At a Glance
A tiny all-girls business academy where Lower Manhattan's skyline meets a citywide, high-need student body
Best suited for
Young women applying from anywhere in the city who want a small, supportive, college-and-business–oriented environment and don't mind a commute to Lower Manhattan — especially students who would thrive with close teacher relationships and a built-in leadership pipeline.
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
- Goldman Sachs–backed business pipeline, including a Girls Who Code program and Castle Harlan business plan competition
- All-girls environment with a deliberate leadership and entrepreneurship focus
- Zero suspensions — an unusually clean discipline record for a NYC high school
- Intentionally tiny enrollment of 115 students, allowing close staff-student relationships
- Program richness score of 90/100, remarkable for a school this small
- Citywide admissions draw pulls a predominantly Black and Hispanic, high-need student body into a wealthy Financial District location
Things to consider
- Extremely small enrollment means a narrower social circle and a more limited course catalog than larger schools can offer
- No academic proficiency data is available to gauge outcomes against district averages
- An economic need index of 87% means most students are from low-income households — a very different daily reality from the surrounding neighborhood
- Teacher survey drew only 10 responses, which limits how much weight to put on those climate numbers
- This is a school of choice, so families from outside Lower Manhattan should plan commute time
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 2
District 2 spans Lower Manhattan and includes some of the city's most sought-after elementary and charter schools, but its high school landscape is thinner in peer comparison. The closest peer schools in the district dataset are mostly lower schools and charters; among comparable small themed high schools, this one stands out for its zero-suspension record and its 90/100 program richness score.
Academics
No state test proficiency data was provided in this profile, so academic outcomes can't be benchmarked against the district's roughly 73% ELA / 73% Math averages. What does show up is the academic scaffolding: AP coursework, a NAF Academy of Finance and Information Technology pathway, PSAT/SAT prep, and a deep roster of business and leadership extracurriculars. A program richness score of 90/100 signals an unusually full menu for a school this small.
Culture
The climate numbers here are exceptional on paper: 96% parent satisfaction, 100% teacher-principal trust, 97% of teachers rate instruction quality positively, and zero suspensions all year. The day-to-day feel families describe is one of close relationships and visible leadership, with no disciplinary interruptions in the building. One caveat — only 10 teachers responded to the survey, which is a thin signal even at a 115-student school.
Community
The student body is 48% Hispanic, 38% Black, 7% Asian, and roughly 2% each White, Multi-Racial, and Native American, with an economic need index of 87% — far higher than the surrounding Financial District, where median household income tops $192,000 and just 6% of residents live below the poverty line. This is a citywide school of choice, so the kids in the building come from across the five boroughs rather than the towers outside.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the Financial District–Battery Park City neighborhood, where 82.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree and median household income is around $192,000 — one of the wealthiest patches in New York City. Just 13.9% of neighborhood households include children, which is part of why this school draws students from well beyond its immediate area. The blocks around the school feel like corporate towers and waterfront parks rather than residential family housing.
Families can reach the building via the 4 or 5 at Bowling Green (about a two-minute walk), the R or W at Rector Street (about three minutes), or the 1 at Rector Street (about three minutes).
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 89 families responded (80% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
This program will prepare our young women for careers in business, finance, programming, database administration, web design and management, digital networks, and other areas in the Business and Technology fields. They are also able to earn the NAFTrack Certification which will signify that they are both college and career ready.
We prepare our young women for careers in all areas of business. In addition to studying a business-focused curriculum and working on collaborative projects they also participate in job shadowing, business trips, mock interviews, mentoring and college preparatory programs.
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. Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- NAF Academy of Finance and Information Technology (NAFAFIT)Ed. Opt.
- The Urban Assembly School of Business for Young WomenEd. 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
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the a good school?
- On Motley, Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the earns an overall rating of 51/100 — 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 Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the serve?
- Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the?
- Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the uses the Educational Option (Ed-Opt) method, ranking applicants across performance levels so seats go to a mix of abilities.
- Is Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the public, charter, or private?
- Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the is a public school in NYC Community School District 2.
- What neighborhood is Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the in?
- Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women, the is in Financial District-Battery Park City, Manhattan.