The School Construction Authority recently filed permits to expand a Fresh Meadows elementary school by nearly 460 seats in an effort to mitigate overcrowding in the district.
According to City’s Department of Buildings documents, P.S. 26 Rufus King School at 195-52 69th Ave. will get a new, four-story building on an adjacent plot of land at 195-15 73rd Ave., as first reported by New York YIMBY. Construction is set to finish by September 2024.
The DOB filing for the building confirmed that it will be approximately 136,983 square feet and Andrew Berger of Di Domenico + Partners LLP will serve as the project’s architect.
Councilman Barry Grodenchik told the Queens Chronicle that the project would be a “$70 million investment,” and would “most likely” include an elevator in compliance with the ADA.
For years, parents have complained about the overcrowding in District 26 schools located in northeast Queens neighborhoods.
Data from the SCA showed that P.S. 26 had a 114 percent utilization rate during the 2019-2020 school year.
During the 2020-2021 school year, District 26 public schools had 31,661 students enrolled from pre-K through grade 12 according to Department of Education data. Of those students, 676 were enrolled at P.S. 26.
