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Urban Academy
The red-brick facade of the Julia Richman Education Complex, with a blue sign beside the columned entrance and the words "Knowledge is Power" carved into the stone pediment above the doors

The Julia Richman Education Complex

In 1995, Julia Richman High School graduated its last class, creating space for smaller schools to move into the newly renamed Julia Richman Education Complex (JREC, pronounced "jay-rec"). The leaders of the six schools in JREC meet weekly to collaborate on the management of the building and the equitable sharing of the resources. See JREC's Wikipedia page here.

Who's in the building?

Today, the complex houses approximately 1,900 students across six autonomous small schools and specialized programs:

  • Urban Academy: A founding member of the Consortium.
  • Talented Unlimited: High school specializing in performing arts.
  • Manhattan International High School: High school serving recent immigrants.
  • Vanguard High School: Another school in the Consortium.
  • Ella Baker School: Serves students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.
  • P226: A middle school for students on the autism spectrum.
  • A LYFE Center: A nursery for the children of students in the complex.

Autonomy & Identity

While we share a building, our programs are autonomous. Each school has its own separate space, budget, teachers, schedules, and curriculum. The students in the four high schools play together on the Julia Richman PSAL teams.