BUSHWICK — A high-achieving specialized high school that has been co-located with a Bushwick elementary school will finally get its own gym, auditorium and art studios in a new location next fall, officials announced.
The Brooklyn Latin School, whose founder and principal had been pushing for more space through "constant discussions" with the city, will move from P.S. 147's upper floors on Bushwick Avenue to the I.S. 49 building on Graham Avenue just eight blocks away, a Department of Education spokesman confirmed.
The top-tier school — whose average SAT scores were among the city's top 20 in 2010 — will switch locations with another public school, the Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn, he said.
“We feel this arrangement is in the best interests of both schools and their students,” said the spokesman Devon Puglia, who declined to comment further on the reason for the building swap.
For principal Jason Griffiths — who founded Brooklyn Latin in 2006 as one of the city's specialized high schools that requires an entrance exam — the move is a chance for the prospering institution to achieve its potential and to attract more students. Currently, the student body is nearly 500.
"Our new home is a classic New York City high school with excellent athletic facilities, an auditorium that can accommodate the entire community, new science labs, an art studio, and an outdoor space for sports," said Griffiths in an email announcement.
A representative from the Young Women's Leadership School (which serves roughly 250 middle and high school students) did not immediately return calls and emails requesting comment.
Brooklyn Latin will still be co-located in its new building with the Green School (a high school) and the Lyons Community School (which serves middle and high school students). But Griffiths' main gripes last year will be cured.
"When our students walk into the first floor and there are a bunch of elementary students, it's harder for them to have pride in their school," he said in an interview last year.
"We don’t have a gymnasium, a proper auditorium, art studio and we’re competing for college spots against students that go to other specialized schools with those facilities."
