Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the most current project details, including the architectural firm of record, student access arrangements, and live enrollment information.
KIPP NYC is set to make a bigger play in the South Bronx this fall, rolling out a new high school campus in Mott Haven. The new facility will serve 9th and 10th graders, but the 11th and 12th graders from the nearby East 144th Street building will have access for various activities. This arrangement ensures that both lower and upper school students have access to the brand-new facility and its amenities.
The seven-story, 150,000-square-foot building at 75 Canal Street West is laid out with a college-style feel. Plans call for 40 tech-equipped classrooms, eight science labs and a 100-seat lecture hall. The school will also feature dedicated art, music and dance studios, a rooftop athletic field, a double-court basketball gym with about 1,300 seats and a cafetorium with floor-to-ceiling windows and a performance stage. Students at the new campus will follow a career-focused program, choosing from industry-aligned concentrations that include media and the arts, business and finance, healthcare, hospitality, public service and technology, according to the Bronx Times.
Built To Feel Like College Before College
KIPP leaders say the new facility is “designed to mirror a collegiate environment” and will let students move “seamlessly between campuses” for shared opportunities. “The South Bronx is our home, and this expansion allows us to bridge the transition from foundational learning to advanced collegiate exploration,” Monica Samuels, KIPP NYC College Prep Head of Schools, said in a statement. “The facility is matching the ambition of our kids and the South Bronx,” KIPP NYC CEO Leslie-Bernard Joseph added, per the Bronx Times.
Construction And Financing
2Ki Architects is serving as the project’s architect, and foundation work at the Canal Street West site was already visible late last year, according to New York YIMBY. The project is supported by about $209.3 million in bond financing that helped push demolition and construction forward, as reported by the Commercial Observer.
How It Fits Into The Charter School Picture
Project filings indicate the Mott Haven campus is expected to serve more than 1,400 students at full capacity, with a seven-story footprint replacing a former taxi-depot site, according to the NMTC Coalition. Citywide, charter schools now educate about 16% of New York City’s public school students, according to the New York City Charter School Center, which puts KIPP’s latest expansion squarely inside a broader growth trend for the sector.
KIPP is already recruiting teachers and staff tied to the Canal Street West campus for the 2026–27 school year, according to job postings. Applications are currently open, and families and community members can find more information on admissions, academic programming, and more at KIPP NYC's enrollment website.
