Bronx School of Hip Hop Opens Its Doors

The public school welcomed its first students on Day 1 of classes, with a boombox mural by Bronx graffiti artists Tats Cru at its entrance.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Hip-Hop and Rap

Bold graphic poster illustration in purple, gold, and chrome showing a stylized boombox with large speakers against a halftone graffiti-inspired background.
The Bronx School of Hip Hop, a public school built around the borough's hip-hop heritage, welcomed its first students on Day 1 of classes this week. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Bronx School of Hip Hop, a public school in the Bronx, opened for its first day of classes. Students entered through a 16-foot boombox mural created by Bronx graffiti artists Tats Cru.

Why it matters

The school's opening marks a new public school built around hip-hop culture in New York City. Its launch brings the borough's hip-hop heritage directly into a classroom setting for its students.

The school's entrance features a 16-foot mural of a boombox created by Tats Cru. No enrollment or attendance figures were reported for the first day of classes.

The players

Jason Reyes

Jason Reyes is the principal of the Bronx School of Hip Hop, leading the public school through its first day of classes.

Tats Cru

Tats Cru is a Bronx graffiti crew whose members created the 16-foot boombox mural at the school's entrance.

The details

A D.J. played vintage hip-hop outside the school at 8 a.m. as students arrived. Principal Jason Reyes greeted students in the auditorium on the first day.

Timeline

  1. November 10, 2026: The Bronx School of Hip Hop opens for Day 1 of classes.

Legacy Culture

Hip-hop emerged in the Bronx in the 1970s out of block parties and graffiti art, and the new school places that origin story inside a public classroom. The mural by Tats Cru ties the building's entrance to the same graffiti tradition that helped define the genre.

Families in New York City now have a public school option centered on hip-hop culture. Students can attend the school as part of the city's public education system.

The takeaway

The opening shows how a cultural tradition from one neighborhood can become part of formal public education. Readers interested in the school's programs can follow future coverage as more details emerge about its curriculum and enrollment.

Further reading

Explore more Hip-Hop and Rap coverage to see how the genre's Bronx roots continue to shape New York City culture.

Source note: This article includes information reported by The New York Times.

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