2023 Best Schools in Rensselaer County

• Troy, NY•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.45 out of 5  88 reviews

Senior: Without a doubt, the community and academics at Emma Willard are incredible. From day one everyone has been warm and welcoming, and everyone here really cares about one another. The teachers are always there to help with classwork/homework or just to have a chat, and the schedule is set up so there's built in time to hang out with friends and still get work done. The curriculum itself is challenging, but to a level that students will feel comfortable with and can keep up with, and as I said the faculty are always there to help. I do think the school has a lot of room to improve in it's mental health/counseling services, but the school is attempting, I think, to be responsive to it's students, it's just taking a long time. However, despite the slowness it does seem to be progressing in its DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work, and has committed to continue working on it for the foreseeable future, which is super great!... Read 88 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 362

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Hoosick, NY•

• Private School•

• 8-12

• •
  Rating 4.61 out of 5  79 reviews

Senior: There are many things I like about Hoosac. The things I liked the most are: small school, small class sizes, most faculty resides on campus which allows me to reach out almost anytime and not only during school hours. I also enjoy that the class schedule is set up like college. This allows me time to get some things done in the afternoon before practice and allows me plenty of time at night to study and hang out with friends. Even though hockey is my primary sport, I'm also able to participate in other sports and activities on campus. Some improvement suggestions would be broader class offerings, sports facilities on campus (this creates student involvement), better communication to parents and of course the food could always be better.... Read 79 reviews

• grade A

• Students 230

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Rensselaer, NY•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 3.84 out of 5  43 reviews

Parent: Doane Stuart School has a reputation for academic excellence, with a challenging curriculum that prepares students for college and beyond. The school offers a wide range of academic programs, including college in the High School, and has a low student-to-teacher ratio, which allows for individualized attention and support. Doane Stuart School also places a strong emphasis on community, with a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters close relationships among students, faculty, and families. The school encourages students to become active and engaged members of their communities through service-learning and extracurricular activities. My two boys attend Doane Stuart and love the school, the teachers, and the community. It truly is a place of academic excellence! The combination of academic excellence and a strong sense of community is what sets Doane Stuart School apart as one of the best schools in the capital district.... Read 43 reviews

• grade A

• Students 200

• Student-teacher ratio 5:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: Redmill Teachers and staff go above and beyond to ensure that every child is treated with respect and supported to achieve the highest academic and social goals... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 408

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 302

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 379

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

• grade A

• Students 436

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: It's a nice educational institute to study for middle school students, this school has many educational activites and sports... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 930

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.55 out of 5  189 reviews

Senior: Columbia High School, in East Greenbush New York, offers a safe and encouraging place to learn and prepare for college. Teachers have helped me find what I'm passionate about and helped me learn to prepare for my future. With my passion for coding, the guidance office helped me sign up to take coding and programming courses that I am thrilled to have taken. The teachers have helped me in getting ready and prepared for college by giving us assignments based on what we may see in the future with college preparation courses. The culture within Columbia is also very good with students being able to talk and trust our teachers. They have put other students and me first to help me understand the courses that I'm learning. Altogether, Columbia High School has helped me tremendously in my learning and has dramatically helped in my preparation for my future in college.... Read 189 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,310

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• East Greenbush Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 253

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Averill Park Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• grade A minus

• Students 635

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Averill Park Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: One of the best elementary school in the CP! Staff and admin are caring and hard working! Food service is great and special ed services are excellent and always helping children be successful!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 384

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Averill Park Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 344

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Averill Park Central School District, NY•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.41 out of 5  153 reviews

Senior: Averill Park w great, however the music and art departments deserve more funding! I had many great experiences with the friends I made and the faculty that taught me. The students involved in the music and performing arts departments are some of my greatest friends and they are a wonderful representation of how wonderful the student body is. I feel I have received a well rounded education from Averill Pak and I am excited o see how the arts programs can improve after I graduate.... Read 153 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 873

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Troy, NY•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.13 out of 5  47 reviews

Parent: This is our 8th year being involved with this school and it is truly our second family. Their academic program, music, life skills courses, and sports are all amazing. The college process can be very stressful but we had a wonderful experience and received scholarships that we couldn’t have imagined! We will forever be grateful to be a part of this school.... Read 47 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 398

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Troy City School District, NY•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.71 out of 5  164 reviews

Junior: My experience has been pretty wonderful at Troy High. I am an honors student that always appreciates the high expectations that my teachers give me. I have not had any problems with making connections with the teachers or other administrators. All teachers try there best to see that every student advances in their education, no matter who they are. The music department is inviting and the ensemble directors look to teach students good habits. The sports teams are fun and our football team brings all kinds of people to their games. Playing during their games in stand band is always fun! So, I don’t have much complaints. I do wish, however, that our grades were weighted and that we had some more interesting electives.... Read 164 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 1,123

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Averill Park Central School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade B+

• Students 381

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Troy, NY•

• Private School•

• 7-12

• •
  Rating 3.59 out of 5  51 reviews

Senior: The staff have been extremely supportive of me. They have given me multiple opportunities to persue my interests in ways that have benefit our community. The school administration has also made many decisions that benefited the students and staff.... Read 51 reviews

• grade B

• Students 381

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Schodack Central School District, NY•

• K-6

• grade B

• Students 481

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Schodack Central School District, NY•

• 7-12

• •
  Rating 3.77 out of 5  47 reviews

Sophomore: The majority of teachers I have had seem to care about their students and like their job. You can stay after and get help if you need it, tutoring from upperclassmen is even offered. The building is quite nice. You can get into any sport in the school due to the small size, even if you have never played it before. There is a large variety of clubs, I just wish more people would attend them.... Read 47 reviews

• grade B

• Students 411

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Lansingburgh Central School District, NY•

• PK, K-2

• grade B

• Students 551

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Wynantskill, NY•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Alum: I was a student at Gardner Dickinson in k-8th grades. Gardner Dickinson is a very small school, with about 30 people in each grade. GD offers many clubs such as Odyssey of the Mind, Drama, Jazz Band and robotics. GD also has many sports and the teams have been very highly ranked during the seasons. The teachers are all extremely nice and my favorite still to this day works there(6th grade Mrs. Horacek).... Read 2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 370

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Troy City School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade B

• Students 250

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Lansingburgh Central School District, NY•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.5 out of 5  82 reviews

Freshman: The staff is really nice and welcoming. There is something for everyone, so you never feel out of place or as though you don’t belong. It’s diverse so you can meet different and new people. The teachers are always there to help if needed and so are the students. If there is a goal that you want to reach you can count on the staff to help get you there. They’re many different classes at which you can take other than your basic 5. Overall Lansingburgh was one of the best schools i’ve ever been to and i think anyone else would love it too.... Read 82 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 641

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Troy City School District, NY•

• K-5

• grade B minus

• Students 285

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1