Trust for Public Land Opens Vibrant New Community Schoolyard at The SEEALL Academy in Brooklyn
Trust for Public Land (TPL) today celebrated the grand opening of a newly revitalized Community Schoolyard at P.S. 180, The SEEALL Academy in Brooklyn. The project transforms what was once a worn, mostly asphalt playground into a vibrant, green, and welcoming space designed to benefit students during the school day and the entire neighborhood after hours.
The new schoolyard features a storm-water capturing turf soccer field, a running track, volleyball court and basketball practice hoops, colorful play equipment, an outdoor classroom, shade trees, gardens, and other permeable surfaces that reduce flooding and help cool the area. Designed with input from students, families, and educators, the schoolyard reflects the unique needs and character of P.S. 180 while offering opportunities for active play, creative learning, and quiet reflection. By continuing to keep the schoolyard open to the community during non-school hours, TPL ensures that this new green space serves not only the school but also thousands of residents who live in an area that has long lacked sufficient access to quality parks.
“Every child deserves a safe, welcoming place to play and learn outdoors, and today we are proud to deliver that for the students of P.S. 180 and the surrounding Brooklyn community,” said Tamar Renaud, New York State Director for Trust for Public Land. “This schoolyard is more than a playground—it’s a climate-smart community hub that will improve health, support learning, and bring neighbors together.”
This renovated schoolyard will provide over 28,000 residents with a park within a 10-minute walk, capture 1.7 million gallons of flood water a year, and the new 27 trees will provide cooling and shelter to families.
“As climate change threatens our city with stronger storms and more intense rains, we need to adapt and find new ways to relieve pressure on our sewers and keep our streets from flooding. Green Infrastructure playgrounds like the new one at P.S. 180 are crucial to our flood mitigation efforts,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “I’d like to thank our partners at Trust for Public Land for their hard work in transforming this site into a vibrant new community space, and all the students who helped design this wonderful new playground.”
The P.S. 180 schoolyard is part of Trust for Public Land’s nationwide initiative to reimagine school grounds as safe, healthy, and resilient green spaces. Across the country, TPL has transformed more than 350 schoolyards, creating dynamic outdoor spaces that boost student health and learning, reduce neighborhood heat, and absorb stormwater. Research has shown that access to green schoolyards can reduce stress, increase physical activity, improve focus in the classroom, and help close gaps in park equity—particularly in communities of color, where residents have access to significantly fewer parks than majority-white neighborhoods.
About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $111 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
