Staten Island: New special school; 'growing rates we’re seeing in autism'

Sept 9, 2025, SI Live: NYC schools chancellor celebrates new special education school on Staten Island

https://www.silive.com/education/2025/09/nyc-schools-chancellor-celebrates-new-special-education-school-on-staten-island.html?outputType=amp 

For the first time in decades, a new District 75 school for special education students has opened on Staten Island, and Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos recently toured the new facility.

Staten Island Rise Academy, also known as PS 89, is a District 75 school that opened in Travis, co-located with PS/I.S. 26 — at the original PS 26 building and the brand-new constructed building located just 1,000 feet away.

District 75 provides highly specialized instructional support for students with significant challenges, such as autism, significant cognitive delays, emotional disabilities, sensory impairments, and multiple disabilities. . . . .

While Staten Island Rise Academy is a newly created District 75 school, the city has created hundreds of school seats, including District 75 seats, across the borough over the years, such as PS 70 in Stapleton, and a new building for The Richard H. Hungerford School in Sunnyside — both opening in 2022. . . .

 “We have to prioritize special education,” said the chancellor. “When we think about the rise in numbers, we need to make sure that we are giving high-quality options to families, whether that is inclusive programs, if it’s [District] 75 slots.” . . .

 “In terms of the individualized instruction, you’ll see small classes … What is remarkable about the individualized instruction and the small group instruction is that our students are benefiting from New York City Reads in District 75 just as our students in their district schools are,” said Christina Foti, deputy chancellor of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning for the city Department of Education. “While there is tailored and individualized instruction, we’re holding the standards by using the evidence-based curricula in our District 75 programs that that they’re using in the district schools.” . . .

Education leaders noted that the new District 75 school has been a long-time coming in the area.

“10314 is our largest zip code in Staten Island, and with the growing population there, but also the growing rates that we’re seeing in autism, both in New York City and across the country, there’s been an increased demand for autism programming,” said Foti. “So in keeping up with that demand, we are really, really delighted to be opening up this building.”