Although named after one of the most trailblazing players in basketball, the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School teaches its students that humble beginnings are only a stepping stone for the future you wish to create.

On Sept. 25, the school broke ground on a 69,000-square-foot permanent building the students and faculty can now call home.

When founder Dan Klores decided to start a charter school, it was due to seeing a lack of specialized high schools after traveling for his nonprofit New Renaissance Basketball Association, an AAU program he created through donations from friends and co-workers, he told Andscape.

“Why can’t there be a specialized school for basketball, but not for the playing of the game?” Klores asked.

The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Charter School offers specialization in basketball-related careers such as broadcast journalism, nutrition, physical therapy, in-game entertainment, law and more.

Although the school falls under the New York State Education Department, it is operated and run as a charter school independent of New York City Public Schools. A board of 16 trustees that includes educators, community activists, and lawyers oversees the advancement of the school. The first trustee was then-NBA commissioner David Stern.

Klores and Stern had a friendship that began in 1983. As their friendship developed, so did their support of each other’s endeavors. Stern introduced Klores to Adam Silver, the current NBA commissioner, and a friendship developed as well. The three remained very close, and as a result, the NBA has supported the school and its efforts. The school’s motto was inspired by a speech Stern once gave, “A ball and a book can change the world.”

When it came to creating the school, everything had a purpose, including the location. Klores, who was originally from Brooklyn, didn’t want the school to be in his home borough. “In the past 25 years, Brooklyn has gone through some incredible development. From the beautiful neighborhoods to the rise of income, Brooklyn is doing well. That’s not the case for the Bronx,” Klores said.

The Bronx is the poorest borough in New York City, with 27.6% of its residents living below the poverty line. About 10 years ago, when the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School was just a concept, Klores met with local developers who told him of their plans to transform the Bronx with commercial real estate.

It was then that Klores decided to build the school in the Bronx.

“You can bring a community to life,” Klores said. “It has to start somewhere.”

In September 2021, the school opened with 110 students in a temporary location in the Pelham Bay neighborhood in the Bronx. Since then, it has accomplished most of its goals. The area of the temporary school site has seen more investment into the neighborhood, more students are interested in the arts and sports-related subjects. Enrollment has grown to more than 400 students, and the average literacy reading level started at fourth grade and is now at ninth grade. In the words of Klores, however, “There is still work to be done.”

The students mirror the community. Ninety-nine percent of the students are Black and Latino, and 30% of the students have special needs. The school’s primary goal is to reach as many children as it can and improve the lives of students.

An example is the business class taught by Klores. The curriculum focuses on financial literacy. Students worked in teams and started their own merchandise sports apparel business called Eventually. The students were then “adopted” by Centric Brands, a global apparel company headquartered in New York City.

With the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School set to have a permanent home in the next year, the celebration of the groundbreaking included Klores, Silver, NBA All-Star Julius Randle, and the school’s namesake, legendary NBA guard Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. Klores and Monroe have worked together on other projects, such as Klores’ award-winning documentary Black Magic.

When it came time to name the school, Klores had a question.

“Why do we have to wait until someone has passed to honor them?” Klores said. “Not only is Earl an amazing person, he helped shape basketball into the game we know today.”