Albany High School (New York)

Albany High has a longstanding Advanced Placement program offering 19 courses.^[5] 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.^[6]

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).^[7][8]

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]}

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.^[13]

• Adam Aleksic – Class of 2019 – linguist who graduated from Harvard and now runs a YouTube channel.^[14]
• Robert Alter - Class of 1953 - Scholar and translator of The Hebrew Bible (Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley)^[15]
• Glen Barker – Houston Astros outfielder^[16]
• 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^[17]
• 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.^[18]
• William Devane – Film and television actor^[16]
• 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.^[19]
• Stefon Harris – Class of 1991 – Jazz musician, vibraphonist^[16]
• Charlie Leigh – NFL player for the 17–0 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Champions, primarily as a kick returner^[16]
• James Hilton Manning, mayor of Albany^[20]
• Catherine McCabe – Class of 1969 – Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017^[21]
• Michael Premo – Class of 1999 – Award-winning artist, activist, and organizer. He was a central figure in Occupy Wall Street^[22] and Occupy Sandy movements,^[23] co-director of the participatory documentary, Sandy Storyline^[24] and creator of the documentary project Housing is a Human Right.^[25]
• Carrie Turner – Popular New York actress in the 1880s and 1890s.
• Charlayne Woodard – Award-winning American film, stage and television actor and playwright^[16]

• 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^[26]
• 2012 – 2015: Cecily L. Wilson-Turner^[27]
• 2015 – 2018: Dale Getto^[28]
• 2018 – : Jodi M. Commerford^[29]

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