All public school districts in New York are required to test water outlets for lead levels every five years in accordance with state law. The City School District of Albany completed the required testing during the fall of 2025.
The district tested water outlets at all 17 schools – 769 total samples – with the assistance of a state-approved laboratory. Testing for district offices at Academy Park and Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center is pending.
A water outlet is any water source that someone could possibly draw water to drink. This includes bathroom sinks, locker room showers, janitorial sinks and kitchen sinks.
This year, testing for all school districts was done in alignment with the state’s new standard requiring outlets to test below 5 parts per billion (ppb). The state’s previous standard when the district conducted its last water testing in the 2020-21 school year was 15 ppb.
Of the 769 samples taken across the district in 2025, 96 outlets across 12 buildings tested at or above the new limit of 5 ppb. Five buildings had no results above that limit, and we are awaiting results for Academy Park and Harriet Gibbons.
Here are the results by building; you can click on the links to review the detailed results for each building:
- Academy Park
- Results pending
- Albany High School
- 3 results over 5 ppb; 158 outlets tested
- Albany International Academy
- 1 result over 5 ppb; 26 outlets tested
- Albany School of Humanities
- 4 results over 5 ppb; 75 outlets tested
- Arbor Hill Elementary School
- 7 results over 5 ppb; 26 outlets tested
- Delaware Community School
- 0 results above 5 ppb; 19 outlets tested
- Eagle Point Elementary School
- 0 results above 5 ppb; 20 outlets tested
- Giffen Memorial Elementary School
- 22 results above 5 ppb; 87 outlets tested
- Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center
- Results pending
- Montessori Magnet School
- 0 results above 5 ppb; 42 outlets tested
- New Scotland Elementary School
- 0 results above 5 ppb; 23 outlets tested
- North Albany Middle School
- 5 results above 5 ppb; 40 outlets tested
- Pine Hills Elementary School
- 1 result above 5 ppb; 27 outlets tested
- Roots Academy at West Hill
- 0 results above 5 ppb; 17 outlets tested
- Sheridan Preparatory Academy
- 1 outlet above 5 ppb; 24 outlets tested
- Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School
- 3 results above 5 ppb; 60 outlets tested
- Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology
- 41 outlets above 5 ppb; 63 outlets tested
- Tony Clement Center for Education
- 3 results over 5 ppb; 27 outlets tested
- William S. Hackett Middle School
- 5 results above 5 ppb; 35 outlets tested
Following state law, outlets above 5 ppb will be taken offline or otherwise restricted while a remediation plan is implemented and further testing indicates that lead levels are below the action level. The corrected outlets then will be put back in service.
At all times, the district will ensure that all students and employees have an adequate supply of water for drinking and cooking.
The district has but the following action plan in place, which conforms with state regulations:
- Notify the Albany County Department of Health
- Submit all test results to the New York State Department of Health
- All water outlets requiring remediation will be taken off line as soon as possible. Signs will be posted at those stations.
- All outlets with positive tests will be fixed within six weeks. New water samples will be taken at each of those outlets and submitted to the state for testing. The district will clear a water outlet for use again only after receiving a report from a state-approved laboratory that the outlet in question is now below the legal limit.
- When all water outlets in a building are cleared after remediations (if needed), the district will notify all employees and families.