Farnsworth Middle School, Guilderland NY

Original Research by School Decision on Farnsworth Middle School

Farnsworth Middle School is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Guilderland, a suburban town west of Albany. The school enrolls roughly a thousand students, distributed fairly evenly across the three grades, with a student body that is predominantly white, joined by substantial shares of Asian students and smaller populations of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial peers. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, and enrollment reflects the wider Guilderland community's economic stability.

The school's recent state test results show mixed performance. In math, students in grades six and seven both showed proficiency rates around the low-to-mid range, while eighth graders performed somewhat better. English language arts proficiency was lower, with sixth and seventh graders in the mid-to-high-50s range and eighth graders in the low-60s range. Science results available only for eighth grade showed proficiency near the high-60s. Against the district comparison set of Albany County, Farnsworth's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint among the county's tested middle schools, suggesting the school performs lower than many of its regional peers. A parent may want to look into the details of how the school addresses students who are not meeting state standards, and what supports exist for acceleration of advanced learners.

The eighth-grade participation rate in state math testing was notably lower than in the other grades, around sixty percent compared to over ninety percent in grades six and seven. This gap warrants a direct conversation with the school about which students took the exam and why some were not tested.

Farnsworth is located in Guilderland Center, a hamlet along a major route within the town. Guilderland is a car-dependent suburb centered on the Crossgates Mall retail corridor, though the town has begun work on a Transit Oriented Development District with denser, more walkable mixed-use spaces. The town is growing, with new apartment and townhome construction completed near the mall in 2025 and a new Costco approved for the same area. Housing values have risen appreciably in the past year, and the median home price sits notably above national averages, reflecting the town's appeal to families seeking suburban proximity to Albany.

The Guilderland Central School District spanning the town is active and well-resourced. Voters approved a major capital referendum in May 2025 that will modernize classrooms across all seven district buildings with new technology and boards, upgrade safety and security systems, and add specialized spaces at the high school. An earlier referendum in 2021 delivered facility upgrades including HVAC and roofing work, security systems, a new athletic field and track, and outdoor classroom pavilions with Wi-Fi at every school. Property tax levies have risen annually by modest amounts, all within the state tax-levy cap, which families relocating to the district should factor into housing-cost planning.

Farnsworth feeds students into Guilderland High School, also located in the town center. The school serves a stable, diverse suburban population in a district making sustained public investment in facilities and technology. For a family considering this community, the question is whether current test performance aligns with their expectations for middle school rigor and whether the school's approach to skill gaps and advanced instruction matches their child's needs.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Math	138	100.0%
Science	136	99.0%

Math

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 65% · ▼ 65 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median · ▼ 53 pts below county median

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 64%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 70% · ▼ 70 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 58 pts below county median

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 58%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 56% · ▼ 56 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 895%

School 95% · district not reported

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolGUILDERLAND 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 6Lower-income35%Higher-income68%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income63%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income45%Higher-income69%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income73%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income71%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income64%Higher-income77%13 pp gap