NYC Breaks Ground On New BK 553-Seat Middle School

BROOKLYN, NY — Construction of a 553-seat middle school annex in Gravesend has officially broken ground, New York City officials announced Thursday

The 3-story middle school will be located directly behind John Dewey High School and will have eighteen classrooms, two special education classrooms and a reading resource as well as a speech resource room, the New York City School Construction Authority told Patch.

The building is expected to open in September 2026.

Other amenities at the school will include:

· Art and music classrooms
· Two science labs
· Science prep room
· Gymatorium w/ locker rooms
· Exercise room
· Library
· Full kitchen complex
· Student dining area
· Staff lunch/conference room
· Playground

Nina Kubota, President and Chief Executive Officer of SCA told Patch the project is a" perfect example of providing support tailored to the specific needs of a school community."

“Building this annex lays the foundation for future generations," she added.

District 21, which encompass most of South Brooklyn, is expected to gain an additional 391 seats when P.S. 253 on Ocean View Avenue opens later this year, officials said.

An educational campus on 60th Street is under construction that will bring 640 seats to the district in 2025.

“We know kids thrive when they have individualized attention from our educators and access to state-of-the-art resources. Southern Brooklyn has some of the best public schools in the city, and therefore they are some of the most overcrowded," Council Member Justin Brannan said in a statement. "Building new schools is the clear way to build on that success and deliver that world-class, high-quality public education to more and more local kids. The John Dewey Middle School Annex will be a great place for our kids to learn and an incredible resource for families alike.”

Other highlights include artist Tura Oliveira creating a site-specific artwork inside the lobby of the new annex.