The administration of policy for the Albany public schools is vested in an elected Board of Education, which is independent of city government and appoints officers and employees of the school district. The seven, non-paid board members each serve a four-year term.
The district's newest school, a third middle school, opened in September 2005. Earlier that year, the 99-year-old School #16 shut its operations down with plans to reopen as an elementary facility in 2007.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Albany public schools as of the 2004-2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 9,101
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 12
middle schools: 3
senior high schools: 3
other: 1 adult learning center
Student/teacher ratio: 12.5:1
Teacher salaries
average: $55,161
Funding per pupil: $12,690
Public Schools Information: Albany City School District, Academy Park, Albany, NY 12207; telephone (518)462-7100
Albany is home to seven colleges and universities. The State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, one of four university centers of the SUNY system, is the largest college in the region, enrolling 11,500 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students pursuing degrees ranging from bachelor's to doctorate. Advanced study is also available at Albany Medical College, Albany Law School, and Albany College of Pharmacy. The College of St. Rose offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts, business, education, science, and fine arts. The Junior College of Albany and Maria College both offer two-year associates degrees in a variety of disciplines.
A number of colleges and universities are located in the region outside of Albany. Schenectady is home to Union College, which offers degrees in law and pharmacy; this college houses the Dudley Observatory and is also the birthplace of the Phi Beta Kappa society. Two institutes of higher learning are located in Troy: Hudson Valley Community College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which specializes in engineering, architecture, and technology, and supports a high-technology business center. Sienna College, a Catholic and Franciscan college, is an undergraduate, liberal arts institution located in Loudonville.
Founded in 1833, the Albany Public Library and its four branches hold more than 300,000 volumes, with special city and county history and oral history collections, along with a reading machine for the visually impaired. Recommendations were made in December 2004 for the construction of four new branches, renovation of three others, and the launch of cybermobile services. Thirteen New York state departments maintain libraries in Albany, as do area colleges, universities, and health centers. Of cultural and educational interest is the New York State Library, founded in 1818 and holding more than 20 million volumes; special collections focus on Dutch Colonial and Shaker history as well as the political and social history of the state. The New York State Archives contain records dating back 350 years.
Albany has dozens of research facilities. One of the newest and grandest is Albany NanoTech, a research facility for nanotechnology that has partnerships with such industry heavy-hitters as International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), International Sematech, Tokyo Electron Ltd., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Motorola Inc., and Lockheed Martin Federal Systems. The nationally renowned Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy conducts extensive research in the fields of engineering and technology and maintains a technology park. Scientists at General Electric Research and Development in Niskayuna developed high field magnetic resonance imaging, a noninvasive diagnostic test. General Electric Company, Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute, which specializes in drug research, and other private companies in the area also conduct ongoing research. The three research universities and Albany Medical College conduct research in such areas as cancer, blood diseases, and pediatric medicine. The State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany has research institutes in law, government, management, economics, education, media, and technology.
Public Library Information: Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210; telephone (518)449-3300; fax (518)427-4321