A Message from InsideSchools: The data below is the most up-to-date data available from City and State systems. We are working hard to update the narratives for all schools. We welcome your insights in the Comments section. Questions? Ask us!

Our Insights

What’s Special

Curriculum using law to engage students

The Downside

No chemistry or physics

The Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice is located in a gleamingly renovated courthouse among many court buildings near the Brooklyn Bridge. The school’s embrace of its theme, though, goes far beyond its location.

SLJ, as it is called, is the product of a partnership with a leading Manhattan law firm, a relationship which continues to this day, along with affiliations with other law organizations. The humanities-focused curriculum includes classes such as forensic science, constitutional law, and participation in government. The school says it is not trying to put all its students on a path to a legal career but, according to its website, uses legal issues to develop basic skills and “a love of analytical thinking.”

The approach seems to be successful. Although SLJ does not screen applicants on the basis of their academic records and takes a range of academic levels, attendance, graduation rates and preparedness for college all are well above average. Almost all students are accepted to college, and most attend, with more than two-thirds going on to a four-year school, according to the school’s comprehensive educational plan.

SLJ stresses literacy in the 9th grade with a double period of English and, according to its web site, has small classes. It offers a number of AP classes, with two – U.S. history and psychology – geared toward 10th and 11th graders. Students may take visual arts or theater.

Support from the Adams Street Foundation allows the school to have a full-time enrichment program manager. It provides an array of extracurricular activities to students, and the partnership allows many children to attend college programs or travel abroad over the summer.  In 2017, seven SLJ students worked with CBS News to produce taped news reports on cyberbullying and sex education for LGBTQ+ youth. SLJ was featured in the 2014 book, Restoring Opportunity: The Crisis of Inequality and the Challenge for American Education. (Gail Robinson, school and DOE reports, October 2018)

 

Get more from InsideSchools

School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
90%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
72%
Average daily attendance
 
83%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
60%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
100%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

442
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
75%
Students with disabilities
 
18%
Multilingual learners
 
3%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
84%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
44%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
27%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
96%
2.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
202
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 157

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
86%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

 
11%

Computer Science

 
2%

Physics

 
41%

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
16%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
10%

Music

 
4%
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
77%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
47%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
86%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
86%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice (K08X)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Law and justice are the lenses through which subject matter is viewed and academic skills are developed. Our theme reflects our conviction that educating is in itself an act of social justice, and that learning can be amplified when done through the lens of the law.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Language and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP Microeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Seminar, AP United States History, Calculus (Advanced Math)

Boys PSAL teams

Basketball, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

283 Adams Street
Brooklyn NY 11201

Trains: 2 Line, 3 Line, 4 Line, 5 Line, R Line to Borough Hall; A Line, C Line, F Line to Jay St - Borough Hall; B Line, Q Line to DeKalb Av; G Line to Hoyt & Schermerhorn; J Line, Z Line to High St

Buses: B103, B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B54, B57, B61, B62, B63, B65, B67, B69


Contact

Principal: Kristin Ferrales

Parent Coordinator: Marvin Harris

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Adams Street Educational Campus with one other school

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

Was this information helpful?

Get more from InsideSchools

You may also like …

Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School

284 Baltic Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Comments

  • Is this your school? Please post any news, updates, events, changes, or other information!
  • We welcome questions, open discussions, and disagreements but comments with personal attacks, rude language, or those with seemingly malicious intent will be deleted.
  • Very long comments, those that contain links, or repeat comments may be blocked by our spam filter.
  • Problems? email us at contact@insideschools.org.
  • Users must comply with our Terms of Use.

×