SOUTH BRONX — More than 70 percent of schools in The Bronx's District 7 are under capacity, sometimes by as many as hundreds of students, according to the most recent data from the Department of Education's Blue Book.
Out of 67 listed schools in District 7, which stretches from The Bronx's southern border with Manhattan up to East 163rd Street, 48 are below their target capacity based on registration levels from Oct. 31 of last year.
Several have hundreds of available seats, including P.S. 277 at 519 St. Anns Ave., which has 416 less students than its target capacity — 435 versus 851, according to the Blue Book, the DOE's annual school enrollment report.
But the district also shows overcrowding in 13 schools — many by more than 100 students. The most overcrowded location in the district is the KIPP Charter School at 250 East 156th St., which has 210 more students than its target capacity — 1,006 versus 796.
Amanda Colon, whose daughters attend second grade and kindergarten at P.S. 277, said she liked the school and did not expect the building to be so under-capacity.
“It’s surprising,” she said. “I thought they filled all the seats.”
University Prep Charter High School, one of several schools at 600 St Anns Ave., has just 354 students enrolled but a target capacity of 586, according to the DOE Blue Book, which tracks enrollment.
Leticia Pineiro, the principal there, said she was trying to get its numbers up through strategies like more open houses, attending recruitment fairs in Manhattan and revamping the school’s brochure.
“As a new principal, it’s something that I’m working on, to increase enrollment,” she said.
However, Pineiro maintained that the building was already fairly crowded and that her school's enrollment is now at 377.
“Some of the classrooms are really, really tiny. We can barely fit 25 kids in a classroom,” she said. “So even though we’re under-enrolled, when you come and you look at the size of classrooms and you look at the building structurally, that’s a different issue.”
"One of my assistant principals, her office is a supply closet," she added.
District 7 is a de-zoned area where families can apply to all schools, according to the DOE.
However, it is split into northern and southern sections. Families who live south of the line have priority for schools in the southern section, while families who live north of it have priority for schools in the northern section.
The pattern in District 7 does not hold up across the city.
In District 14 in Brooklyn, there are 14 overcrowded schools compared to 41 that are under-capacity. In District 24 in Queens, there are 38 overcrowded schools compared to 23 that are under-capacity.
Department of Education spokesman Harry Hartfield stressed that the agency attempts to make sure residents looked at several different choices when trying to pick a school for their children.
"There are great schools in every borough and district in this city, and we encourage families to explore all the options in their communities," he said in an email.
"The DOE works directly with schools and families in District 7 and all our districts to make sure parents and students know about the variety of schools available to them."
However, the decision is ultimately up to the families themselves, according to the DOE.
Deborah Wilson, whose 5-year-old son attends kindergarten at P.S. 277, said that the building does feel empty.
She was not sure why it was so under-capacity but said she would recommend the school to others.
“I like the teachers. That’s one thing,” she said. “And it’s kind of empty. It could use more students.”
