The Albany Academy

The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York. It enrolls students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the city council of Albany. In July 2007, the once separate Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls merged into The Albany Academies. Both schools retain much of their pre-merger tradition and character, and each continues to give diplomas under its own name.

The Albany Academy
Address
135 Academy Road

,
12208

United States
Information
TypePrivate, College-prep, Day
MottoHonor Integritas Officium
(Honor, Integrity, Service)
Established1813 (1813)
Sister schoolAlbany Academy for Girls
CEEB code330035
Head of schoolChristopher J. Lauricella
Faculty50+ teachers
GradesP12
GenderBoys
Enrollment315 (AAG), 323 (AA) 638 (Combined Boys & Girls)
Average class size16 students
Student to teacher ratio9:1
Campus size25 acres (100,000 m2)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Red and Black   
Athletics13 interscholastic sports teams
Athletics conferenceColonial Council; NEPSAC
MascotCadets
Tuition$13,500-$23,100
AffiliationThe Albany Academies
NYSAIS
Websitewww.albanyacademies.org

History

The Old Academy Building, now the Joseph Henry Memorial
The Academy's cupola rises above the main building is topped with a fish and pumpkin.

The Albany Academy is the oldest day school for boys in New York state's Capital Region. The Academy was chartered in March 1813 to educate the sons of Albany's political elite and rapidly growing merchant class. In the Census three years prior, Albany was the tenth-largest city in the United States, and would remain so through the 1850s due to the prominence of the Erie Canal.

Classes began within months after the charter was granted, offering a college preparatory track (including intensive study of Ancient Greek, and Latin) and an arithmetic-based track to prepare young men for Albany's role as a center of commerce. Two years later, in 1815, a purpose-built building was completed in present-day Academy Park, adjacent to the New York State Capitol. The Federal-style building, now known as the Old Academy and headquarters of the City School District of Albany, was designed by renowned Albany architect Philip Hooker. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[1][2]

An ornate three-story brick building with a pedimented front section and tall gray cupola
Current Academy Building

In 1870, in response to a lack of military preparation institutions in the north during the American Civil War, the Albany Academy adopted the Battalion Leadership Program, instructing the "cadets" in military procedure and the art of leadership. In 2005, the school ended compulsory involvement in the program in favor of a House-based leadership program commonly found in English preparatory schools.

In 1931, the school moved from its original downtown building in present-day Academy Park to its current location on the corner of Hackett Boulevard and Academy Road, in the University Heights section of Albany. Designed by Marcus T. Reynolds in the neo-Georgian style, the building incorporates many elements of the Old Academy building, namely the main entryway and cupola. The school stands approximately two miles from the city center. The red-brick Academy building's marble cornerstone was laid by the then-governor of New York and future president Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 2005, The Albany Academy ended its longstanding Army JROTC program.

In July 2007, the board of trustees announced that The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls would merge into The Albany Academies.

Accreditation and memberships

The Albany Academies are accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and recognized by the Regents of the State of New York.

Alumni

Government, law, business, and public policy

Learned Hand, Class of 1889

Medicine and academia

Literature and journalism

Andy Rooney, Class of 1937

Science and technology

Arts, sports, and entertainment

Military

Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Class of 1905

Theology

Faculty/administration

Noted former faculty and administration include inventors, politicians, and seven college presidents, including four presidents of Amherst College:

See also

References

  1. "NPGallery Asset Detail". npgallery.nps.gov.
  2. Waite, Diana S. (January 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Joseph Henry Memorial (Albany Academy)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
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