Our Insights
What’s Special
Supportive all-girls school offers lots of writing.
The Downside
No science lab; limited chemistry and physics offered.
The Urban Assembly School for Leadership and Empowerment (formerly the Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice), an ethnically and racially diverse school for girls, aims to empower its students and prepare them for a college liberal arts education. It serves an increasing number of students from conservative Muslim backgrounds--girls who, school administrators say, might not attend public school, were it not for the option of single-sex education.
Founding Co-principal Mariela Graham says girls gain self-confidence, develop a voice and are more likely to participate in class than some students at co-ed schools. And says founding Co-principal Nathalie Jufer, “The girls actively play at recess-–even at the high school level.”
The small size, along with the fact that many students remain at Urban Assembly for 7 years, gives the school a warm atmosphere. Faculty and other staff seems to know all the students, and extra efforts are made to support students from challenging backgrounds. Test scores and graduation rates exceed the city average.
The school’s strength is English and history. Girls in 9th grade feminist literature-–a required course said to be almost everyone’s favorite class-– discussed the pros and cons of women who are not Muslim wearing head coverings to express their support for Muslims. Girls identifying themselves as Christians and as Muslims plunged into the debate, keeping their voices down and their tempers cool.
Students read extensively and do one short writing assignment a marking period in each of academic subjects, including math. Teachers stress the presentation of evidence, pulling information from readings and encourage students to help and challenge each other respectfully. On our visit, classes were uniformly attentive and organized.
Girls work in pairs or small groups on in class assignments, such as determining what factors affects body fat. A 6th grade math class used blocks to figure out averages. When a girl described how her group had solved it, another student gently corrected her: “I think you confused the median and the mean,” she said.
An 11th grade environmental science class had an animated discussion about whether homes made of empty plastic bottles could alleviate housing shortages in the United States. A downside: The school is still waiting for a long-promised science lab and does not always offer either chemistry or physics. Although the school has “criminal justice” in its name, it no longer offers classes related to that theme.
Graham and her staff believe the emphasis on presenting arguments and writing skills will enable girls to get to college and succeed once they get there. An overnight college trip open to all students is offered every year, as well as a mother-daughter college trip. A full-time college counselor works with students starting in 9th grade and teaches a mandatory college writing class for seniors. Most students go to CUNY schools, although some have traveled outside the city to SUNY colleges or private schools.
Urban Assembly offers one Advanced Placement exam in each major subject area and lets some 8th graders take the algebra Regents exam. In most grades there one class with both students who are proficient in English and English language learners (ELL), the largest number of whom speak Bengali, Urdu or Arabic. The ELL classes have a second teacher for at least part of the day.
The school shares its building with J.H.S. 223 The Montauk, with Urban Assembly occupying one and a half floors. Each school has its own full gym but some facilities are shared and space is tight.
Special education: Urban Assembly offers ICT classes with two teachers and a mix of students with disabilities and general education students in middle school and for much of high school. There are no self-contained classes. (Gail Robinson, May 2017; updated with new school name, October 2020)
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School Stats
Is this school safe and well-run?
From the 2022-2023 NYC School Survey
From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card
From this school's most recent Quality Review Report
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
How do students perform academically?
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Who does this school serve?
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
How does this school serve special populations?
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryThe Urban Assembly School for Leadership and Empowerment (L62A)
Program Description:
Students will be taught to think critically cased on our Critical Thinking Framework which includes close reading of rich texts, discussion, and argumentative writing. This framework is used across the disciplines and prepares our students for college and career.
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryLanguage Courses
Spanish
Advanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art - 2D, AP United States History, Chemistry (Advanced Science), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)
Girls PSAL teams
Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Volleyball
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
4200 16 Avenue
Brooklyn
NY
11204
Trains: to Ditmas Av
Buses: B11, B16, B35, B67, B69, B8
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the building with JHS 223
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