Red Mill School, Rensselaer NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Red Mill School

Red Mill School is a public elementary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Rensselaer, a small Hudson River city directly across the water from Albany. The school is part of East Greenbush Central School District, which covers a wider area than the city itself and operates five elementary schools across its territory.

Red Mill's enrollment is modest and stable, with students spread across kindergarten through fifth grade plus a small ungraded group. About a third of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student composition is predominantly white, with meaningful representation of Asian, Black, and Hispanic students plus smaller numbers of multiracial and other students. Data on the school's special education enrollment and English learner population was not available, so a parent may want to look into those particulars directly with the school if they are relevant.

Academic proficiency at Red Mill shows a clear trajectory by grade level. Third graders' results in math and English language arts cluster in the mid-range, with a majority of students meeting proficiency standards in both subjects. Fourth grade marks a significant jump: math proficiency climbs notably higher, and English language arts improves but remains somewhat behind math. By fifth grade, the gap widens further. Math proficiency is strong, science proficiency is solid, and English language arts proficiency sits in the low-to-mid range. Across the school, student participation in state testing is high, generally running in the low-to-mid-nineties, which means the results reflect nearly all eligible students' performance rather than a subset.

When placed against the other school districts in Rensselaer County, Red Mill's overall proficiency index positions it in the top quartile among the county's schools, a meaningful strength. The school's pattern suggests that students gain ground in math skills as they move through the grades, and that by upper elementary most students are solidly meeting grade-level expectations in math. English language arts growth is steady but more gradual, leaving some students not yet meeting standards by fifth grade, which is worth monitoring as students prepare for middle school.

The district recently approved a substantial capital improvement project that includes new air conditioning and HVAC upgrades throughout all five elementary schools, classroom additions for expanding enrollment, library renovations, and new playgrounds. This work is arriving without additional impact to local property taxpayers thanks to state building aid, though families should note that the district recently exceeded the New York State tax cap for the first time after thirteen years of staying under it, driven by rising employee benefit costs. The district also operates a free pre-K program launched in 2021, which serves eligible four-year-olds and now extends across multiple sites.

Red Mill sits in a community oriented toward transit and waterfront redevelopment. Rensselaer itself is anchored by the Hudson River esplanade, the Amtrak/rail station, and ongoing private investment, including Regeneron's large manufacturing presence nearby. The area's housing market reflects modest appreciation in recent years, with median home values and rental costs positioning Rensselaer as modestly affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Local employment is tied to Regeneron's biotech operations, state government proximity to Albany, manufacturing, and healthcare. For families considering Red Mill, the school represents a standard public elementary with strength in upper-elementary math and solid overall proficiency when measured against its county peers, serving a community with ongoing economic activity and accessible public transit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 72% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 80% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 75% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 62% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 70% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 73% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Science

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 68% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 5100%

School 100% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolEAST GREENBUSH CENTRAL 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-income38%Higher-income79%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income73%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income81%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income41%Higher-income82%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income80%Higher-income86%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income82%Higher-income94%11 pp gap