Millennium High School is ready to graduate to its full size.

Downtown's newest high school will triple in space, from 30,000 to 90,000 square feet, in September, with the completion of two newly renovated floors. The school, which currently has only 9th- and 10th-grade classes, will also add an 11th grade.

		The school will dedicate the space on June 15, when it holds a "Taste of Millennium" fundraiser to benefit its library and music programs. The two new floors, decorated in cobalt blue and buttery yellow, include a library and media center, an art studio with a darkroom, science labs and a 2,500-square-foot gym complete with a mirrored wall and a ballet bar. The school currently occupies the 13th floor of an office building at 75 Broad Street. With the addition of the 11th and 12th floors, connected by an open staircase, "it feels more like a real school," said principal Robert Rhodes. The expanded school will also have a "distance learning center" where classes can teleconference with other institutions and guest lecturers, as well as students in
other countries. The equipment was purchased with a donation of more than $100,000 from J. P. Morgan Chase. "Instead of having a Spanish pen pal that you write to, you can have a Spanish pen pal you can communicate with via teleconference," said Alyson Alpert, the ninth-grade guidance counselor. Millennium opened in 2002 with only a ninth-grade class in a temporary home in an Upper East Side school. It moved Downtown last year with the aid of private donations and a $3 million contribution from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The school is open to applicants from anywhere in New York City who meet the academic requirements, but priority is given to residents south of Houston Street. Of the 150 students in the incoming ninth grade, 40 to 50 percent live below Houston Street. according to Alpert. The counselor said there has been "huge interest" in the school this year with more than 500 applications, more than four times the number received last year. Rhonda Erb, president of the parents' association, said the June 15 dedication and fundraiser event not only will give parents a chance to get to know each other, but will also help neighborhood residents get acquainted with the school. "People can find out there's a really great high school right in their back yard," he said. At Taste of Millennium, more than 20 restaurants, including Da Silvano, Delmonico's and Provence, will provide hors d'oeuvres for a cocktail party from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the door or through the school at 212-825-9008.