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.^[1] 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.

Albany High School
Location
700 Washington Avenue Albany , New York 12203 United States
Information
Type	Urban public high school
Motto	Assiduity[citation needed]
Established	September 7, 1868
School district	City School District of Albany
Principal	Jodi M. Commerford
Faculty	199.19[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,676 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	13.44[1]
Color(s)	Blue and gray
Mascot	Falcon
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools International Baccalaureate World Schools
Nicknames	Albany High, AHS
Website	https://www.albanyschools.org/schools/albanyhigh/index

History

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.^[2]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[3] 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 is on schedule for completion in 2025.

Academics

Albany High has a longstanding Advanced Placement program offering 19 courses.^[4] 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.^[5]

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).^[6][7]

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.^[8][9] If the school does not demonstrate improvement in student performance within two years an Independent Receiver will be appointed by the district to serve under contract to the State Education Commissioner, and the district will have no control over decisions affecting the school.^{[10][needs update]}

Campus

A rear view of Albany High's academic building showing Towers One, Two, and Three.

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.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Of Albany High School's approximately 2,600 students, about 54% are African-American, 21% are White (non-Hispanic), 13% are Hispanic, 11% are Asian, and 1% are Native American or multiracial. The school has about 159 teachers and 49 other professional staff, with a student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 14:1.^[11] Albany High enrolls students from more than 40 foreign nations.

Notable alumni

• Robert Alter - Class of 1953 - Scholar and translator of The Hebrew Bible (Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley)^[12]
• Glen Barker – Houston Astros outfielder^[13]
• 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^[14]
• 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.^[15]
• William Devane – Film and television actor^[13]
• 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.^[16]
• Stefon Harris – Class of 1991 – Jazz musician, vibraphonist^[13]
• Charlie Leigh – NFL player for the 17–0 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Champions, primarily as a kick returner^[13]
• James Hilton Manning, mayor of Albany^[17]
• Catherine McCabe – Class of 1969 – Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017^[18]
• Michael Premo – Class of 1999 – Award-winning artist, activist, and organizer. He was a central figure in Occupy Wall Street^[19] and Occupy Sandy movements,^[20] co-director of the participatory documentary, Sandy Storyline^[21] and creator of the documentary project Housing is a Human Right.^[22]
• Carrie Turner – Popular New York actress in the 1880s and 1890s.
• Charlayne Woodard – Award-winning American film, stage and television actor and playwright^[13]

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^[23]
• 2012 – 2015: Cecily L. Wilson-Turner^[24]
• 2015 – 2018: Dale Getto^[25]
• 2018 – : Jodi M. Commerford^[26]

See also

• Albany City School District
• List of high schools in New York (state)