Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders

Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders is a public middle school serving grades six through eight in Manhattan, located at West 129th Street in Upper Manhattan. The school enrolls a small population of students, with a roughly equal split among sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch; the student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a very small representation of other races.

Academic performance, measured by New York State testing in 2024-25, is below what most families would hope for. In English Language Arts, proficiency ranges from roughly one-fifth in grade eight to about three-fifths in grade seven, with grade six in between. Math proficiency is lower across all grades, ranging from roughly one-third in sixth grade to about one-half in seventh grade, dropping back to roughly one-third in eighth grade. Only a small portion of eighth graders were tested in math, which may reflect enrollment or participation patterns worth asking the school about directly. Science testing data for grade eight show no test participants. When compared against other districts in New York County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent evaluating this school should understand that test results indicate students are not meeting state standards at rates typical for the county, and the school may want to look into what academic supports, instructional approaches, and student needs are shaping these outcomes.

The school's name, Academy for Future Leaders, suggests an intentional mission around leadership development, though the available data does not detail program content, electives, or how that mission translates into daily instruction. The address on West 129th Street places the school in Harlem, a neighborhood embedded in New York City's dense, walkable fabric, where schools are typically integrated into block-level housing and commercial areas rather than sited on suburban campuses. The surrounding area has the high transit access, street-level activity, and mixed-use character typical of central Manhattan. Housing values in the local zip code are substantial, though they have shifted slightly downward recently; monthly rents remain elevated. The district serving this school, NYC Geographic District 5, has recently adopted standardized math and literacy curricula citywide and modified middle school admissions policies to expand access beyond the district while maintaining in-district priority, changes that affect how families approach school choice and what instructional approach students encounter.

Without data on the school's special education enrollment, English learner population, staffing, attendance rates, or discipline practices, a fuller picture of the school environment and support systems is not available. A parent considering this school would benefit from direct conversations about what additional academic support exists for students performing below grade level, how the school engages families in monitoring progress, and what the school's concrete plans are for improving proficiency outcomes.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

3 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Math	20	15.0%
Science	20	10.0%
Ela	8	75.0%

Math

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 38% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 43% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 32% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 42% · ▲ 4 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 46% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 42% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Science

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 27% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 821%

School 21% · district not reported

▼ 58 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 5, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.