New York, NY - Schools Brace for Student Surge On Lower Manhattan But Not In Williamsburg, Brooklyn

New York, NY - The already packed schools in Lower Manhattan and parts of the Upper East Side are facing increased crowding as the combination of rising birth rates and the construction of apartment buildings already has created an increased demand for public school slots.

Public school enrollment is expected to fall by almost 9% citywide by 2014, but some neighborhoods in Manhattan can expect to see a 25% rise in the number of students.

But not in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which boasts one of the highest birthrates in the city, and more and more new apartments are in the pipeline or have already come on the market in the area in the last few years, due to many of the area's chasidic Jewish families send their children to religious schools, leaving empty classroom seats in public schools.