The Urban Assembly Academy for Arts and Letters emphasizes communication, creativity, and hands-on experience with the arts as vehicles to success in college and life. Rigorous academic study and extended projects in the "real world" prepare students to lead with courage, confidence, creativity, and clarity.

Here are a few highlights:

• More than 200 students applied for the 81 places in UAAAL's opening sixth-grade class.
• Over 60% of the parents of UAAAL students have attended one or more of the school's Freestyle Friday programs.
• Award-winning novelist Jonathan Lethem was Principal for a Day at UAAAL.
• Students work with world-renowned puppeteers at Marquis Studios to construct their own parade-size puppets.

2008 Students:

• They will have approximately 100 6th graders next year.
• They will have approximately 300 middle school students next year. 
• Free and Reduced Lunch: 63%
• Percentage of Students at Proficiency Levels 3 and 4 in ELA:  69%
• Percentage of Students at Proficiency Levels 3 and 4 in Math : 63%

The principal, Allison Gaines Pell was at Harvard's Education school at around the time that Citizen Schools was founded. As such, Allison is very excited about bringing the Citizen Schools program to her school. She is a great, young, and energetic principal and has a deep understanding of how Citizen Schools can assist her learning environment. She is also the founding principal of this school.