Shaker Road Elementary School, Albany NY

Original Research by School Decision on Shaker Road Elementary School

Shaker Road Elementary is a neighborhood school of modest size serving kindergarten through fourth grade in the Albany Shaker area of Colonie, just outside Albany's city limits. The school draws roughly equal cohorts in each grade, and about a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is majority white, with meaningful shares of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and smaller numbers of Black students.

On the most recent state assessments in math and English language arts, the school sits in the top quartile among the county's elementary schools on overall proficiency. In math, students in both tested grades showed proficiency rates above the county median, with fourth grade performing slightly ahead of third grade. In English language arts, performance was solid in fourth grade but notably lower in third grade, suggesting either a year-to-year variability or different instructional trajectories across grades. Science results from earlier testing showed strong performance. Most students participate in state testing at high rates.

The broader context is one of active investment. South Colonie Central School District, which serves Shaker Road, approved a major capital project in 2022 that has been under construction since 2023. This brings modernized instructional spaces, upgraded athletics and auditorium facilities, and enhanced safety systems across the district. Families considering a move into the area should know that the district is phasing in higher property taxes to support debt service on those improvements; while the capital project represents a long-term gain, the recurring tax impact is a real cost to weigh.

Shaker Road sits in a suburban setting along Albany Shaker Road. Housing values in the 12211 zip code are in the mid-range for the Capital Region and have appreciated modestly. The neighborhood offers quiet residential character with access to schools, shopping, and services along major corridors. Albany itself, just across the Colonie boundary, is in an active revitalization phase with downtown investment, new mixed-income housing conversions, and expanded transit options through the Capital District Transportation Authority. The area is car-dependent for most errands, though transit connections exist for those commuting into the city.

The school serves students in the elementary band with no secondary pathway data or program offerings beyond standard grade-level instruction. Special education or English learner enrollment data were not available. A parent may want to reach out to the school directly about supports for students with identified needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 68% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 72% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 57% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 486%

School 86% · district not reported

even with state median

This schoolSOUTH COLONIE 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-income61%Higher-income63%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income83%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income74%Higher-income70%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income59%Higher-income85%27 pp gap