the physical representation of the investment we make in our children and our city as we cultivate the next generation of leaders. These new buildings will provide 11,000 new classroom seats, creating more space for bright starts and bold futures. We are truly grateful to our partners at SCA and City Hall for standing alongside us in this vital effort to expand opportunities for our students.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)