Albany High School (New York)

Albany High School (AHS) in Albany, New York, United States, is a public high school with an enrollment of about 2,670 students for the 2023-2024 school year. The school is part of the City School District of Albany. It opened on September 7, 1868, as the Albany Free Academy. Albany High has been located at 700 Washington Avenue since 1974. The school is an International Baccalaureate school with an Advanced Placement program. The school newspaper is The Nest (published online, it replaced the longtime print newspaper The Patroon, in 2012), the literary magazine is Inkblot, and the yearbook is Prisms. Prior to 1974, Albany had two high schools, Albany High and the former Philip Schuyler High School in the South End. The schools merged for the 1974-75 school year as Albany High, located at 700 Washington Avenue. Albany High School is since then the only comprehensive public high school in the city. Until 2011, Albany High was divided into two large administrative divisions known as the "North House" and the "South House." Each house had its own cafeteria and administrative offices. In 2011, the school created four themed learning communities referred to as academies (Citizenship Academy, Discovery Academy, Innovation Academy and Leadership Academy); all students are assigned to one of the academies. In November 2015, city voters narrowly rejected a $196 million plan to renovate and expand Albany High by a close vote of 5,794 to 5,897. Voters approved a revised $179.9 million proposal in February 2016. Construction began in 2018, to be completed in four phases. The full Rebuilding Albany High School project was completed prior to the 2025-26 school year. Academics Albany High has a longstanding Advanced Placement program offering 19 courses. In 2005, AHS was accredited as an International Baccalaureate World School and introduced an IB Diploma Program, a series of college-level courses for juniors and seniors leading to an alternative diploma. Albany High has been included in Newsweek's list of America's Top Public High Schools on multiple occasions, most recently in 2010 (when it ranked #976). School receivership In 2015 the New York State Education Department classified Albany High School as a "Struggling School" and placed it under the school receivership of the Superintendent of the City School District of Albany. If the school did not demonstrate improvement in student performance within two years an Independent Receiver would be appointed by the district to control decisions. As of 2019, Albany High School was no longer in receivership. Campus Albany High's current location at 700 Washington Avenue opened in 1974. The school consists of three brick buildings connected by indoor pedestrian bridges. The largest of these, the three-story academic building, contains the classrooms, cafeterias, and media center. Across from the academic structure are the physical education building (housing the gymnasiums, locker rooms, and HVAC equipment) and another building containing the main office, auditorium, and music classrooms. Three bridges on the second floor connect the buildings. Demographics As of the 2024 academic year, Albany High School has about 2,900 students enrolled. Of those students, 41% are African-American, 16% are White (non-Hispanic), 25% are Hispanic, 13% are Asian, and 5% are Native American or multiracial. 68% of students are economically disadvantaged. The school has 210 teachers and 21 other professional staff. The student-to-teacher ratio is about 14:1. Notable alumni Adam Aleksic – Class of 2019 – linguist who graduated from Harvard and now runs a YouTube channel. Robert Alter - Class of 1953 - Scholar and translator of The Hebrew Bible (Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley) Glen Barker – Houston Astros outfielder Alex Gordon (rugby union) Rugby flanker for Allegheny Rugby Union Tracy Baskin – Former Olympiac track and field athlete in the 800 meters, former 4 by 4 co-world record holder, #3 rank 1988 US men 800m Carolee Carmello – Broadway actress who made her Broadway debut in City of Angels; she starred in Lestat, Parade and Mamma Mia!. Lionel Chalmers – Basketball player who went to Xavier University and the NBA. He was drafted by the L.A. Clippers and traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2005–2006 NBA season. Gene Cretz – Class of 1968 – former U.S. Ambassador to Libya, and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana; taught English at Albany High from 1977 to 1979. William Devane – Film and television actor Alfred Freedman, M.D. – Class of 1933 – Psychiatrist who headed the American Psychiatric Association when it declared homosexuality was not a mental disorder in 1973. Stefon Harris – Class of 1991 – Jazz musician, vibraphonist Charlie Leigh – NFL player for the 17–0 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Champions, primarily as a kick returner James Hilton Manning, mayor of Albany Catherine McCabe – Class of 1969 – Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017 Michael Premo – Class of 1999 – Award-winning artist, activist, and organizer. He was a central figure in Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Sandy movements, co-director of the participatory documentary, Sandy Storyline and creator of the documentary project Housing is a Human Right. Carrie Turner – Popular New York actress in the 1880s and 1890s. Charlayne Woodard – Award-winning American film, stage and television actor and playwright Principals 1868 – 1886: Arianna M Gauthier 1886 – 1911: Oscar D. Robinson 1911 – 1916: Frank A. Gallup 1916 – 1951: Harry E. Pratt 1951 – 1959: Stanley Heason 1959 – 1967: Douglas W. Lincoln 1968 – 1986: Armand Rodriguez 1987 – 1995: David McGuire 1995 – 1998: Willard Washburn 1998 – 2001: John Metallo 2001 – 2002: John Pellitier 2002 – 2006: Michael T. Cioffi 2006 – 2009: F. Maxine Fantroy-Ford 2009 – 2012: David C. McCalla 2012 – 2015: Cecily L. Wilson-Turner 2015 – 2018: Dale Getto 2018 – : Jodi M. Commerford See also Albany City School District List of high schools in New York (state) References Albany High School History External links Albany High School website Albany City School District website