Our Work

The Pre-Kindergarten Initiative creates high quality seats in every borough and closes the access gap for neighborhoods throughout the City.  In order to ensure the greatest availability and distribution of seats, the SCA is leasing spaces for pre-kindergarten centers and expanding the number of pre-kindergarten classrooms in new buildings where Elementary level seats are offered.

Click here to see Early Education Initiative Projects.

With approximately 86% of New York City’s public school buildings over 30 years old—and an average building age of 75—maintaining and modernizing our existing schools remains one of our most important responsibilities and priorities.

The Capital Investment portion of our Plan is focused on preserving the safety, integrity, and functionality of our school infrastructure while enhancing learning environments for all students. This work is divided into two key areas: Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and School Enhancement Projects. To ensure that this work does not disrupt the learning process, our contractors perform most of this work after normal school hours.

Capital Improvement Program (CIP)

CIP addresses critical building repairs and upgrades, both inside and out. Projects include improvements to life safety and security systems, as well as essential structural building envelope components like roofs, parapets, windows, and masonry. A primary focus is keeping buildings watertight to extend their longevity and ensure safe, healthy environments for students and staff.

School Enhancement Projects

These projects are designed to improve the overall educational experience. Investments include:

• Upgraded technology infrastructure and increased bandwidth
• Renovation and realignment of instructional spaces
• Modernized science labs and bathrooms
• ADA accessibility improvements
• Other facility upgrades that support evolving educational needs

Together, these investments reflect our commitment to maintaining safe, modern, and inspiring schools that support both teaching and learning across all five boroughs.

The Capacity category is at the heart of our efforts to expand and strengthen New York City’s public school system. These projects create the new classroom seats and facilities needed to support a growing, sustainable, and equitable educational environment.

Through strategic planning and construction, Capacity projects address local enrollment needs, help meet class size mandates, replace outdated or temporary buildings, and ensure our schools are prepared for the future. These investments are critical to building a resilient infrastructure that serves students across all five boroughs.

To better respond to the evolving needs of our communities, we have merged the former New Capacity and Class Size Reduction programs into a single, more flexible initiative. This new approach allows us to act more quickly and effectively at the neighborhood level, delivering tailored solutions that reflect the specific demands of each school district.

Click here to see some of our recent openings.

Resolution “A” (Reso “A”) projects are school-specific capital improvements funded through individual grants allocated by elected officials. These projects are vital to school communities, as they provide targeted upgrades and enhancements to existing facilities.

Common Reso “A” projects include:

• Technology upgrades
• Auditorium renovations
• Playground improvements
• New athletic fields
• Science lab enhancements
• Hydroponic labs
• Specialized classroom upgrades

Reso “A” funding has also supported a number of innovative and unique projects across the city—such as a Challenger Space Center, a Learning Farm, a planetarium upgrade, and the installation of green roofs.

We are deeply grateful to our elected officials for their continued partnership and support. Their investments have helped enrich the learning environments of schools citywide, bringing meaningful improvements to students, teachers, and communities alike.

Reso A Brochure

The New York City public education system is the biggest and oldest in the country. Our city has a proud history of commitment to public education since the creation of the Board of Education in 1843. When the boroughs consolidated in 1898, standardization of its architecture, construction and maintenance was overseen by the Division of School Buildings and, later, in 1989, by the New York City School Construction Authority. With this oversight comes a responsibility to honor and preserve the architectural integrity of hundreds of historic school buildings. New York City has more than 200 schools that were built more than 90 years ago.

Erected in 1787, the oldest school building is Erasmus Hall Academy in Brooklyn, which is presently a museum in the courtyard of Erasmus Hall Educational Campus. Designed by Samuel B. Leonard and built shortly after the Civil War in 1897, the oldest school still in use is PS 34 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. During the period from 1879 to 1898, James Naughton designed more than 100 schools, including Brooklyn’s first high schools. As Superintendent of School Buildings and its chief designer from 1891 to 1922, C.B.J. Snyder was credited with the construction of 350 schools and additions, which provided 80,000 seats for the city’s children. These and other outstanding architects have provided hundreds of beautiful schools that remain today as vibrant places of learning.

The SCA works closely with the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to ensure that all proposed school work conforms with standards appropriate for the age of the buildings. Design plans are submitted to SHPO for determination of eligibility in the National Register of Historic Places. If eligible, all work to be done is reviewed by the State. This process ensures that the rich architectural history of New York City public education buildings is preserved for generations to come.

Click here to see Historic School Projects.

Our Work 

The investments outlined in the FY2025–2029 Five Year Capital Plan represent a long-term commitment to the future of New York City’s students. While this Plan marks the continuation of a multi-year effort, it also lays the foundation for future updates that will continue to address the evolving needs of our school communities.

In previous Five-Year Capital Plans, our primary focus was on building new school seats to meet growing capacity needs. While we remain committed to expanding access where necessary, recent trends—including a citywide decline in enrollment and birth rates—have shifted our priorities. This Plan emphasizes targeted investments that support compliance with the state’s class size legislation, while keeping our buildings in a state of good repair, supporting sustainability and other critical goals promoting equity and excellence across all five boroughs.

The Plan is organized into four key categories:

Capacity – Creating new seats where needed and addressing class size reduction goals.

Healthy Schools – A new category focused on promoting healthier learning environments, expanding physical education opportunities, and supporting student health and nutrition.

Capital Investment – Upgrading and maintaining our existing school infrastructure to provide safe, modern, and supportive spaces for students, educators, and staff.

Mandated Projects – Fulfilling legal and regulatory requirements, including local laws, building code compliance, remediation, insurance obligations, and emergency repairs.

Through these strategic investments, we aim to create school environments that reflect the needs of our communities today—and prepare our students for the challenges of tomorrow.