At a Glance
An audition-only arts school in Harlem that doubles as a genuine neighborhood middle and high school — where families commit to the arts and the school commits to them.
Best suited for
Families committed to their child's arts training — willing to navigate an audition and accept that academics are a work in progress — and who want their teen in an orderly, supportive middle and high school embedded in the Harlem community.
Overall Rating
Grades 3–8
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
High school
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
- Audition-based admissions into five distinct arts tracks — Theater, Dance, Visual Arts, Vocal Music, and Instrumental Music — alongside an honors academy pathway
- Zero suspensions in the most recent reporting period, a strikingly orderly climate for a middle and high school
- Every teacher surveyed rated the quality of instruction positively, an unusual 100% score
- Parent satisfaction at 94% runs well above the district average of 88%
- A real growth story in math proficiency, climbing from essentially 0% in 2016 to today's levels
Things to consider
- Test scores trail district averages by wide margins in both ELA and math, so families prioritizing raw academic outcomes should look elsewhere
- Chronic absenteeism is high — nearly half of students — and the gender gap is stark, with two-thirds of boys missing significant school
- PTA fundraising is minimal at about $5 per student, compared to a district average of $627, which limits what the parent community can supplement
- Teacher trust in principal sits at 74%, noticeably lower than other trust measures — worth probing on a tour
- Admissions are competitive for Visual Arts (20% offer rate) and Theater (33%), but more accessible for Instrumental Music and Honors Academy tracks
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 3
District 3 includes some of the city's most celebrated screened schools — Special Music, Anderson, and P.S. 166 — pulling the district's overall score well above the citywide average. Wadleigh sits well below those peers and below the district average overall, making it a distinct choice within a high-performing district.
Academics
Wadleigh's proficiency rates trail the district by wide margins — 35% in ELA versus the district's 59%, and just 16% in math compared to roughly 54% citywide. The long view is more encouraging: in 2016, only 11% of students hit ELA proficiency and essentially none hit math. The school has climbed well above that floor, even as scores have dipped from a 2022–24 peak. This is a school catching up, not a school resting on its lead — academic growth is part of the story, even if it's not where the school's reputation rests.
Culture
The most striking thing about Wadleigh's climate data is the contrast: zero suspensions, every surveyed teacher rating instruction quality positively, and 94% parent satisfaction — well above the district's 88%. Yet teacher trust in principal lags at 74%, and chronic absenteeism runs at 48%, with boys missing far more school than girls (67% vs 37%). Day-to-day, families feel heard and the building feels orderly, but attendance is the friction point, and the teacher-leadership gap may be a behind-the-scenes tension worth asking about.
Community
The student body is roughly half Hispanic and 43% Black, with most students drawn from the immediate Harlem neighborhood, as reflected in the school's economic need index of 85. The surrounding census tract mirrors that picture — median income around $69,000, about one in five households in poverty, though over half of adults hold a bachelor's degree, a sign of the area's economic mix. Wadleigh is a school that serves working- and middle-class Harlem families who want their kids to have real arts training alongside a real diploma.
Neighborhood
South Harlem is a neighborhood of contrasts — high home values alongside a 20% poverty rate and only about 12% of households with children. The area has clearly seen significant economic change, but it remains a place where families of varied means live side by side, and where over half of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Getting to Wadleigh is straightforward on three subway lines, which makes it accessible from much of upper Manhattan.
The 116 St station (C and B trains) is about a four-minute walk, with the 110 St–Malcolm X Plaza station (2 and 3 trains) and Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) station (C and B trains) each about six minutes on foot.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 63 families responded (21% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
The Theater Arts program introduces students to the art of acting. Drama students will be exposed to a variety of techniques and tools in theater arts that will enhance their current level of proficiency. Students will study acting, directing, stage design and play-writing. In addition, students will participate in musical theater performances throughout the school year.
This program offers students the opportunity to study dance technique, composition, theory, history, and anatomy and physiology. The dance program exposes students to the fields of modern, ballet, tap, Afro-Caribbean, and jazz; as well as Pilates and Zena Rommett Floor Bar. Dance students participate in school performances throughout the school year and partner with several of our renowned partnerships.
This program offers students an introduction to the fundamental concepts of art. Students will explore elements of art and design through a variety of 2D and 3D media: drawing, painting, collage-making, watercolor, and computer graphics. Students will also have the opportunity to take electives in photography, ceramics, and AP Studio Art. Student art work is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, Harlem State Office Building, Cooper Hewitt Museum, and Colgate Palmolive Headquarters.
This program introduces students to the fundamentals of instrumental playing. The program is also designed to extend the boundaries of the musically talented student. Students learn techniques in Jazz Band, Modern Band, and Concert Band. Strong emphasis is placed in the following areas: Music Theory, Composition, and Music History. Students participate in school performances throughout the school year and partner with several of our renowned partnerships.
This program exposes students to music theory, history, and voice techniques. Students perform in a variety of genres: classical, jazz, Broadway, gospel, and popular music. The Wadleigh Chamber Choir has performed at: Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater, Barclay Center, Riverside Church, National Chorale Festival, Manhattan Borough Arts Festival, Songs of Solomon Gospel Choir, NYC All-City Chorus, NYC Summer Arts Institute, Metropolitan Opera, National Chorale, and Lincoln Center Jazz.
Students in this program will be offered a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum. The program will prepare students to pass the five required NYS Regents and have the opportunity to earn an Advanced Regents diploma. Students will be offered AP and honors courses, to prepare them for entry into selective four-year colleges. Students will also have the opportunity to explore the performing and visual arts and participate in internships.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Wadleigh Secondary School For the Performing & Visual ArtsScreened47 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts admits through 6 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- DanceAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- DramaAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required32 seats
- Instrumental MusicAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Visual ArtsAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Vocal MusicAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Wadleigh SecondaryLimited UnscreenedEvent priority32 seats
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.
- 2Audition programs need a booked audition or portfolio on top of the application — book the slot through MySchools, and prepare what each studio asks for.
- 3Programs marked “Event priority” put families who attended an open house, tour or information session first — sign in when you go.
- 4Rank 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.
A program here gives priority to families who attended an event — sign in when you go.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts a good school?
- On Motley, Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts earns an overall rating of 26/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run below the District 3 average. Its high school grades have their own rating, 67/100, from graduation and Regents results.
- What grades does Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts serve?
- Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts serves grades 6 to 12.
- How do students get into Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts?
- Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts admits by audition — applicants are judged on a performance, portfolio, or talent area.
- Is Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts public, charter, or private?
- Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts is a public school in NYC Community School District 3.
- What neighborhood is Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts in?
- Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts is in Harlem (South), Manhattan.