Founded in 2006 in the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Education Complex, the Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts (UASPA) aims to combine performing arts with a strict academic environment. However, attendance is poor and discipline is uneven, according to Department of Education statistics.

More than one-quarter of students responding to the 2011-12 Learning Environment Survey said fights were frequent; 40 percent said they did not feel safe on the property outside the school and 17 percent said they did not feel safe in class. More than half of students and 80 percent of teachers said that discipline is unfair.

There seems to be a fair amount of animosity between the school’s founding principal, Fia Davis, and staff. Nearly two-thirds of the teachers said they do not feel supported by the principal, placing Davis among the lowest-raked principals in NYC, according to the UFT.

Students spend their first two years learning about the four types of performing arts, then choose a major to explore in-depth in 11^th and 12^th grade. The student body, which is more than 75 percent female, reflects the school’s focus on drama, dance, vocal training and instrumental music.There are no Advanced Placement classes and few graduates are considered ready for college-level work, according to the DOE.

The facilities are not designed for a performing arts school and formal performances are held off-campus, Insideschools reported after a 2009 visit. Both the dance studio and the theater are converted classrooms, creating cramped spaces for rehearsals. Students must pass through a metal detector to enter the building.

Afterschool, there are a variety of clubs, including step team and cheerleading. Students perform annual performing art shows at off-campus locations.

Special education: Special education teachers are referred to as student intervention teachers and also develop intervention plans for students who are struggling but don't have official IEPs. The school offers ICT classes and SETSS services.

Admissions: Students don't audition. Priority to students who attend an information session. (Aryn Bloodworth, DOE statistics, November 2012)