New York City Department of Education - Organizational History

Organizational History

Beginning in the late 1960s, schools were grouped into districts. Elementary schools and middle schools were grouped into 32 community school districts, and high schools were grouped into five geographically larger districts: One each for Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens, one for most of Brooklyn, and one, BASIS, for the rest of Brooklyn and all of Staten Island). In addition there were several special districts for alternative schools and schools serving severely disabled students. While the districts no longer exist, the former district of a school is often used as an identifier.

In 2003, the districts were grouped into ten regions, each encompassing several elementary and middle school districts, and part of a high school district. In 2005, several schools joined the Autonomous Zone (later Empowerment Zone) and were allowed to use part of their budgets to directly purchase support services. These schools were released from their regions.

In 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced the dissolution of the regions effective June 2007. At that time, schools became organized into one of the following School Support Organizations:

• Empowerment Support Organization

• Learning Support Organization
  • Community LSO
  • Integrated Curriculum and Instruction LSO
  • Knowledge Network LSO
  • Leadership LSO

• Partnership Support Organization
  • Academy for Educational Development PSO
  • Center for Educational Innovation Public Education Association PSO
  • CUNY Center for School Support and Success PSO
  • Fordham University PSO
  • New Visions for Public Schools PSO
  • Replications, Inc. PSO