Urban Advantage - Bronx Zoo

Urban Advantage (UA) is a standards-based partnership program designed to improve students' understanding of scientific inquiry through collaborations between urban public school systems and science cultural institutions such as zoos, botanical gardens, museums, and science centers. UA involves institutions outside the formal education system that support the science-specific goals of the public school system.

Urban Advantage was launched in 2004 in New York City by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in collaboration with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the New York Botanical Garden, the New York Hall of Science, the Queens Botanical Garden, the Staten Island Zoo, the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium, and the New York City Department of Education, with leadership funding from the New York City Council.

UA Vouchers

Due to UA budget constraints, there is a limit to the number of vouchers that can be redeemed at BZ and NYA.

Field Trips at the Bronx Zoo & New York Aquarium

The Wildlife Conservation Society has created exciting experiences for Urban Advantage schools! Led by our conservation educators at the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium, these programs will guide your students through a series of hands-on activities and lessons offering opportunities for students to engage in science practices at the middle school level. If you have any questions about planning your field trip, please email us at bzeducation@wcs.org.

The following programs are available for Urban Advantage Class Trip voucher use:

UA Teachers can book self-guided Class Trips at both the zoo and aquarium but availability is nearly sold out. Classroom Programs at both the Bronx Zoo and NY Aquarium are now sold out. Classroom programs are available from September 30, 2024 - May 23, 2025; self-guided trips are available September 2, 2024 - May 30, 2025. We highly recommend booking your trip as soon as possible to avoid being denied the use of a voucher due to capacity limitations.

BOOK A CLASS TRIP

Community Trip Voucher at the Bronx Zoo or New York Aquarium

Community Trips (self-guided) can take place from September 2, 2024 - June 30, 2025. Buses are also available through UA. We highly recommend booking your trip as soon as possible to avoid being denied the use of a voucher due to capacity limitations.

Book a Community Trip

Student+3, Teacher, Parent Coordinator, or Administrator Voucher at the Bronx Zoo or New York Aquarium

Student+3/Teacher/PC/Admin visits are available from September 2, 2024 - June 30, 2025. We highly recommend booking your trip as soon as possible to avoid being denied the use of a voucher due to capacity limitations.

Enter code UA2025 to enter store and reserve your tickets.

BOOK A VISIT

Community/Family Days

Your Student voucher with a little boost!

Community Days are dates designated for UA families to use their student vouchers to attend our parks for general admission with a special education activity, such as a scavenger hunt, available to only UA families.

Book Your Tickets

NY Aquarium:

Sat, Feb 15th, 2025
Sat, Mar 15th, 2025

To reserve your tickets, enter code UA2025 to enter store, select the date in the NY Aquarium store, register with your voucher.

Bronx Zoo:

Sun, Apr 27th, 2025
Sun, Jun 15th, 2025

To reserve your tickets, enter code UA2025 to enter store, select the date in the Bronx Zoo store, register with your voucher.

Family Science Day

Bronx Zoo

Sunday, October 27, 2024; 10:30am-1:30pm

To attend, register with your voucher and select the date in the Bronx Zoo store. Enter code UA2025 to enter store and reserve your tickets.

Registration Closed

NY Aquarium

Sunday, May 18, 2025; 5:00-8:00pm

To attend, register with your information and select the date in the NY Aquarium store. Enter code UA2025 to enter store and reserve your tickets.

BOOK FAMILY DAY TICKETS

Urban Advantage Framework: Six Components

High-quality professional learning courses for teachers and administrators.
Classroom materials and equipment that promote active engagement with science practices in the classroom.
Access to UA Partner institutions through free school and family field trips.
Family outreach through family events, celebrations of student achievement, and parent coordinator workshops.
Capacity-building and sustainability structures, including support for the development of lead teachers.
Assessment of program goals, student learning, systems of delivery, and outcomes.

Impacts of Urban Advantage

Urban Advantage serves 46% of New York City schools with eighth grade students. Program-wide assessments show that UA has had a tangible impact on the New York City Public School’s middle school science education program as measured by:

Experience & Approach: Learning experiences in UA classrooms have become more inquiry-based with opportunities to conduct hands-on investigations.
Community Engagement: An unprecedented number of school groups and families have visited the eight cultural institutions participating in Urban Advantage.
Confidence & Competency: UA teachers report more mastery of science content, an increased capacity to support students’ investigations, and students report more confidence in science content.
Student Progress: UA positively affects performance on the Grade 8 Intermediate Level Science (ILS) test. Students who have a UA teacher are 4 percentage points more likely to score "proficient" on the exam compared to their non-UA peers. (Weinstein & Shiferaw, 2017).

Urban Advantage site