Catholic School Out, Charter School In

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School has finally found a permanent home, at 3002 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Windsor Terrace, signing a 20-year lease with an additional ten-year option. The building is currently home to Immaculate Heart of Mary, a Catholic school which will be moving to another location.

Brooklyn Prospect has had since it was pushed out of Sunset Park High School last year. Last March, the Department of Education suggested that it , but the community opposed that idea.

For its part, , which together will form St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy. The new school will be located at Holy Name's current location at 241 Prospect Park West.

Brooklyn Prospect, which was founded in 2009, will now serve grades six through twelve at the 60,000 square foot campus, which features new classrooms, a full-size gymnasium, outdoor space, wireless internet, and a library. The school will add grades ten through twelve, completing their seven-year program, over the next three years.

“This new school building is a major step for us and one that deepens our roots in the community,” said Daniel Rubenstein, Brooklyn Prospect's co-founder and executive director, in a statement. “We set out to create a high performing school that prepares a diverse group of children for success in a global world. Providing that education in a welcoming, state of the art environment is key to accomplishing our mission, and we are confident we have finally found the right home.”

Work on the site will begin in July, and the school will open its new doors in September.

According to Brooklyn Prospect, the school received more than a thousand applications for its lottery last week, vying for 140 available seats.