Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos Announce Seven new Schools Opening in 2025-2026 Academic Year

May 5, 2025

New Schools Will Add More Than 3,842 New Seats, Innovative Learning, and Advanced Curriculum Across Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island

Announcement Expands Access to Additional Career Technical Education Opportunities to More New York City Public School Students

New York – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles- Ramos today announced the opening of seven innovative new schools this fall for the 2025-2026 academic year located across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. This significant milestone is a realization of the Adams administration's promise to provide expanded access to career technical education and better support students with print-based learning disabilities while continuing to increase seat capacity in neighborhoods with overcrowded schools. Under the Adams administration, 28 new schools have been or will be opened across the five boroughs by this fall, bringing 13,732 new seats to schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

"We know it takes a city to raise a child, and our administration understands that investing in our children's education is investing in the future of our city," said Mayor Adams. "As the mayor of the largest school district in the nation, I'm committed to ensuring every young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential, no matter where they live. This upcoming school year, we're opening seven new schools – building on the 21 schools previously opened, and bringing the total number of seats added since the start of our administration to 13,732. These schools will expand access to specialized learning and career pathways, bringing high-quality options to families right in their own backyards."

"Opening seven new schools marks a transformative step for New York City Public Schools," said Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. "Each of these schools embodies an innovative model tailored to meet the unique needs of our diverse communities and to equip students with skills for an evolving future. By focusing on flexibility, engagement, and inclusivity, these schools will be designed to foster a learning environment where every child can thrive. Our commitment is to reimagine education across the city, creating spaces where students can explore, connect, and excel in ways that prepare them for lifelong success."

The seven new schools that will open in September 2025 are:

The Bronx STEAM Center
The Bronx STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Center will encompass Bronx high schools in The Bronx. This school will focus on strengthening academic readiness, advancing equity by empowering the most vulnerable learners, engaging students through relevant coursework and real-world experiences that create pathways to opportunity, and reimagining the journey from high school to sustainable careers.

Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy
Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy builds on the success of the South Bronx Literacy Academy, serving students who have demonstrated challenges in learning to read and may be at risk for dyslexia and language-based learning difficulties. This school will serve grades 2-8 and will be in district 17 in Central Brooklyn. The school builds on the Adams administration's signature initiatives to offer structured literacy instruction with multi-sensory teaching of foundational skills and other important literacy components. Mayor Adams struggled with identifying his dyslexia until long after leaving the public school system. Today, New York City Public Schools has the most comprehensive approach to supporting dyslexic students, to unlock the untapped potential in students who may feel insecure about their dyslexia or any other language-based learning disabilities they may have.

Middle School of Innovation
Middle School of Innovation provides a dynamic education that integrates science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. By leveraging digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and assistive tools, this school will personalize learning to meet the diverse needs of all students. Middle School of Innovation will be located in district 21 in South Brooklyn and will serve grades 6-8.

HBCU (Historically Black College & University) Early College Prep High School
HBCU Early College Prep High School, a first-of-its-kind New York City Public Schools model, is an innovative, tuition-free, early college high school offering college courses and the HBCU experience beginning in 9th grade. Scholars attending HBCU Early College Prep will earn up to 64 college credits for an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from the HBCU-Delaware State University (DSU) and are guaranteed admission to DSU. HBCU Early College Prep High School will be located in district 29 in Queens.

Northwell School of Health Sciences
Northwell School of Health Sciences (NSHS) is a first-of-its-kind healthcare high school created in partnership with Northwell Health, NYC Public Schools, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Opening in September 2025 in Woodside, Queens, NSHS is a best-in-class approach to healthcare career pathways aligned to Northwell's workforce needs, starting in high school. Students will gain direct access to career-aligned training, mentorship, and real-world experience in healthcare. As a result, our students will leave NSHS ready to contribute to the field and patient care.By linking education with industry needs, this collaboration will help prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Queens International Secondary School
Queens International Secondary School, in partnership with the International Network for Public Schools, will serve newly arrived multilingual learners and their families. The school will leverage students' diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds to create a collaborative, academically-stimulating, and nurturing community that prepares students for postsecondary success. Queens International Secondary School will be in district 24 in Queens.

Staten Island Rise Academy P.S. 89
Staten Island Rise Academy seeks to empower every student with unique needs to reach their full potential through individualized instruction and supportive learning environments, fostering independence and inclusion within the community.

In addition to these seven new schools opening, this year also marks the inaugural cohort of the New School Leaders Fellowship, which began in January with an intensive training program that offers all principals of new schools the adaptive and technical personal leadership development to foster a successful new school community. The learning experience includes researching and observing best practices from other schools, developing a school culture, and cultivating community and family partnerships. The Office of New School Development and Design is charged with engaging district and school leaders as well as families, communities, and partner organizations to create innovative learning spaces specifically targeted to meet the needs of students today. This includes overseeing early visioning, strategic planning, operationalizing, and leadership development for each new school. This approach creates high-quality, sustainable school models.

Today's announcement further builds on the Adams administration's vision to bring high-quality schools to every community, instituting nation-leading dyslexia support through mandating literacy screenings for all students and opening the first-ever public school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia and other print-based learning disabilities, as well as expanding accelerated learning opportunities for more students by adding 57 Gifted and Talented programs and increasing the number of students participating by 2,400 for a total of 16,500 students in kindergarten through 5th grade.

"Launching new schools represents a bold step towards providing every student with an education that truly prepares them for the future," said Dr. Shawn Rux, senior executive director, Office of New School Development and Design. "Each school is uniquely designed to engage and empower students with models that prioritize critical thinking and real-world application. By listening to our communities and addressing student needs, we're creating spaces where young people can explore interests, develop their strengths, and build skills that will serve them throughout their lives."