Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott today announced that 78 new schools will open in September at the start of the 2013-2014 school year. The new schools will open in all five boroughs and serve students in grades k through 14. Nearly 10,000 students will begin next fall, and the schools will serve more than 32,000 students when they grow to full capacity. The new schools include seven career and technical education schools, as well as two high schools for students in grades 9 through 14 that – through a partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) – will award both high school diplomas and Associates Degrees. The new schools are among the 656 opened since 2002, bringing the total number of public schools to 1,821. The Bloomberg Administration has opened more new schools than any other administration in City history, and has also created more than 126,000 school seats. The Mayor and Chancellor made the announcement at the future site of Energy Tech, a new career and technical education school that will open in Queens next fall in partnership with Con Edison and National Grid.  They were joined by new school leaders, including Energy Tech Principal Hope Barter, National Grid New York President Ken Daly, Con Edison Vice President for Substation Operations Aubrey Braz and students.

“The 78 schools announced today are a part of our commitment to improving public education in New York City,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Our Administration has created a record number of schools and programs for our students – which have helped lead to record gains. We still have more work to do, and with our new schools and school leaders, we’ll continue to provide our children with the opportunities they deserve.”

“In the last 12 years, we’ve opened more schools so that students can take full advantage of the educational opportunities available through public education,” said Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott. “Our strategy is providing families with more and more options, from our career and technical education programs to our new middle schools, and, most importantly, it works. Teachers see it, parents say it and data show it: our graduation rates are higher, the achievement gap is closing and the schools announced today will help us continue to ensure that all students – no matter their zip code – have access to high quality education in New York City.”

“Mayor Bloomberg is committed to ensuring that New York’s children are prepared to compete – and win – in the economy of the future, and innovative new programs like the Bronx Academy for Software Engineering and Energy Tech are the latest examples of that commitment,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel. “By expanding the already-successful model of the Academy for Software Engineering to BASE and to 20 other high schools and middle schools, we will ensure that thousands more students will be poised for successful careers in the 21^st century.”

“As a product of the New York City public school system, I know firsthand the importance of a solid technical education,” said President of National Grid New York Ken Daly. “Our partnership with the Energy Tech High School supports National Grid's 'Engineering Our Future' initiative to build a qualified and skilled workforce. Energy Tech students will gain access to higher level coursework, while gaining professional training so they will be prepared for productive technical careers in our local communities.”

“Con Edison’s partnership with Energy Tech will help students achieve marketable, practical professional skills,” said Con Edison Vice President for Substation Operations Aubrey Braz. “This is an exciting time to be in the energy-delivery business, and New York City students at Energy Tech will share the experience of the men and women at Con Edison. Congratulations to Mayor Bloomberg for his vision in creating this school.”

“This innovative school will deliver the highest quality teaching to our students, preparing them for college and career as they progress through our 9-14 program,” said Barter, the proposed new leader for Energy Tech High School. “The in-school opportunities through an Early College program, coupled with out-of-school internship opportunities, make for a visionary model – one that New York is quickly becoming a national model for. I’m honored to be the founding principal of this school and can’t wait to get students in our classrooms starting in the fall.”

“Attending a CTE high school has allowed me to have a hands-on experience that I never could have imagined,” said Camille Sanchez, a senior at the Academy for Careers in Television and Film. “I have been given incredible opportunities. This year I was fortunate to be offered an internship at WNET, where I gained experience both working in an office and being out in the field on production shoots. These experiences taught me skills that will help me with whatever career path I choose to take.”

The new schools add to the diverse portfolio the Department of Education has developed to provide more opportunities to the City’s 1.1 million students, including more career and technical education (CTE) schools, a second software engineering campus, and more middle and charter schools. The seven new CTE schools combine high school curriculum with valuable specialized skills training that will prepare students for college and careers in the 21^st century economy. Two of the CTE schools will serve students in grades 9 through 14 that, through a partnership with CUNY, will allow students to take college courses and simultaneously earn a high school diploma and Associates Degree. The first, Energy Tech was developed with Con Edison and National Grid and will expose students to the energy industry - one of the nation’s fastest growing sectors. Energy Tech students will intern with the utility companies, be mentored by energy professionals and take college courses at CUNY’s LaGuardia Community College. The second school, Health, Education and Research Occupations High School, will prepare students for careers as health professionals and was developed in partnership with the Montefiore Medical Center and CUNY’s Hostos Community College. CTE programs have more than doubled under the Bloomberg Administration – from 18 schools in 2002 to 46 by the start of the next school year – and have become a national model for college and career readiness.

The new schools include the City’s second Academy for Software Engineering, which will open in the Bronx. Like the flagship campus in Union Square, the Bronx Academy for Software Engineering will offer courses in coding, programming and application development, and include internship and mentoring opportunities in the tech industry. The school was first announced in the Mayor’s State of the City address and is a part of the initiative to expand computer science learning. Last month, the Mayor unveiled the 20 schools selected for the software engineering pilot program, also set to launch next fall.

The 78 new schools will open in each borough and serve students of all grade levels. Thirty schools will be located in Brooklyn, 20 in the Bronx, 15 in Queens, 11 in Manhattan and two in Staten Island. Fifty-one of the 78 will be elementary schools, middle schools, or schools combining elementary and middle school grades. Twenty-seven will be secondary schools – either high schools, or schools combining middle and high school grades.

Since 2002, the Bloomberg Administration has opened 656 new schools, applying strategies that have resulted in historic progress the City’s public education system. Graduation rates have risen 41 percent since 2005 – and the rate is often 20 percent higher in new schools when compared to those they replace, while serving similar populations of students. Studies continue to confirm these gains: a recent study from the Center for American Progress concluded that the City’s education reforms like mayoral control have significantly improved student performance for fourth- and eighth-graders, including black and Latino students; another study by the Research Alliance for New York City Schools measured ‘steady improvement in student outcomes, across all groups of students’ under the Bloomberg Administration.

* The Research Service High School, New Bridges Elementary School and Success Academy Charter School 7 will be voted on at the Panel for Educational Policy meeting on April 17, 2013.