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How to Apply

Please read all the way down to the bottom of this page! You should always reach out if you’re interested and we’ll let you know if there are spots available.

In order to register your interest in starting the application process, click this link to email us at urban@urbanacademy.org. (If your mail program doesn’t work with the link, use the email address and include “ADMISSIONS” in the subject line. Please include your child’s name, grade and school.)

We have always insisted that students visit Urban Academy in order to apply, since we think the only way to decide a school is right for you is to see it while classes are running.

Here are the steps to apply:

  1. Start by watching a documentary (32 minutes) about Urban Academy and our discussion-centered classrooms, featuring footage of lots of different classes in action. If you are still interested…

  2. Sign up to visit. (These are for students only. Parents see below.)

    • DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR : You’ll sit in on two morning classes. Then you’ll have a short interview. Please register by clicking this link to email us at urban@urbanacademy.org. (If your mail program doesn’t work with the link, use the email address and include “ADMISSIONS” in the subject line. Include your child’s name, grade and school.) We will get back to you with possible dates for visiting.

    • DURING THE SUMMER: Sign up for one of our open houses. You’ll sit in on a class discussion with current students. You’ll also get a chance to ask questions and tour the school.

  3. If you are STILL interested after visiting, we’ll send you an application to fill out and send back to us.

  4. Finally, we will review your application and get back to you.

Please explore this website, especially the Parent Handbook (FAQs), and check us out on Insideschools.com, if you want. Take a look at our student-produced (during the COVID shutdown) newspaper here.

Parents/Guardians who want more information should click this link to email urban@urbanacademy.org, and co-directors Christine or Terri will get in touch to answer questions. (If your mail program doesn’t work with the link, just use the email address and include “P/G of Applicant” in the subject line.)

Step One: Visiting

If you are interested in attending Urban, as a first step, you must visit Urban. Call the school to make an appointment for a visit. (212.570.5284— Anyone who answers the phone can set up the appointment.)  We do insist that students visit on their own. If a parent/guardian would like to visit, he or she can come to a parent tour at another time (we have one each month -- look under Upcoming Events).  All you need to bring is a transcript from your current school and a pen.

You must come on time!  Visits begin at 8:15, and students who arrive late will be rescheduled to another day.

During the visit, you will sit in on morning classes. You will also have a chance to talk to students who already attend Urban. The visit is really an opportunity for you to see if Urban is, in fact, the kind of school that you would like to attend.

During the afternoon of the visit, you will fill out an application, which takes between 1-3 hours, depending on how fast you work.  You can have as much time as you need, and it is not an entrance exam -- there is no cut-off score.  We use it just to get a sense of what you are like as a person and a student.  If you are accepted and decide to attend, we use it to figure out which math class is at the right level for you.

Step Two: The Take-Home Application

After you are finished filling out the application in school, you will be given an interview date (usually within two weeks) and the take-home portion of the application, which is very short (basically, two short writing pieces about yourself and your world). You have to complete the take-home application before you return for your interview.

Step Three: The Interview

The last stage is when you come back for an interview. You will meet with two teachers, or a teacher and a student, and have an informal talk about where you are in school currently, why you want to come to Urban, and so on.

Once these three steps have been completed, a committee makes a decision based on the student's application, his or her transcript, and the number of spaces that we have open.

The Decision

We do not operate our admissions on a rolling basis (where first come are first served).  Instead, we hold all the applications until we are done with all interviews, and go through them during the last weeks of the term.  This means a long wait for those who visited and interviewed at the beginning of the semester, and we are sorry about that— but we don't want to disadvantage those students who realize they want to change schools near the end of the semester.  We send out acceptance/rejection letters a few weeks before the end of the term, and accepted students have a week or so to decide whether they will attend.  

During the first two weeks of each semester, we open up the process for any available spots.  

— Parent Participation —

Parent Tours are held once a month on Wednesdays at 8:45 AM. The next ones are on March 13th and April 3rd. The tour includes peeking into a class or two and background on the school. There is also a question/answer session. Parent tours last for about 1 hour.

Email us at urban@urbanacademy.org if you’re hoping to join the March 13th or April 3rd tour and let us know which one you’re interested in. (Parents of students who have just begun at Urban are welcome to join as well.)