Albany Academy for Girls is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls in Albany, New York, United States, enrolling students from preschool (age 3) to grade 12. Founded in 1814 by Ebenezer Foote as the Albany Female Academy, AAG is the oldest independent girls day school in the United States. It is located on the corners of Hackett Boulevard and Academy Road, across the street from its brother school The Albany Academy.
In July 2007, the administrative teams of The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls merged into The Albany Academies. In 2024, the school continued its campus realignment efforts and launched a rebrand of the unified school as "Albany Academy."
Contents
Collaboration with The Albany Academy
The Board of Trustees announced that The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls would merge into The Albany Academies in July 2007. In 2024, the school continued campus realignment efforts and became known as Albany Academy. Single-gender education will continue in the Middle School, while Lower School and Upper School students are now co-educational. Christopher Lauricella currently serves as the Head of School.
Accreditation and memberships
The Albany Academies are accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and recognized by the Regents of the State of New York. The Albany Academies are a member of the following associations: the College Board, the Cum Laude Society, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Educational Records Bureau, the Capital Region Independent Schools Association, the Association of Boys' Schools, the Secondary Schools Admission Test Board, and the New England Prep School Athletic Association.
Alumni
Notable alumnae include:
Anne Lynch Botta, poet, author, teacher, socialite
Magdalene Isadora La Grange, poet
Mary Gardiner Horsford, poet
Mary Blanchard Lynde, philanthropist and social reformer
Mary Margaretta Fryer Manning, socialite
Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University alongside her husband Leland Stanford
Elise Stefanik, politician
Rev. Caroline Soule, first woman ordained in the UK
Harriet Mabel Spalding, litterateur, poet
Faculty/administration
John Chester, second president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
John Ely, U.S. Representative from New York
Doris Grumbach, novelist, biographer, literary critic, and essayist She died in 2022
Eben Norton Horsford, chemist and Viking enthusiast
Caroline B. Mason, educator, the only person in the United States to head two schools simultaneously
Anne Montgomery, RSCJ, non-violent activist and educator
In media
In The Official Preppy Handbook, edited by Lisa Birnbach, an Albany Academy for Girls admissions pamphlet is pictured among others in a section titled "Preparing to Prep: Picking the School for You"