Giffen Memorial Elementary School, Albany NY

Original Research by School Decision on Giffen Memorial Elementary School

Giffen Memorial Elementary School sits on South Pearl Street in Albany, a street that runs through the South End, one of the city's older residential neighborhoods close to the Hudson River waterfront. It is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade public school in the Albany City School District, serving a student body that draws heavily from that surrounding community.

The school's enrollment puts it in a mid-sized range for its grade band. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a population with substantial economic need. The student body is majority Black, with Hispanic students making up roughly a quarter of enrollment, a smaller share of white and Asian students, and the remainder identifying as multiracial or other categories. Data on English learner and special education rates were not available in what was provided.

State assessment results, reported through the New York State Testing Program for grades three through five, show proficiency levels that are low and that a parent should take seriously. In ELA, the share of students reaching proficiency is modest in third grade and drops in fourth, recovering somewhat but remaining well below the midpoint in fifth. Math results follow a similar pattern: third grade is the strongest grade by some distance, while fourth and fifth grade results fall to very low levels. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also low. Across all tested subjects and grades, Giffen's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Albany County. No trend data over multiple years was available in what was provided, so it is not possible to say whether results have been improving, holding, or declining. A parent who wants to understand trajectory should ask the school directly about multi-year performance and what instructional supports are in place for students who are below grade level.

The one social studies result in the data is from a school year more than a decade ago and is not current enough to be meaningful.

A graduation rate does not apply here; this is an elementary school.

On the district side, a few recent changes are worth knowing. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the district publicly announced it is lowering the distance threshold that qualifies elementary students for busing, which means many more K-5 students, including those at Giffen, become eligible for school transportation. The district has also kept tax-levy increases very low for several consecutive years, and voters recently approved a capital project focused on safety, security, and building infrastructure across district schools. Families choosing a neighborhood in Albany should also be aware that the district has established a permanent middle school feeder pattern after some years of transition; where a child attends elementary school now determines which middle school they will attend.

Albany itself is a walkable, transit-served city built around state government. The South End sits below downtown and near the Corning Preserve along the Hudson. Housing in the zip codes around the school is priced well below both the New York State median and the national median, making the area among the more affordable entry points in the Capital Region. Rents have been rising at a pace that outstrips the modest list price level, which is worth watching for renters. The city is in an active investment phase, with a publicly announced downtown revitalization strategy, affordable housing conversions underway on Central Avenue and in the South End itself, and major employers anchored by state government and Albany Medical Center.

For a family weighing Giffen, the affordability of the surrounding neighborhood is real, and the district's dual-language program at Albany International Academy is an option accessible by lottery that some families in any part of the city choose. The academic proficiency numbers at Giffen as they stand warrant direct conversation with the school about what academic support looks like grade by grade.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 44% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 38% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 64 pts below county median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 38% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 47 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 42% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 42% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 46% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 33% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 579%

School 79% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolALBANY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income42%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income16%Higher-income17%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income20%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income31%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income3%Higher-income14%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income4%Higher-income18%15 pp gap