Newark Public Schools holds groundbreaking for architecture, interior design high school

NEWARK, NJ — On May 25, the Newark Board of Education, in partnership with 155 Jefferson LLC, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Newark High School of Architecture & Interior Design, bringing the total of new schools opened to nine since Superintendent of Schools Roger León took the helm. 

As part of the high school redesign strategy to transform schools in Newark, the Newark High School of Architecture & Interior Design will start with the ninth grade and add one grade each year until the school reaches the 12th grade in 2026. 

Students enrolled in the school will choose from architecture; engineering; interior design; electronics; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; plumbing; and real estate as focuses for their studies. While the core content courses will prepare students for post-secondary education, the curriculum will also integrate architecture and the trades taught by certified teachers into class activities, reinforcing the learning in their majors.

The school will also be equipped with state-of-the-art labs dedicated to hands-on learning and technical skill development. Space will be allocated for project-based activities, and there will be a two-story construction lab where students can construct building sections based on plans developed by the architecture students, learning how all trades must be coordinated when planning and constructing a building.

“The district’s 10-year strategic plan calls for preparing every student for a successful future,” Leόn said. “Graduates from the Newark High School of Architecture & Interior Design will leave the school with the skills that will make them immediately employable while also being prepared for further personal and professional advancement.”

“I want to thank the superintendent for having the foresight and the wisdom to continue adding to the repertoire of schools that we have,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said. “Because, as the city grows, we need good schools. We have to make school engaging and interesting and relevant, and purposeful for our children so that they become attached to it.”

“I am appreciative of this moment and this opportunity to let everyone know how our city is moving forward with our school district and how all high school students have access to meaningful trades and skills,” Board of Education President Dawn Haynes said. “I am sure that this is just the start of an amazing generation of architects and interior designers.”

  Mayor Ras Baraka, Newark Board of Education, Newark Public Schools, Roger Leon