City proposes closing two tiny Harlem schools and moving the Center School up the Upper West Side

The city's Education Department has formally proposed closing two of its smallest schools, both in Harlem, and moving an Upper West Side middle school 1.5 miles north, the first closure plans of the school year under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Chalkbeat reported. The proposals are posted on the department's Panel for Educational Policy page for a vote on Dec. 16.

The three proposals

• School of Earth Exploration and Discovery Harlem (SEED Harlem, M.S. 371), 425 W. 130th St.: would close after the 2026-27 school year. It serves 40 students, making it the city's smallest middle school, and enrollment has fallen 68% since 2022-23, with just six sixth graders this year, according to Chalkbeat. Officials said it spent $93,000 per student last year, nearly four times the city average, and 21% of students were proficient in reading and math.
• The Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce, a high school at 2005 Madison Ave.: would also close after this school year. It has 112 students, down nearly a third since 2021-22, and has ended its career programs in supply chain management and marketing, Chalkbeat reported. The department cited performance: 20% of students met a city benchmark for advanced or career coursework, compared with 63% across Manhattan.
• The Center School (M.S. 243): would move from the P.S. 9 building on West 84th Street to the P.S. 165 Robert E. Simon building at 234 W. 109th St. starting in 2027-28. Officials say the move would help both schools shrink class sizes under the state mandate. A plan last year to move it to West 61st Street collapsed after parents objected. Officials plan to upgrade the theater at the new site, though the stage is smaller, Chalkbeat reported.

Both Harlem schools serve mostly low-income students; half of SEED's students have a disability, according to Chalkbeat. "NYCPS remains committed to meaningful engagement with communities before issuing any proposals," Education Department spokesperson Dominique Ellison said in a statement to the outlet.

How to weigh in

Comments on the proposals are accepted from Oct. 30 through Dec. 15 at 6 p.m., according to the Education Department. Speaker sign-up opens 30 minutes before each hearing and closes 15 minutes after it starts.

• SEED Harlem closure: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m., by teleconference (LearnDOE.org/districtplanning, or 646-828-7666, meeting ID 165 654 5175). Questions: D05Proposals@schools.nyc.gov.
• Global Commerce closure: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m., by teleconference (646-828-7666, meeting ID 165 305 1647).
• Center School move: Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m., in person at P.S. 165, 234 W. 109th St., with Spanish interpretation. Questions: D03Proposals@schools.nyc.gov.

The bigger picture

K-12 enrollment in city public schools has dropped about 19%, or roughly 187,000 students, in 12 years, leaving many underenrolled schools that struggle to offer a full program, Chalkbeat reported. Chancellor Kamar Samuels has said small campuses are a priority but has not released a detailed plan. Chalkbeat also reported the city is preparing to close I.S. 224 in the Bronx, though that proposal has not been posted. The same Dec. 16 list includes moving grades K-4 of Success Academy Harlem 3 to a new building and expanding Lower Manhattan Community Middle School into a 6-12 school.

The City Council has no vote on closures; the decision belongs to the Panel for Educational Policy.