Our Insights
What’s Special
A focus on performing arts
The Downside
Metal detectors, poor attendance
Founded in 2006 in the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Education Complex, the Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts (UASPA) offers dance, theater, theater tech and vocal music, in addition to typical high school academics. Students do not need to need to audition or have previous experience in the arts. They showcase their work in dance, vocal music and theater performances during the year.
They practice in a renovated basement called the performing arts wing that has fresh, bright paint on the walls and also houses a history classroom and staff offices, according to parent coordinator Elizabeth Whitaker. The dance studio has mirrors, a ballet barre and floors suitable for dancing.
Students at UASPA seem happy with the variety of ways they can develop talents in the arts outside of academics, and most say they feel academically challenged in their classes, according to NYC school surveys. They participate in assemblies, plays, concerts and jam sessions in the school’s auditorium and in a larger space at the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus near Lincoln Center.
A partnership with College Bound has helped more students graduate on time and to find colleges that are affordable and a good fit.
Principal Meghan McMahon is a dancer who pursued a career in education and received her master's from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was a founding history teacher at the school and served as assistant principal for four years before becoming principal in 2015. Teachers give McMahon high marks on NYC school surveys; under her leadership, the climate at the school has slowly become safer and teachers stay longer. “I adore her,” says Whitaker. “She is compassionate. She listens. She cares. It’s not above her to get her hands dirty.”
A thorny problem the principal has not yet solved is attendance. It remains stalled at roughly 80 percent, and many students miss more than 18 days of school. When they miss lessons, teachers need to spend extra time helping them catch up.
Whitaker says that when parents go to work early, teens may sleep in and come to school late or not at all. Some deliver younger siblings to school first, which results in tardiness. Teachers and staff make phone calls or use an app to let parents know if their child is missing or late. Students win incentives like “dress down day” or a trip to Madame Tussauds wax museum for good attendance.
Students meet in small advisory groups with a staff person every day. They discuss social and emotional issues that come up. The school’s yearly plan states that the goal is to bolster relationships in school as a way to improve academics and attendance. “We try to build a strong community,” says Whitaker. “We’re getting there.”
The building is shared with two middle schools, Success Academy Harlem North West Charter School and IS 286 Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders, and high school Academy for Social Action.
Students must pass through a metal detector to enter the building. Lydie Raschka, web reports and interview, April 2018)
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School Stats
Academics
Students
Race/Ethnicity
Safety & Vibe
Faculty & Staff
Advanced Courses
Calculus
Not offered in 2021-21Computer Science
Not offered in 2021-21Physics
Not offered in 2021-21Advanced Foreign Language
Not offered in 2021-21AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science
AP/IB Math or Science
Music
College Readiness
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryUrban Assembly School for the Performing Arts (M04A)
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryAdvanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), Algebra II (College Course [Credited]), AP English Language and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, Chemistry (Advanced Science), Econ/Gov (College Course [Credited]), ELA (College Course [Credited]), US History (College Course [Credited])
Boys PSAL teams
Basketball
Girls PSAL teams
Basketball, Softball
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
509 West 129 Street
Manhattan
NY
10027
Trains: to 125th St; , to 135th St
Buses: Bx33, M10, M100, M101, M104, M11, M125, M3, M4, M5, M60-SBS
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the building with Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders and Success Academy Charter High School of the Liberal Arts Harlem
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