Interior of a classroom in the new Phase I academic building, with large, sun-filled windows facing out to the field
A side view of the new academic building, facing the original Albany High and reflecting its image on it's glass exterior.
View of the new academic building as seen from the courtyard, looking up.
Construction on the Phase I academic building, with exposed rebar and steel framing, as a crane works in the background.
Crane building the steel framework of the Phase I academic building.
A view of the existing Albany High building as seen from the construction site, with the concrete stairwell of the new building visible among a stack of beams.
View of the construction site with the foundation of the new academic building in the foreground, and the existing Albany High in the rear.

Rebuilding Albany High School

Investing in our students. Investing in our community. Investing in our future.

Construction is underway on a $179.9 million project to renovate and expand Albany High School. The project will add more than 250,000 square feet of new facilities and completely renovate the existing 378,000-square-foot complex. The project will expand the school's capacity to about 3,000 students; Albany High enrolls about 2,500 students currently and has run out of space to add new classrooms as the district's enrollment grows.

Overview

Rebuilding Albany

In April 2018, new construction began including a three-story academic building behind the school as the major element of Phase 1, which is scheduled to be completed in February 2020. Construction is also under way on Phase 2, including a new building for art and music classrooms, which is expected to be completed in fall 2020. The school’s open courtyard also will be enclosed in subsequent phases.

Renovations throughout the seven-year project will include a complete makeover of the current three-story academic wing, which will include space for career and technical education programs currently housed three blocks away at Abrookin Career and Technical Center.

Other renovations will include completely replacing the school’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, adding a new 200-seat balcony to the auditorium and creating new space for physical-education classes, including jogging lanes in the main gym.

The fully renovated and rebuilt facility will expand the size of the current building by about 50 percent. Today’s Albany High building, including Abrookin, encompasses about 378,000 square feet; the new and improved Albany High will add about 250,000 square feet of new space.

Project phases

The project will be completed in four phases and is scheduled for completion in 2025.

Phase 1

Phase 1 began in April 2018. It consists primarily of a new three-story, 120,000-square-foot academic building in back of our school. It is scheduled to be ready in February 2020 (please note that this is a change from the original target completion date of fall 2019 due to delays caused by bad weather during the summer and fall, unforeseen conditions during excavation and unanticipated rubber-gym renovations).

Phase 1 also includes a new mechanical building in an area behind the auditorium and adjacent to the old Washington Avenue parking lot.

Phase 2

Phase 2 began in June 2019. This will consist primarily of construction of another new academic building in the front of our school, in what is now the old Washington Avenue parking lot. That new two-story, 39,000-square-foot classroom building, extending east from the auditorium toward the athletic field, will be the home for art and music classrooms. It is scheduled to open in late fall 2020.

Phases 3 and 4 

The final two phases will include renovation of the auditorium, including the addition of a balcony, the addition of an elevated jogging track in the main gym, the enclosure of the courtyard, and a complete renovation of the current academic building to accommodate four academies on the top two floors and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs on the first floor.

The full project is scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2025.

Project updates

While Albany High is moving through the daily and weekly routines of the school year, there is a lot going on as construction progresses on Phase I and planning moves ahead for the start of Phase II. To keep you updated on the progress, we are instituting project updates along with other periodic updates on construction and planning.

MWBE/Workforce Development

During the rebuild and all our projects, we are committed to helping minority- and woman-owned businesses enterprises (MWBEs) be positioned to take advantage of these opportunities as well, both in the district and throughout the region and state.

Learn more here.