The Urban Academy Laboratory High School (also known as the Urban Academy) is a small, progressive, alternative public high school located on the Upper East Side of New York City. Founded in 1986, its goal was to create a place where students could learn in a nontraditional sense. In 1995, it became one of six small schools located in the Julia Richman Education Complex.
It is a public school; however, prospective students have to go through an admissions process that is particular to the school. Interested students should call the school to set up a visit. The structure of the classes is non-traditional. Teachers don't lecture; facilitate discussion groups, and create their own curriculum and direct students with a focus on inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Students' primary source of information is not textbooks. Classes are often based on discussion. Students tend to sit in a circle and talk about articles and documents to reach their conclusions on them. Although described as "alternative", the school describes is program as rigorous and colllege-oriented. It has been designated a U.S. Department of Education "Blue Ribbon School of Excellence" and a "New American High School National Showcase Site."
The school's three sports teams are a mixture of students from the other three high schools housed in the building along with theres.
Urban graduates have gained admission to some of the country's most elite colleges and universities such as Brown and NYU; Tisch School of the Arts. Heres a complete list; Bard College, Baruch College, Bates College, Beloit College, Berkeley College, Brooklyn College, Brown University, College of the Atlantic, Connecticut College, Earlham College, Emerson College, Eugene Lang College, Evergreen State College, Goucher College, Hampshire College, Hunter College, Ithaca College, Manhattanville College, Marymount College, Massachusetts College of Art, Macalaster Colllege, Northland College, NYU; Tisch School of the Arts, Oberlin College, Queens College, Reed College, St. John's College, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Cortland, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Purchase, SUNY Stony Brook, Tyler School of Art, Ursinus College, and Warren Wilson College.
How To Apply: 3-Step Process; Step One: Visiting Before anything else, the student must visit Urban for half of a school day. The student, a parent or guardian can call the school to make an appointment for a visit. We{{Who} do insist that students visit on their own. If a parent would like to visit, he or she can come to a parent orientation at another time. During the visit, the student will sit in on three classes. He or she also has a chance to talk to students who already attend Urban. The visit is really an opportunity for the student to see if Urban is, in fact, the kind of school that he or she would like to attend. At the end of the visit, the student will receive an application.
Step Two: The Take-Home Application The student must complete the application at home. This application consists of several essays and other written assignments. Although the work should be the assignments, we don't mind if he or she gets assistance with it.
Step Three: The Interview The student comes back for an interview. During the interview, the student will complete an in-school application. This application contains more essays, some math problems and other written assignments. There is not time limit on how long the student can take, although 2–3 hours is about average. During that time, the student will have an interview with the admissions director along with another teacher and/or a student. The student will also be expected to provide a copy of a high school transcript that that time. Once these three steps have been completed, a committee makes a decision based on the student's application, his or her transcript, and the number of spaces that we have open.
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