All topics / Building Human Potential / School Construction Authority
New schools constructed
Design and construct new schools, additions and capital improvement projects authorized by the Department of Education. — Produce the number of new school seats authorized by the Department of Education’s Five-Year Capital Plan.
SCA's own reporting says the number of new schools and seats it delivers "fluctuates year-to-year based on the Five-Year Capital Plan," which scheduled a significantly larger batch of school openings in FY22-24 than in the years before or after. The decline to 7 new schools in FY25 reflects that capital-plan phasing rather than a slowdown in construction activity, since the Authority still exceeded its FY25 seat-creation target.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC School Construction Authority, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 32 schools | Not available |
| FY23 | 23 schools | 23 schools |
| FY24 | 14 schools | 14 schools |
| FY25 | 7 schools | 7 schools |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 6 schools |
Why this is tracked
The New York State Legislature created the School Construction Authority in 1988 after concluding that the Board of Education's Division of School Facilities had completely failed at building high-quality schools and keeping them in repair, citing what lawmakers called the "deplorable condition" of city schools and a lack of accountability. The new public-benefit corporation was designed to remove capital construction from the Board of Education and address structural obstacles like the state's Wicks Law, which had driven up costs and delays on public works projects. SCA now designs and builds new schools and capital improvement projects on the Department of Education's behalf.
New York City School Construction Authority - History, City Journal - Why New York Can't Build Schools
Source: SCA Finance Department — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported annually.
Definition: The number of new schools constructed as part of the City’s elementary, intermediate and high schools. SCA measures new schools from October to September to capture projects completed for the start of the school year.