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Wondering if anyone has any personal experiences with the school systems for Albany, Schenectady, Troy. I know they are poorly ranked but in reading reviews it also sounds like some people have found them to be good if you are an involved parent. My number one concern is safety, I've heard that Schenectady specifically has safety issues but I've also read reports that say this is exaggerated. Specifically a few articles that have been linked in other discussions of the area that point to Albany and Schenectady not being as bad as their reputations suggest. Thoughts?
I attended an elementary school in Troy briefly. It was an awful experience. Daily fights in the classroom. No respect for teachers at all. I wouldn't send a cockroach to live there!
Schenectady had an issue with suicides a few years ago. Based on incidents that hit the Times Union, I wouldn't say reports on violence in Schenectady or Albany are exaggerated. There should be ZERO violence in schools.
I attended an elementary school in Troy briefly. It was an awful experience. Daily fights in the classroom. No respect for teachers at all. I wouldn't send a cockroach to live there!
Schenectady had an issue with suicides a few years ago. Based on incidents that hit the Times Union, I wouldn't say reports on violence in Schenectady or Albany are exaggerated. There should be ZERO violence in schools.
I hadn't heard about suicides, so sad. It's so hard to be a kid today
Yes, ckhthankgod is correct - I have kids in the Albany Schools. My kids have been in Eagle Point Elementary (A great little school, although not so little any more), New Scotland Elementary, Hackett Middle School and Albany High School. Safety-wise, I wouldn't worry about it, at least at those schools. I am not familiar with all the elementary schools, but I know people with kids at Delaware Community School, Montessori Magnet and Pine Hills Elementary, and none of them have had any problems. I know there were some problems with fights at TOAST (Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology) a few years ago, but there has been a change of principals since then, and things seem to be much calmer. Myers Middle School is known for being strict - almost too much so. For a while Hackett was a little out of control, but things have been calm since 2010, and now many people actually prefer Hackett over Myers because it is friendlier and more open to parent involvement.
I have been on several parent panels for both Hackett and Albany High for the NYS Education Dept reviews that are done periodically for "failing" schools. The reviewers seemed surprised that parents are not worried about their kids' safety inside the school. In fact, that is the one thing that parents seemed unanimous about. There are lots of hall monitors. Hackett and Albany High kids go through metal detectors to get into school (not sure about Myers), which freaked me out a bit at first, but the kids don't even think twice about it. As my husband says, you have to go through metal detectors so many places now that it doesn't even seem unusual. There are also School Resource Officers (police) that are assigned to many schools. I know in some cities these are a negative, but they have been a real positive in my experience. One of them has won the school and city-wide PTA Founders Award a couple of times because he does so much to redirect and support the kids. The officers even sometimes teach parts of health class - resisting peer pressure and gangs, etc.
A couple of PTA parents are parole officers, and they say that many more offenses are happening in suburban schools because there isn't the oversight (hall monitors and police) in those schools. Which, of course, doesn't mean that those kids are going to jail. Law enforcement tells me that teen drug abuse is much higher in the wealthier suburbs (again, doesn't mean those kids are going to trial for the same thing Albany kids are), but that violence, especially between teen males, is higher in Albany.
In any case, within the school walls, kids are safe. Where incidents happen is to and, especially, from school. If you live in a middle class area and/or your kids know to keep out of squabbles, they will probably be fine. The Hackett principal will be happy to tell you where the incidents occur on the corridors from school, and you can tell your kids to stay away from there. I imagine the School Resource Officers and/or Home School Coordinators can also provide that information.
If your child is a high achiever, I think there is no better high school in the area than Albany High. The multitude of courses available there is amazing. There are more Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, University at Albany and Community College courses than any school in the Capital District. There are also lots of courses, such as Anthropology, African-American writers, and Advanced Photography, that aren't available in many districts.
My kids are a notch below the high achievers, and they are doing fine. They would probably be stronger academically if they went to a place like Shaker or Bethlehem High where having more strivers around them would push them on. However, being in a less entitled environment also has some benefits. One of my kids is kind of high strung, and I think it helps to be in a place where everyone isn't stressing about their grades.
If you have a kid who is easily distracted by social life, then Albany, especially after elementary school, may not be the place for you. There are tons of things for students to take advantage of here, but also lots of things to pull you down. There are many students who are not on grade level, and by time they get to the high school, they can be quite discouraged. If your kids get caught up in that crowd, where passing is considered pretty good, it can be hard to pull out of it. The high school has tons of supports for kids, but both the students and the parents have to be proactive to take advantage of them. There are a lot of needy kids, so the staff have their plates full without searching out kids who need just a little help. If have found support staff (social workers, guidance counselors, home school coordinators) to be helpful as long as you don't go in with guns blazing.
After losing students for years, the District has found itself to be growing quickly for the past two years. Students are transferring from charter schools, and more families are staying in the city when their kids are school age. This may show greater confidence in the schools than in the past, but it is also leading to some overcrowding. Both middle schools are full, and 6th grade stays at several elementary schools because of this. If you are thinking of buying or renting in Albany, call the District registration office with the exact address of your potential home and ask what school your kids will go to, if that is guaranteed (especially at the middle school level), and how full the school is to capacity. If your kids are not school age yet, then this is not as big of an issue. The District has a fast tracked a review of buildings, demographics and projected school population. Because there are so many charter schools in the City, this is not as easy as elsewhere, but the District is working hard to make sure there is not a crisis in the next few years.
Well, that is probably way more than anyone wanted to know. If you have questions, feel free to post here or message me.
Last edited by sarchivist98; 09-28-2014 at 07:41 PM..
Reason: Additional Info
Thank you so so much! That is exactly the info we were looking for. It's very helpful to hear from someone whose kids are in school there. I so appreciate the insight.
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