The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women
Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women is a public middle and high school in Downtown Brooklyn serving grades six through twelve. The school's name signals its focus: math and science education in a single-sex female environment. It is small to mid-sized for a New York City public school, and it operates within District 13, which in 2021 adopted a historic shift to screen-free, lottery-based admissions across all its middle schools, with a majority of seats reserved for students from low-income families and those experiencing housing instability.
The school's academic data shows modest proficiency rates across tested grades and subjects. In grade six, about half of students tested meet proficiency in math, with slightly higher rates in English language arts. Grade seven shows lower proficiency: roughly forty-five percent in math and about forty-seven percent in ELA. Eighth grade ELA proficiency climbs to about fifty-nine percent, the school's strongest reported metric. Grade eight math and science assessments do not appear in the data, suggesting either no eighth-grade cohort was tested in those subjects or data were not reported. When averaged across all reported subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits well below the midpoint among the county's districts in the comparison set used here.
The school enrolls a substantial share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting both the economic profile of its enrollment and the district's admissions preferences favoring low-income families. The student body is predominantly Black, with substantial representation of Asian, Hispanic, and white students. The school serves as one of roughly three or four middle-school options in District 13 and is the only single-sex math and science school in that cohort. Enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across grades, ranging from about thirty-six to eighty-four students per grade level.
Athletics offerings are sparse; volleyball is listed as the school's only reported sport. State testing data from upper grades (nine through twelve) are not available, so the high school's academic performance cannot be characterized. A parent may want to look into what academic pathways, exams, or credentials the school offers in grades nine through twelve and what college or career outcomes it documents. The school website, if available, would clarify its curriculum in math and science, any AP or dual-credit options, internship or STEM pipeline partnerships, and how it supports students progressing from middle to high school within the same building.
Brooklyn itself is a densely developed borough with active street life, extensive transit, and rapid residential growth, particularly in Downtown Brooklyn where this school is located. Housing values and rents in the zip code are substantially above the state average, reflecting downtown proximity and ongoing development. Major employers in the borough span healthcare, higher education, and a growing tech sector. The school's location places it in a walkable, transit-rich urban neighborhood with access to cultural institutions, though the surrounding housing market suggests the families it serves may often live outside the immediate area and commute in via transit.
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