The Bronx’s Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School marked a historic moment recently as every member of its second graduating class secured a place at a college, underscoring the institution’s rapid rise since its founding by veteran journalist Dan Klores.
Educational Innovation on the Court
The school blends athletic passion with academic rigor, offering hands‑on training in broadcast journalism, business, arena entertainment, sports medicine, nutrition, physical therapy, psychology, law and marketing. Seven full‑time literacy coaches work with the student body, 94 % of whom are Black or Latino and most come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Starting this fall, the school will relocate to a five‑story, 69,000‑square‑foot campus at 647 Elton Avenue in Mott Haven, a neighborhood of the South Bronx. The new building features a broadcast studio, dance and music studios, an 800‑foot garden and a modern gymnasium.
A New Era for Bronx Basketball
The upcoming opening ceremony on October 15 will draw a who’s who of basketball royalty, including Knicks point guard Jose Alvarado, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and three members of the 1973 championship team — Earl Monroe, Walt Frazier and Bill Bradley. Their presence signals a deep connection between the school and the broader basketball community.
With roughly 900 applicants vying for just 130 ninth‑grade seats, demand for the school’s unique blend of sport and scholarship shows no sign of slowing, promising continued growth for a program that has already achieved a 100 % college acceptance rate.