Urban Academy Laboratory High School

What Urban Academy Laboratory High School does

Urban Academy Laboratory High School is a tuition-free public high school operated by the New York City Department of Education, founded in 1995 as the lead school of the Julia Richman Education Complex on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The school serves NYC high school students (primarily entering 9th and 10th grade) and is built around an inquiry-based teaching methodology in which teachers frame open questions and students defend positions using evidence in discussion-based seminars. Classrooms are multi-aged, combining freshmen through seniors in single cohorts, and the school models a college environment rather than a traditional graded progression.

The school's core technical differentiator is its Performance-Based Assessment Task (PBAT) system, known internally as "proficiencies," in which students demonstrate mastery through extended projects, papers, exhibits, presentations, and experiments across five academic areas (Literature, Social Studies, Creative Arts, Mathematics, and Science). This system replaces most standardized testing: as a founding member of the New York Performance Standards Consortium (established 1998, now 38 schools), Urban Academy holds a New York State Board of Regents waiver from four of the five required Regents exams. Students graduate with full Regents-level diplomas after demonstrating proficiency. Approximately 50% of students take at least one college course before graduating through partnerships with Hunter College and Sarah Lawrence College, and roughly 12% enroll in college-level classes each semester.

The school reports that on average 97% of its graduates enroll in degree programs the year after graduation, attending colleges including Bard, Baruch, Brown, Columbia, CUNY schools, NYU, Oberlin, and SUNY schools. The operational structure is staff-run, with 21 listed employees and teachers meeting weekly to govern school operations. The school operates with no tuition revenue; funding flows through the NYC DOE budget with supplemental donations via Friends of Urban and crowdfunding campaigns. The marketing and admissions function is community-led: prospective students must visit and observe classes before applying, supported by a 32-minute documentary and monthly parent tours, rather than paid advertising. The school shares the Julia Richman Education Complex (approximately 1,900 students across six small schools) and operates 100+ community service placement sites across NYC's five boroughs as part of its "City as Classroom" model.

Name

Urban Academy Laboratory High School

Legal name

Urban Academy Laboratory High School

Website

https://urbanacademy.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Academy Laboratory High School is a tuition-free NYC public high school serving grades 9-12 through inquiry-based teaching, multi-aged classrooms, and performance-based assessment in lieu of most Regents exams, achieving a 97% college enrollment rate for graduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Inquiry-based education
• Performance-based assessment
• Public high school
• College preparatory
• Community service learning

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. NYC Department of Education Public Funding: As a public high school, Urban Academy receives funding through the NYC Department of Education. The school also accepts donations through its fundraising drive for arts programs and through Friends of Urban.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The school runs fundraising drives for specific programs (arts programs via GoFundMe) and accepts direct donations through Friends of Urban. Also accepts in-kind donations of laptops, furniture, and offers tutoring opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Academy Laboratory High School is a NYC Department of Education public high school that delivers inquiry-based, discussion-centered secondary education to students entering grades 9 through 11. Its core offering is small, multi-aged seminar classes where students earn a Regents diploma by completing performance-based proficiencies (projects, papers, exhibits, presentations) in five academic areas, with a state waiver from four of five Regents exams. The program is enriched by college coursework at Hunter College and Sarah Lawrence College, a Wednesday community service placement program with over 100 partner sites, and a tutorial-based college counseling system.

Product overview

Urban Academy Laboratory High School is a public high school offering a unified inquiry-based educational program built around discussion-based learning, multi-aged heterogeneous classrooms, and performance-based assessment (proficiencies) in place of traditional standardized testing. The school integrates its programs through the 'City as Classroom' approach, with students taking college courses at Hunter College and Sarah Lawrence College, participating in community service placements throughout NYC, and completing proficiencies in Literature, Social Studies, Creative Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The core educational methodology centers on inquiry teaching, performance assessment, multi-aged classes, and community engagement, all working together to prepare students for college-level work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inquiry-Based Teaching A teaching methodology where teachers frame questions challenging students to examine evidence, draw conclusions, and support positions in discussions. Designed for high school students in the Urban Academy program.
• Performance-Based Assessment (Proficiencies) A graduation assessment system in which students demonstrate proficiency through projects, papers, exhibits, presentations, and experiments across five academic areas: Literature, Social Studies, Creative Arts, Mathematics, and Science, replacing four of five Regents exams for participating students.
• Multi-Aged Classes Classes composed of students from freshmen through seniors learning together in discussion-based seminars, with prerequisites based on student interest and motivation rather than grade level.
• City as Classroom An educational approach using New York City as a teaching resource across classes such as Politics and Government, Trigonometry, Criticism, Science Research, and Photo Documentary, plus twice-yearly all-school intensive projects.
• Community Service Program A service learning program where every student works at one of over 100 community service placements across NYC's five boroughs every Wednesday afternoon from 12:15-3:00, integrating civic engagement into the curriculum.
• College Classes Program
• PSAL Sports
• College Prep Curriculum A college-preparatory program including semesterly college trips, personal essay workshops, college counseling starting junior year, financial aid counseling, and tutorial support with fewer than 20 students per advisor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of graduates enroll in degree programs the year after graduation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New York Performance Standards ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founded in 1998, Urban Academy is a founding member of the NY Performance Standards Consortium, a coalition of 38 successful small high schools committed to academic excellence and high performance standards. Consortium schools have a state waiver from 4 of 5 Regents exams based on demonstrating their performance-based assessment graduation requirements meet and exceed state standards.
• Hunter College (CUNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents take college courses at Hunter College (around the corner from Urban) including foreign language courses (Italian, Japanese), higher mathematics, philosophy, and political science. Urban teachers provide support to help students adjust to the college environment. Students receive transferable college credits.
• Sarah Lawrence CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEach semester, Urban Academy has four spots in classes at Sarah Lawrence College for students to take college-level courses and earn transferable credits.
• Julia Richman Education ComplexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban Academy is the lead school in the Julia Richman Education Complex, which houses approximately 1,900 students in six small schools. Urban shares common facilities including library, cafeteria, auditorium, dance studio, gymnasiums, swimming pool, and art gallery with other schools in the complex.
• Community Service Placement OrganizationsminorOthersOver 100 community service placements across the 5 boroughs where students work every Wednesday from 12:15-3:00. Examples include ASPCA, Children's Museum of Art, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Amnesty International, Outward Bound, Ronald McDonald House, and various government offices.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hunter College High School: Selective NYC public college-preparatory school serving gifted students, with an explicit Hunter College affiliation analogous to Urban Academy's Hunter College course pipeline. Comparable in targeting high-achieving students and producing strong college outcomes.
• Bard High School Early College (BHSEC): NYC public school network also a member of the NY Performance Standards Consortium, offering an early-college model where students earn an associate degree alongside their high school diploma. Directly comparable inquiry-/performance-based pedagogy and the same Regents waiver structure.
• Talent Unlimited High School: Another small public high school co-located in the Julia Richman Education Complex with Urban Academy. Shares facility, athletics, and a similar small-public-school model focused on college preparation and intensive student-teacher relationships.
• Manhattan International High School: Sibling school inside the Julia Richman Education Complex and fellow NY Performance Standards Consortium member. Shares the same inquiry-based, multi-aged, performance-based assessment approach and the same city-as-classroom ethos as Urban Academy.
• Vanguard High School: Another small NYC public high school co-located in the Julia Richman Education Complex with Urban Academy. Operates within the same shared-facility environment and serves a comparable NYC student population.

Broad incumbents

• Stuyvesant High School: NYC specialized public high school with one of the strongest college-outcomes reputations in the city. Comparable as an NYC public college-prep option for high-achieving students, but uses competitive entrance exams rather than performance-based assessment.
• Fieldston School (Ethical Culture Fieldston): Selective NYC private school with a progressive, discussion-based pedagogy and emphasis on ethical inquiry. Comparable in philosophy and college-prep outcomes, though tuition-based and serving a different socioeconomic segment.
• Brooklyn Technical High School: NYC specialized public high school focused on STEM college preparation. Comparable as a large-scale NYC public option sending graduates to selective colleges, though structurally very different from Urban Academy's small, inquiry-based model.
• Bronx High School of Science: One of NYC's specialized public high schools with a long track record of elite college placement. Comparable in producing strong STEM-focused college outcomes but operates at much larger scale via standardized-test admissions rather than inquiry-based pedagogy.

Emerging players

• Bank Street School for Children: NYC progressive independent school with a long history of child-centered, inquiry-driven pedagogy rooted in the Bank Street College of Education model. Comparable in educational philosophy (learning through experience and discussion) but serves a younger age range.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/jrecpanthersathletics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbanacademylab

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Urban Academy Laboratory High School