ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Construction crews broke ground Tuesday on a brand-new charter school in Rochester.

The new high school campus of Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School is expected to open in the fall of 2026. It will have room for 100 ninth graders and up to 300 tenth through 12th graders.

The new building is going up right by the existing school on Joseph Avenue.

“This community is ours, it’s our section of the city. It’s where a lot pf our people live,” said Julio Vazquez, chairman of the board and founder of the charter school.

“It’s a community school. It’s where many of our students’ families and staff work. So it’s very important to build in a place where they can find their own,” said charter school CEO Sandra Chevalier Blackman.

EMHCS is the longest-running charter school in Monroe County. It’s been around for more than 20 years.