These Are the 15 Best School Districts in the Capital Region

New Ranking of Capital Region School Districts

If you're raising a family in the Capital Region, there are plenty of great school districts to choose from. But according to Niche's latest rankings, one local district stands above the rest.

Bethlehem Central School District was named the #1 Best School District in the Albany Area, earning an impressive A+ overall grade from Niche.

Bethlehem serves more than 4,100 students across seven schools, including my son, Brody, who goes to Bethlehem Middle School and absolutely loves it!

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Niskayuna Central School District landed at #2, followed by North Colonie at #3. East Greenbush and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake rounded out the top five. All four received an overall grade of A from Niche.

Niche's 15 Best School Districts in the Albany Area:

1. Bethlehem Central School District — A+
2. Niskayuna Central School District — A
3. North Colonie Central School District — A
4. East Greenbush Central School District — A
5. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District — A
6. Shenendehowa Central School District — A
7. Voorheesville Central School District — A-
8. Guilderland Central School District — A-
9. Saratoga Springs City School District — A-
10. Schodack Central School District — B+
11. South Colonie Central School District — B+
12. Stillwater Central School District — B+
13. Averill Park Central School District — B+
14. Troy City School District — B
15. Albany City School District — B

Photo: Google Maps

How Does Niche Determine the Ranking?

The first nine districts all earned an A-range overall grade, with Bethlehem sitting alone at the top with an A+.

Niche compiles its annual rankings using data from the U.S. Department of Education, weighing factors like test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality, and public school district ratings.

More Praise for Bethlehem

And Bethlehem's bragging rights don't stop at the Capital Region. According to the district, Niche also ranked Bethlehem #37 out of 597 school districts in New York State and #53 out of more than 11,000 districts nationally on its Best Teachers in America list.

The recognition comes just a couple of months after Bethlehem Central High School received another regional honor from U.S. News & World Report.