At a Glance
An emergency-medicine-themed early college high school in one of Manhattan's wealthiest neighborhoods, built around public safety and health careers.
Best suited for
Students drawn to emergency medicine, fire service, law enforcement, or public health careers, including recent immigrants and first-generation college students who benefit from early college credit and hands-on career exposure.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- An emergency-medicine theme that runs through the curriculum, including a Teen Community Emergency Response Team and FDNY/NYPD Explorers programs
- Zero suspensions in the reporting period, an unusually low figure for a Manhattan high school
- Teacher instruction quality rated 98% — well above the District 2 average of about 90%
- An early-college design that bundles AP courses, college courses, paid internships, and SAT prep
- Sits in one of Manhattan's wealthiest census tracts while serving a student body where 80% qualify as economically disadvantaged
Things to consider
- Parent satisfaction (89%) sits below the District 2 average of 92%, though the family survey response rate of only 18% means that number should be weighed carefully
- Class size of about 26 is essentially the District 2 average — this is a themed, career-focused school, not a small-class-size experience
- Admission is through the educational option process, with a 50% offer rate in the most recent cycle — moderately competitive but not cutthroat
- Strong IEP representation (22%) is a plus for families seeking inclusive programs, but the relatively large class size may matter for some students
- Families should ask specifically about recent ELA and math outcomes before applying
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 2
District 2 includes some of the city's top-scoring schools — Lower Lab at 99/100, Success Academy Union Square at 95/100 — but those are mostly elementary and middle schools. As a small, themed high school with an early-college design and a high-need student body, this school occupies a very different niche and serves a population that looks nothing like the affluent downtown census tract it sits in.
Academics
Proficiency numbers aren't in this snapshot, but the academic structure is built around college credit and career readiness. The course catalog pairs AP classes with ELL support and a STEM focus, while the extracurricular list includes college courses, paid internships, and PSAT/SAT prep — positioning the school as an early-college program rather than a small-class experience. The average class size of about 26 is essentially identical to the District 2 average, so the pull here is themed programming and early college access, not classroom intimacy.
Culture
Teachers give this school very high marks: 98% rate instruction quality as strong (well above the District 2 average of about 90%), 96% report strong collegial trust, and zero suspensions were recorded in the reporting period — a striking figure for a District 2 high school. Parent-side numbers tell a more measured story: 89% parent satisfaction sits below the district's 92% average, though with only 18% of families responding to the survey, that figure should be read with some caution.
Community
The 291 students are 59% Hispanic, 31% Black, and 5% Asian, with 22% classified as having IEPs and an economic need index of 80 — by design, the body is mostly students of color and predominantly low-income. Sit that against Tribeca-Civic Center, where the typical household earns roughly $215,000 and fewer than 6% of residents live in poverty, and the demographic mismatch is obvious: students commute in from across Manhattan and the boroughs, not from the immediate neighborhood.
Neighborhood
The school anchors the Tribeca-Civic Center area, where the typical household earns more than $200,000 a year and roughly 80% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. About a quarter of households include children, and homeownership is just above 41% — a striking figure for a downtown Manhattan census tract. The surrounding blocks include civic landmarks, courthouses, and office towers, and the median home value sits just under $2 million.
Three subway lines serve the school on foot: Chambers St (J, Z) is about a 4-minute walk, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall (4, 5, 6) about 5 minutes, and Fulton St (2, 3) about 7 minutes.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 58 families responded (18% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management is a small high school in downtown Manhattan that prepares students for the college of their choice and career of their dreams through hands-on and work-based learning. Students select between two innovative career pathways in Emergency Medicine and Cyber Security. Students engage in paid internships, have preferential hiring with industry partners, receive free certification as EMTs or Security Analysts, and earn free, early college credit.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- The Urban Assembly School for Emergency ManagementEd. Opt.
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Educational Option programs fill in equal shares across three reading levels, half by the school's ranking and half by lottery.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
Open house
Sat, Nov 7, · 10:00 AM · In person
Open house
Tue, Nov 10, · 5:30 PM · In person
Open house
Sat, Nov 21, · 10:00 AM · In person
Open house
Wed, Dec 2, · 5:30 PM · In person
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine a good school?
- On Motley, The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine earns an overall rating of 61/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine serve?
- The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine?
- The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine uses the Educational Option (Ed-Opt) method, ranking applicants across performance levels so seats go to a mix of abilities.
- Is The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine public, charter, or private?
- The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine is a public school in NYC Community School District 2.
- What neighborhood is The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine in?
- The Urban Assembly Early College High School of Emergency Medicine is in Tribeca-Civic Center, Manhattan.