Photos | Forte Preparatory High School in Elmhurst holds ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark official opening

The 6-story, 59,000-square-foot school had completed construction last month. The school, which opened just in time for the 2026-2027 academic year, is capable of holding up to 560 students between 9th and 12th grades.

“To have a world-class facility to house our high school students just in time for their 12th-grade graduation is something that’s really special to me. We’ve made a promise to families to deliver a world-class education, and now we have a building that matches the academics that are happening inside. And so, I’m really grateful to the construction team, our architects, our board and our funders and supporters who are coming out to celebrate today,” Forte Preparatory Academy Founder and CEO Graham Browne said. “I want our families to know that this is what they deserve, and this is what they should demand in all aspects of their life. Students in Queens deserve nice things, and they shouldn’t have to travel far and wide to seek out a great school, to seek out a caring culture, and that if you set your mind to it and work with really committed people, then anything is possible.”

The school has a large rooftop recreational space, a media center, an indoor gymnasium with a regulation high school basketball court, a cafeteria, dedicated spaces for the arts, teachers’ lounges and an outdoor terrace.

“To every Forte Prep student making history today by being the first kids to walk through the doors of this state-of-the-art school, welcome to the first day of your bright future,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “Forte Prep is where generations of students are going to find their voice, and I know the education they will receive here will be as first-class as the building they’ll be learning in and the educators who will be teaching them. I can’t wait to see what this school community achieves in the years to come.”

“I am just very excited for what this building means to so many families in our community. This building is now a place where they can call home. It is a safe haven. It is a place full of resources and opportunities for their children to explore all of the possibilities that come with life,” Forte Preparatory High School Principal Damali Caine said. “I am extremely proud and humbled to be the principal at the school. I’m really grateful to be standing here today, and looking around, I’m especially grateful for just how many of you have been part of getting up to this moment.”