The Greek School of Plato was founded in Brooklyn in July 1977 as an independent Greek Afternoon School. The founders of the school joined together and raised the necessary funds to rent classrooms for one year, purchase mini-buses for student transportation and make the first down-payment on the original location of the school on 79th Street and 3rdAvenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The first Board of Directors and representatives of the school were dedicated to maintaining the Hellenic democratic spirit and Plato’s commitment to a quality, independent education. 

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the school continued to grow, and despite some economic setbacks, endured the obstacles in pursuit of its mission: promoting Hellenic heritage though afternoon schooling and programming to new generations of Greek-American students in the greater Southwest Brooklyn area.

In the early 2000s, the Greek School of Plato operated out of rented school space in Bay Ridge’s public schools and in 2010, plans were announced to build a permanent home for the school and Brooklyn’s first ever Greek Cultural and Community Center at 670 92nd Street, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Made possible with the generous contributions of the Greek School of Plato’s supporters, ground broke at the site on Sunday, September 10, 2017.

In 2020, the Greek School of Plato launched Plato Kosmos, an online virtual program for children and adults to learn the Modern Greek language, who otherwise did not have access to a Greek language education. Currently, there are a number of students enrolled in Plato Kosmos from across the United States.

The Afternoon and Saturday School offers an array of classes for students from Pre-K to 9th grade, including Greek language, literature, mythology, history, geography, and folk dance, as well as preparation for the Greek Regents exam and Ellinomatheia exams. The School’s Marching Band, which has the distinct honor of opening the annual Greek Independence Parade in NYC, is comprised of students from 5th to 9th grades, and Greek School of Plato alumni.

Currently, the school and community center is nearing completion, with a target opening date of Fall 2020. This new chapter in the school’s history will ultimately provide the Greek School of Plato with a permanent home for future generations to come.