Menands Union Free School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on Menands Union Free School District

Menands Union Free School District serves grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Albany County, and its profile reflects a small, deliberately structured district serving a specific grade span rather than a full K-12 pipeline. The district comprises a single school, Menands School, and serves about a quarter-thousand students in a mixed-income, racially diverse community where roughly two-fifths of the enrolled population is Black, a substantial share is Asian, and the remainder is split among white, Hispanic, and multiracial families.

Academic performance across the district is mixed. In English language arts, results range widely by grade. Third grade shows stronger proficiency, while seventh grade sits notably lower. Fourth through sixth grades cluster around the mid-range to upper-mid-range, and eighth grade recovers to a solid level. Math proficiency shows similar dispersion: fourth grade reaches a notably higher mark, while fifth and sixth grades fall back to around the mid-range, and seventh grade sits in the upper-mid-range. Third grade math is moderate. Science data is available only for fifth and eighth grades; fifth grade sits at approximately mid-range, and the eighth grade science cohort is very small and shows lower performance. Social studies assessment data reaches back to 2009, so no recent results are available for comparison.

The district has recently undertaken several structural changes. In September 2024, Menands joined a regional special education collaborative with three neighboring districts—Cohoes, Green Island, and Watervliet—allowing students with disabilities to receive services locally rather than outside the district, reducing costs and generating tuition revenue. The district also transitioned its full-day pre-kindergarten program to direct district control, aligning early childhood oversight and quality assurance. In May 2025, voters approved a capital project that adds classroom space, addressing enrollment fluctuations and aging infrastructure, with minimal projected tax impact.

The community context matters. Housing values in the Menands area are moderate, and the district sits in a county where other districts show variable proficiency. Menands ranks above the midpoint among Albany County districts on an overall proficiency index, suggesting its performance is reasonably positioned within its local peer set, though not at the top. Chronic absenteeism in the district is well above the county median, a pattern parents may want to explore with school leaders. Per-pupil spending is in the upper range for the county, meaning resources are relatively substantial.

A parent considering Menands should recognize that the district does not serve high school students; families with ninth graders and beyond will transition to another district. The small cohort sizes in some grades, particularly eighth grade science where only a handful of students were tested, make those particular proficiency figures less stable as measures. The recent infrastructure investment and special education collaboration signal district effort toward long-term positioning, and the move to in-district pre-K suggests commitment to early childhood quality. At the same time, the year-to-year variation in proficiency across grades and the elevated chronic absenteeism rate are features worth understanding in depth through direct conversation with school staff.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

264

Grades

PK–08

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 5%

Black 39%

White 26%

Asian 28%

Two+ 2%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

64%

82%

Gr 4

27%

92%

Gr 5

53%

68%

Gr 6

53%

82%

Gr 7

30%

62%

Gr 8

50%

73%

Math

Gr EOC

100%

—

Gr 3

55%

65%

Gr 4

64%

93%

Gr 5

40%

60%

Gr 6

44%

73%

Gr 7

50%

64%

Science

Gr EOC

83%

—

Gr 5

36%

70%

Schools in this District

1 schools are officially reported under this district.

MENANDS SCHOOL

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

5 grades reported

61%

Grade 3

80%

Grade 4

51%

Grade 5

56%

Grade 6

58%

Grade 7

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

75%

Grade 3

63%

Grade 4

62%

Grade 5

65%

Grade 6

48%

Grade 7

64%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

56%

Grade 5

43%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

100%

Grade 5

93%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$347,926

Year-over-year change+4.5%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$347K to $475K

vs. state typical0.68x

vs. national typical0.94x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
12204	Menands	$347K	+4.5%	99.1%
12211	Albany	$475K	+4.6%	0.9%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,756/mo

Home price / national median income4.2x

Comparison

State typical home value$510,449 (+5.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.