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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs opening Harlem charter school

Harlem-born rapper and business mogul Sean (“Diddy”) Combs is opening up a charter school for grades six to 12 in Harlem that will have a social-justice theme and stress leadership skills.

“He’s the inspiration for the school. It’s his idea. He approached me and said he’d like to open a school,” said Dr. Steve Perry, founder and head of Capital Preparatory Schools, who will oversee Capital Prep Harlem Charter School.

Combs “sat in on the interviews for the principals,” prior to the selection of Danita Jones, and has been tremendously supportive, said Perry, who declined to describe Combs’s financial contributions. “We’re not going to limit the conversation to financial support,” he said.

“Creating this school is a dream come true for me. I want to impact the lives of young people in my community, and build future leaders. The first step is offering access to a quality education,” Combs said in a statement about the college preparatory academy.

The school will be at 1 E. 104th St., occupying the Boys & Girls Harbor, and will have an 11-month school year to mitigate “summer learning loss.”

Many moguls, from Mark Zuckerberg to Bill Gates, have jumped on the charter school bandwagon. “It’s all hands on deck,” Perry said of the movement. “I’ll take whoever can offer a solution.”

Harlem Charter will open in August to 160 sixth- and seventh-graders for the 2016-2017 school year, gradually expanding to 700 students.

Enrollment is open to children statewide, but applications, which will be chosen by lottery, are due by Friday. Application information can be obtained by emailing apply@capitalprepharlem.org