 The "pool on the roof" prank is actually based on an old Stuyvesant  H.S. prank of the "Sixth Floor Pool". The original Stuy building on  East 15th Street in Manhattan had only five floors, and freshman  were sent to look for a pool upstairs. The building had no pool.  There was a literary publication at Stuyvesant referencing the prank  called "Sixth Floor Pool". The school moved into the new building  (featured in the movie) shortly before filming began.  Coincidentally, this building is across the street from Ground Zero,  the former site of the World Trade Center. It was, amazingly, almost  completely unharmed by the blasts. The school was used as the base  of operations for the rescue efforts, and classes were moved for one  term to Brooklyn Technical High School. The three "Specialized Math  and Science High Schools" in NYC, requiring an examination for  admittance, are Stuyvesant, Bronx High School of Science, and  Brooklyn Tech (in order of difficulty of admittance).