Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science, The

Test scores at this school land around 27-28% proficiency in both ELA and math — roughly 17-18 percentage points below the District 9 averages of roughly 45%. The school's overall quality rating of 1.12 out of 4 also falls below the district average of 1.79. However, looking at the trend, scores have remained relatively stable over recent years after a dip in 2022 (when math dropped to 8.7%), with 2025 showing math at 24.4% and ELA at 23.4%. The middle school grades (6-8) perform slightly better than the schoolwide average, with 8th grade reaching 28.6% ELA and 30.2% math. The school offers AP courses, STEM programming, and world languages including Cantonese, French, and Spanish — giving students some pathways toward college prep even as they catch up on foundational skills.

The survey data here tells a striking story: parents rate satisfaction at 94%, and both parent-teacher trust and parent-principal trust hit 95%. Teachers report 92% instruction quality and 96% trust in leadership — numbers that would make any school proud. Yet this strong climate exists alongside a troubling 46.5% chronic absenteeism rate, suggesting that while families who engage with the school feel well-served, getting students through the door consistently is a major challenge. The school has zero suspensions, which reflects either very different disciplinary approaches or very different student behavior compared to district peers (who average 0.42% suspension rate). The disconnect between high trust and poor attendance is the defining tension here.

This is a predominantly Hispanic (71%) and Black (27%) school serving 595 students across grades 6-12, with 28% of students having IEPs. The demographics closely mirror the Claremont Village neighborhood, which has 44.1% poverty, a median household income of $30,475, and only 11.4% of adults holding bachelor's degrees. With 92.8% economic need index, this school serves one of the highest-need populations in the district. The diversity index of 39% reflects a relatively homogeneous student body, but the community is genuinely diverse in other ways — it's working-class, immigrant-heavy, and family-dense (though only 10% of households have children according to one measure).

Claremont Village in the Bronx faces real challenges: the safety score of 11.49 places it in the lowest percentile for safety, with elevated crime density and collision rates. The neighborhood has notably high asthma rates (75.5 per 1,000) and 15.2% elevated lead rates in children — environmental health concerns that affect student wellbeing. However, transit access is strong (75.48 score), making commutes manageable. Education orientation is low (22.99), meaning this isn't a neighborhood where families are heavily focused on school selection — yet this school draws 1,018 applicants for 10 seats, suggesting it fills a real need. Median home values of $629,284 indicate the neighborhood is gentrifying, but only 2.7% homeownership means most families rent.

Families generally get to school via public transit — the 75.48 transit score reflects good bus and subway access. Given neighborhood safety concerns, parents of younger students often accompany children to and from school. The area is walkable in terms of distance but safety considerations affect how families move through the neighborhood.