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Our Insights

What’s Special

Arts focus; longer school day

The Downside

Many students miss more than 18 days of school

In a renovated warehouse in downtown Brooklyn, Urban Assembly High School of Music and Art offers music and art during the school day and additional arts after school. Every student gets a free cell phone with free high-speed wireless internet through the Sprint 1 Million project. Some students take college classes in partnership with Bard College. 

Parent coordinator Cecily Zayas says that about half of the students stay after school to participate in dance, hip-hop, poetry, digital photography and music production. The school does not require special auditions or portfolios for application. In addition to passing Regents exams, UAMA students prepare and present academic and art portfolios as a graduation requirement.

Founding principal Paul Thompson is a trumpet player, who formerly taught music and social studies at Bard High School Early College.

The school serves a challenging population: two-thirds enter 9th grade below grade level in reading and math (Level 1 or 2 out of Level 4 on state test scores according to the yearly plan). About one-fourth of the student population has special needs. The school offers tutoring before and after school and during school holidays, according to the website.

Half the students miss more than 18 days of school, a significant interruption for students as well as teachers, who must take extra class time to help absent teens catch up on material they missed. Attendance is improving with some new strategies, says Zayas; for example, teachers use an app to text parents immediately if their children are late or missing that day. 

The school has a full-time counselor. About 40 percent of graduates enroll in college and career programs, but most graduates must take remedial courses in college based on their low scores on Regents exams.

Students and teachers report feeling safe in school—but they also report more bullying than at other schools. Teachers are less experienced and leave more frequently, according to the most recent New York State data. 

The school is working on the climate. “We are a zero-tolerance school,” Zayas says. “As soon as we see something happen, we take action so no students feel unsafe.” 

As a College Access for All school, UAMA offers several Advanced Placement classes and a college humanities class in partnership with Bard. “It’s going great. Kids love it,” Zayas says. 

Zayas says parents and kids appreciate the free cell phones. Some teachers design lessons around them and students participate in class discussions online. They also use them for research and to log in and check their progress and grades. 

The school, which no longer has an affiliation with the Urban Assembly network but has kept its UAMA name, is located in the Water's Edge Educational Campus, a building it shares with Science Skills High School and Brooklyn International High School. Students may participate in Water’s Edge Campus sports, according to the school handbook. (Lydie Raschka, web reports and interview, April 2018)    

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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?
 
92%
Average daily attendance
 
79%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
61%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

95
Number of students
Citywide Average is 617

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
86%
Students with disabilities
 
23%
Multilingual learners
 
2%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
6%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
83%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
49%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
26%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
83%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
100%
0.6
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
167
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
70%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 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

Not offered in 2021-21

Computer Science

 
13%

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
100%

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2021-21

Music

 
1%
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?
 
46%
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?
 
25%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many graduates who are eligible received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
58%
This shows how well this school supports low-income students to get funding for college.
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2016-17 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
50%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought to you by Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
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

The Bard Early College Academy at UAMA (L02R)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

The Bard Early College Academy is an early college partnership that establishes a satellite campus of Bard College at UAMA. The early college partnership enables students in 11th and 12th grade to enroll as part-time undergraduate students of Bard College, where they can earn up to sixteen tuition-free college credits concurrently with their high school studies. All class take place at UAMA.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Human Geography, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, ELA (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Credited]), Science (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Bowling, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Bowling, Soccer, Table Tennis

Coed PSAL teams

Cricket

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

49 Flatbush Avenue Extension
Brooklyn NY 11201

Trains: 2 Line, 3 Line, 4 Line, 5 Line, A Line, C Line, J Line, Z Line to High St; B Line, Q Line to DeKalb Av; F Line to York St; R Line to Lawrence St

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


Contact

Principal: Samir Vural

Parent Coordinator: Cierra Copeland

Phone: 718-858-0249

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Water's Edge Educational Campus with two other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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