Is Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School a good school?

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School ranks 757 th of 1228 New York high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 522 students attended Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School?

Students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School are 47% White, 18% African American, 12% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 11% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School?

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Van Rensselaer Elementary School

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Summary:

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School is a public school serving grades 6-12 in the Rensselaer City School District, with a student population of 522 as of the 2022-2023 school year. The school faces significant academic challenges, with low proficiency rates on state assessments, high dropout rates, and high chronic absenteeism.

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New York high schools over the past 10 years, with only 16.67% of 6th graders, 16.92% of 7th graders, and 33.8% of 8th graders scoring proficient or better on the ELA assessments, compared to the state averages of 45.82%, 48%, and 55.2% respectively. The school's performance on Regents exams is also below the state average, with proficiency rates ranging from 39.74% in Algebra I to 86.67% in Geometry, compared to state averages of 64.62% and 53.15% respectively. Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rate has declined from 91.2% in 2019-2020 to 81.4% in 2022-2023, while the dropout rate has increased from 5.2% to 15.7% during the same period.

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School's academic performance lags significantly behind nearby high-performing schools like Bethlehem Central Senior High School, Columbia High School, and Shaker High School, which all have much higher proficiency rates on state assessments and Regents exams, as well as higher graduation rates and lower dropout rates. The racial and socioeconomic makeup of Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School is also quite different from these higher-performing schools, with a larger proportion of students from low-income families and a higher percentage of African American and Hispanic students.

Detail:

Public 6-12

25 Van Rensselaer Dr
Rensselaer, NY 12144-2694

(518) 436-8561

District: Rensselaer City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
757^th of 1,228 New York High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,843

Feeder schools for Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School:

Elementary:

Van Rensselaer Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.7

Number of students: 522

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.1%

African American:

18.2%

Hispanic:

12.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 65.5%

See top rated New York high schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School ranks worse than 92.9% of middle schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.9. (See more...)

Compare Details Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School ranks worse than 61.6% of high schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.09. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (47.1%), African American (18.2%), Hispanic (12.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 65.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School is 10.7. (See more...)

Compare Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School employs 48.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School is $10,843.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School 1393^rd of 1500 New York public middle schools. (See Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School 757^th of 1228 New York public high schools. (See Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

White students:

Rensselaer City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Rensselaer City School District 795^th of 866 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2011	22.73	1027^th	1295	20.7%
2012	18.44	1108^th	1337	17.1%
2013	23.33	1062^nd	1373	22.7%
2014	28.29	1025^th	1401	26.8%
2015	30.74	1001^st	1407	28.9%
2016	21.01	1185^th	1429	17.1%
2017	33.18	983^rd	1455	32.4%
2018	21.54	1199^th	1438	16.6%
2019	18.72	1239^th	1439	13.9%
2021	10.10	1189^th	1242	4.3%
2022	14.28	1353^rd	1479	8.5%
2023	12.90	1393^rd	1500	7.1%

See the entire list of New York High School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Multi-racial students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	17.21	164^th	190	13.7%
2023	19.32	173^rd	208	16.8%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	36.23	757^th	1170	35.3%
2019	25.53	1011^th	1139	11.2%
2022	32.29	935^th	1283	27.1%
2023	32.73	917^th	1307	29.8%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	23.81	1060^th	1245	14.9%
2019	18.68	1126^th	1241	9.3%
2022	11.15	1269^th	1306	2.8%
2023	13.08	1222^nd	1288	5.1%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	19.95	1181^st	1353	12.7%
2019	24.71	1093^rd	1370	20.2%
2021	6.63	1053^rd	1066	1.2%
2022	14.91	1329^th	1454	8.6%
2023	16.60	1321^st	1463	9.7%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	28.19	1017^th	1352	24.8%
2019	12.50	1297^th	1366	5.1%
2021	12.29	1013^th	1071	5.4%
2022	17.31	1308^th	1455	10.1%
2023	12.91	1373^rd	1464	6.2%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school Asian students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	9.34	350^th	374	6.4%
2022	11.58	352^nd	381	7.6%
2023	5.58	372^nd	388	4.1%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	16.00	628^th	663	5.3%
2019	28.27	494^th	653	24.3%
2022	24.35	575^th	706	18.6%
2023	28.99	530^th	696	23.9%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	35.39	533^rd	810	34.2%
2022	17.10	834^th	914	8.8%
2023	18.74	849^th	943	10.0%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for middle school White students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	12.26	723^rd	763	5.2%
2019	10.38	684^th	716	4.5%
2021	5.66	609^th	614	0.8%
2022	6.09	733^rd	748	2.0%
2023	5.39	759^th	772	1.7%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

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Rank History for all high school students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2005	29.48	733^rd	935	21.6%
2006	48.56	618^th	986	37.3%
2007	56.77	515^th	1002	48.6%
2008	60.61	463^rd	1027	54.9%
2009	56.88	518^th	1086	52.3%
2010	40.40	741^st	1117	33.7%
2011	50.45	662^nd	1165	43.2%
2012	60.04	548^th	1198	54.3%
2013	56.60	613^th	1217	49.6%
2014	56.74	559^th	1237	54.8%
2015	58.22	503^rd	1255	59.9%
2016	53.35	588^th	1255	53.1%
2017	49.53	630^th	1221	48.4%
2018	52.01	640^th	1210	47.1%
2019	47.28	707^th	1207	41.4%
2022	37.79	735^th	1190	38.2%
2023	38.09	757^th	1228	38.4%

See the entire list of New York High School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Multi-racial students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.25	217^th	272	20.2%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for high school Special Education students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2019	42.00	633^rd	1132	44.1%
2022	37.23	613^th	1038	40.9%
2023	33.14	755^th	1130	33.2%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	55.32	503^rd	1154	56.4%
2019	46.62	654^th	1179	44.5%
2022	28.22	802^nd	1101	27.2%
2023	37.35	729^th	1155	36.9%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	50.43	644^th	1176	45.2%
2019	48.93	685^th	1193	42.6%
2022	36.15	747^th	1155	35.3%
2023	39.66	738^th	1197	38.3%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	53.12	594^th	1176	49.5%
2019	45.35	699^th	1190	41.3%
2022	37.61	719^th	1154	37.7%
2023	36.51	745^th	1191	37.4%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school Asian students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.65	333^rd	426	21.8%
2019	31.44	352^nd	447	21.3%
2022	18.68	329^th	386	14.8%
2023	33.78	312^th	424	26.4%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for high school African American students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	48.62	314^th	679	53.8%
2019	48.06	335^th	686	51.2%
2022	35.45	374^th	593	36.9%
2023	33.16	442^nd	671	34.1%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	40.26	529^th	765	30.8%
2019	35.21	590^th	793	25.6%
2022	23.60	627^th	738	15.0%
2023	22.88	655^th	776	15.6%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

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Enrollment information for Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	475	43	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	522
1990	444	47	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	498
1991	446	36	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	490
1992	437	27	0	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	485
1993	432	46	1	17	1	n/a	n/a	0	497
1994	393	36	1	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	449
1995	443	49	0	18	3	n/a	n/a	0	513
1996	443	49	0	18	3	n/a	n/a	0	513
1997	468	56	3	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	540
1998	434	55	1	22	11	n/a	n/a	0	523
1999	487	36	2	27	1	n/a	n/a	0	553
2000	468	56	0	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	539
2001	446	64	4	9	2	n/a	n/a	0	525
2002	243	35	2	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	286
2003	243	35	2	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	286
2004	244	35	6	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	293
2005	243	42	6	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	301
2006	268	42	9	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	327
2007	269	34	9	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	320
2008	273	40	12	10	3	n/a	n/a	0	338
2009	228	28	15	14	3	n/a	n/a	17	305
2010	232	31	23	16	1	n/a	n/a	14	317
2011	314	46	40	20	2	0	31	0	453
2012	295	60	42	24	3	0	9	0	433
2013	315	62	45	3	1	0	2	0	428
2014	279	46	44	30	1	0	21	0	421
2015	263	39	48	33	0	0	21	0	404
2016	252	51	60	38	0	0	25	0	426
2017	260	56	58	32	0	0	25	0	431
2018	256	55	52	41	2	0	28	0	434
2019	263	62	53	34	1	0	26	0	439
2020	274	62	52	29	1	0	27	0	445
2021	263	59	54	44	1	0	37	0	458
2022	266	76	56	54	0	0	59	0	511
2023	246	95	59	64	0	0	58	0	522

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	522	53.1	9.8	n/a
1990	498	48.9	10.1	n/a
1991	490	50.9	9.6	n/a
1992	485	47.3	10.2	n/a
1993	497	40.0	12.4	n/a
1994	449	38.7	11.6	44.3
1995	513	40.9	12.5	46.6
1996	513	40.9	12.5	46.6
1997	540	46.5	11.6	47.6
1998	523	46.5	11.2	48.2
1999	553	48.6	11.4	43.9
2000	539	49.8	10.8	42.3
2001	525	52.1	10.1	45.1
2002	286	23.0	12.4	50
2003	286	23.0	12.4	50
2004	293	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	301	25.0	12.0	85.7
2006	327	26.0	12.6	41.6
2007	320	24.6	13.0	44.1
2008	338	25.4	13.3	46.4
2009	305	24.4	12.5	45.8
2010	317	24.0	13.2	47.2
2011	453	32.5	13.9	58.1
2012	433	35.0	12.3	99.3
2013	428	36.0	11.8	68.5
2014	421	35.8	11.7	45.8
2015	404	36.0	11.2	64.9
2016	426	38.0	11.2	63.6
2017	431	39.4	10.9	72.6
2018	434	39.0	11.1	69.1
2019	439	36.0	12.1	0
2020	445	45.0	9.8	64.5
2021	458	42.2	10.8	53.7
2022	511	45.5	11.2	53.8
2023	522	48.5	10.7	65.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	522	53.1	9.8	n/a
1990	498	48.9	10.1	n/a
1991	490	50.9	9.6	n/a
1992	485	47.3	10.2	n/a
1993	497	40.0	12.4	n/a
1994	449	38.7	11.6	44.3
1995	513	40.9	12.5	46.6
1996	513	40.9	12.5	46.6
1997	540	46.5	11.6	47.6
1998	523	46.5	11.2	48.2
1999	553	48.6	11.4	43.9
2000	539	49.8	10.8	42.3
2001	525	52.1	10.1	45.1
2002	286	23.0	12.4	50
2003	286	23.0	12.4	50
2004	293	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	301	25.0	12.0	85.7
2006	327	26.0	12.6	41.6
2007	320	24.6	13.0	44.1
2008	338	25.4	13.3	46.4
2009	305	24.4	12.5	45.8
2010	317	24.0	13.2	47.2
2011	453	32.5	13.9	58.1
2012	433	35.0	12.3	99.3
2013	428	36.0	11.8	68.5
2014	421	35.8	11.7	45.8
2015	404	36.0	11.2	64.9
2016	426	38.0	11.2	63.6
2017	431	39.4	10.9	72.6
2018	434	39.0	11.1	69.1
2019	439	36.0	12.1	0
2020	445	45.0	9.8	64.5
2021	458	42.2	10.8	53.7
2022	511	45.5	11.2	53.8
2023	522	48.5	10.7	65.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates