By Helaina N. Hovitz
Claremont Prep is moving on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky…literally.
In September of 2009, Claremont Prep welcomed a high school class of 24 freshmen and four new teachers to the 8th floor of its 41 Broad Street building. This September, the high school and middle school will relocate to 25 Broadway, where the students will have 200,000 square feet to call their own. Metschools, Inc., Claremont’s parent company, has secured the building for the students under a 30-year lease for $40 million.
The school will feature a regulation size basketball court, a 25-yard swimming pool, several balcony spaces, a 400-seat theatre, 30 classrooms, five technology labs, a woodshop space, a recording studio, a soundproof practice ensemble room, a pottery room, six science labs, and a fitness room.
“It’s like our own little self-contained world,” said Daniel Koffler, director of business development for MetSchools.
To top it all off, they also hold the rights to a fully furnished apartment on the 22nd floor, complete with a fireplace and stained glass windows, which they intend to use for staff and student gatherings. According to Koffler, the apartment was left by the commodore of a cruise line and went untouched for several years.
Community Board One Chair Julie Menin invited Michael Koeffler, C.E.O. of MetSchools, to present plans for the school to the Youth and Education Committee. She said the Community Board fully supports the new school, and “the creation of numerous school options for Lower Manhattan.”
Public school parent Tricia Joyce did not find the move surprising.
“Their enrollment has gone up, just as public school enrollment went up in the neighborhood,” said Joyce. “It’s good to have more choices.”
However, the choice does not come cheap; only about 30 percent of students receive scholarships for the $33,000 yearly tuition.
When Claremont first opened its doors five years ago, 20 percent of students came from Lower Manhattan, a number that has escalated to 50 percent as of this year. Koffler attributes the increase to happy parents who recommend the school to their neighbors.
Claremont expects to reach their capacity of 950 students within the next several years.
“We’re expecting a tremendous uptake of our growth over the years,” said Koffler. “This space will play a big part in the growth and development of the school.”
