Hundreds of students poured out of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School's brand-new home in Mott Haven this week, celebrating alongside a lineup of former New York Knicks greats and NBA royalty who came out to mark the occasion. The tuition-free public charter school, built around a curriculum designed entirely around basketball, cut the ribbon on its permanent five-story campus at 647 Elton Avenue on October 15, finally giving the school a facility to match its ambitions.
The ceremony drew an impressive roster of basketball figures, including former Knicks players John Starks, Stephon Marbury, Tim Thomas, Rod Strickland, John Wallace and Mel Davis, according to Bronx Times. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also attended and spoke about basketball's impact on New York City, telling the crowd that the school's vision began with co-founder Dan Klores roughly 14 years earlier and that the building was dedicated after the Knicks' championship run. Comedian and Bronx native Tracy Morgan, a DeWitt Clinton High School alum, was also on hand for the festivities, per the same report.
Vocalist Aniesah Gutierrez sang “God Bless America” before the opening remarks, with sports broadcaster Jared Greenberg serving as emcee. The school's namesake and co-founder, Earl Monroe, told the crowd that he and Klores had worked on the project since 2012, emphasizing that the students remain the most important part of the new facility, Bronx Times reported.
A $39.5 Million Investment in Mott Haven
The new building cost $39.5 million and spans 68,000 square feet across five stories, according to Bronx Times, a figure that differs slightly from other outlets' reporting — ABC7 New York described it as roughly 70,000 square feet, while USA Today put it at 69,000 square feet. The facility includes 24 fully wired classrooms and an 8,000-square-foot gymnasium, Bronx Times reported, along with a library and broadcast facilities as described by USA Today.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who attended the celebration, said the school gives aspiring student-athletes the tools for success both on and off the court, along with pathways beyond basketball itself. School leader Susan Fraleigh said the school had officially opened its doors and was celebrating the realization of its long-held vision, according to Bronx Times.
From a Flunked-Out College Student to a “Cathedral of Learning”
Co-founder Dan Klores, who coined the phrase “a ball and a book can change the world,” has a personal story that threads through the school's mission. Klores was rejected from every college he applied to and flunked out of the University of South Carolina twice before eventually earning a bachelor's degree after leaving the university, per Bronx Times. He described the new building as a “cathedral of learning” and told attendees that people should return after being knocked down and never quit when things get tough.
Late NBA Commissioner David Stern, who led the league for 30 years, became the school's first-ever trustee before it even opened, according to the same report. Monroe himself brings a storied basketball resume to the project: he played 13 seasons in the NBA, helped secure the Knicks' second championship in 1973, had his No. 15 jersey retired by the team in 1986, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Academic Gains in a High-Need District
The school sits within a district that faces steep literacy challenges, ranking among the city's lowest for reading proficiency and counting among the country's most economically challenged school districts, Bronx Times reported. When the school first opened in 2021 at a smaller temporary location, according to ABC7, incoming ninth-grade students had an average reading level of just fourth grade.
The turnaround since has been notable. By 2025, every student from that first graduating class who received a diploma had been accepted to at least one college or university, USA Today reported. Student Jireh Mercedes, a junior, said the facility helps students build confidence, and that the school stays in contact with graduates for two years after they leave, Bronx Times noted.
Enrollment Growth and What Comes Next
Enrollment figures vary by source: ABC7 reported the student body has grown to roughly 470, while USA Today put the number at 440 students in grades 9 through 12, and the architecture firm behind the building listed the school at nearly 400 students on its project page. Whatever the exact count, the school's athletic program has kept winning — the EMNR Knights captured the CSSA championship for the 2025-2026 season, according to the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School's own website.
An orange ribbon was cut to mark the facility's official opening, a symbolic close to years of planning and construction. As Bronx Times reported, the new campus is expected to guide current students toward success while serving generations of Bronx students yet to come.
