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When the first students were accepted to Coney Island Prep Charter School, Principal Jacob Mnookin did not even know where the school would be. There was no space in the neighborhood public schools and other buildings were too expensive or not the right fit.

But weeks before school started, Mnookin struck a remarkable deal to open the first public school in the community center of a city Housing Authority development.

"It was really constructed like a school. So it was divided up into classrooms, it has a full-court gymnasium downstairs that we are able to use," Mnookin said. "It has an elevator, so that it is wheelchair accessible. So it really required no build out on our end, we were able to move right in."

The mayor says if he's reelected he wants to double the number of charter schools in the city and hopes many can find space in Housing Authority developments, using Coney Island Prep as a model.

"We're very eager to look for creative opportunities in which to site public schools, and NYCHA is exactly that," said Bloomberg education advisor Christopher Cerf.

Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea says he's interested. He says the authority could build out space to lease to schools, sell land to the School Construction Authority, and place more schools in community centers.

"We think that is an outstanding way for us to use facilities in NYCHA that have the potential to provide greater services than they are today to our residents," he said.

Although the facility may not be state-of-the-art, faculty members at Coney Island Prep say they feel lucky not to share space with another school, adding that the location fits with their school's mission.

"Our goal is to serve students who are most at need, and if that means students who live in public housing, that is where we are going to serve," said Leslie Bernard Joseph, dean of students for Coney Island Prep.

Mnookin admits some parents initially expressed safety concerns, so the school hired a security guard. Students say the space is working out well.

"This building, it is not as big as my old school, but it is very neat and very organized, so everything is in place and it is very good for learning," said student Brian Sandker.

Coney Island Prep will get too big in just two years to fit in this facility, but the residents say they like having a school in their community center, and they hope that maybe another charter school will want to move in and take its place.