The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Urban Assembly School for Leadership and Empowerment
Urban Assembly School for Leadership and Empowerment is a grades 6-12 public school in Brooklyn serving a student body that is predominantly Asian and economically disadvantaged. About nine in every ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's Asian enrollment is substantial, followed by smaller cohorts of white and Hispanic students, with a smaller representation of Black students and other groups.
The school sits in a neighborhood context of rising housing values and growing residential development. Brooklyn as a whole is experiencing strong growth, with substantial new housing construction especially in areas like Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg. The 16th Avenue location in the Bensonhurst area has high walkability and dense transit access typical of Brooklyn's urban fabric. The school serves an economically diverse city at large, though its student population reflects more acute economic pressure than many parts of Brooklyn.
In terms of middle school testing results available from the most recent school year, the school shows mixed academic performance. Seventh grade English language arts proficiency stands above half. Sixth and seventh grade math proficiency each reach around half or slightly above. Sixth grade English language arts proficiency is near half. Eighth grade English language arts proficiency is roughly two-thirds. However, state testing data for eighth grade math and science were not administered or reported, so the school's full academic picture at that grade level is incomplete.
These results place the school in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Kings County when measured by overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the factors behind these numbers and what academic supports or instructional approaches are in place, particularly in mathematics.
A graduation rate was not reported in available data; high school testing outcomes in the form of state assessments at the secondary level were also unavailable. Understanding outcomes for the school's four grades of high school students would give a fuller picture of academic trajectories.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade span, with roughly about as many students in each high school grade as in middle grades, suggesting a stable or possibly shrinking pipeline. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available, so the full scope of academic support services cannot be assessed from available sources.
District 20, in which the school sits, has expanded dramatically the use of academic screening for middle school admissions in recent years, becoming the city's leading user of selective admissions screens. This shift shapes competition for middle school seats across the district and is a contested feature among families. The district also added new school capacity in fall 2024 to relieve long-standing overcrowding, which may affect enrollment patterns and seat availability going forward.
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