How do the teachers at your town's high school rate according to students and parents, and more?

That is what Niche determined with their rankings for the best teachers in Albany area high schools for 2017. Niche's teacher ratings are based on several factors including student and parent ratings, salaries, missed days, student to teacher ratio and Niche's own grade for each school.

Niche ranked the top 30 Albany area high schools with the best teachers, and here are the top 5 and what led to their rankings:

5. Colonie High School

Colonie got an A- for academics, scored a 3.4 out of 5 in parent/student ratings, and student to teacher ratio is 14 to 1. Another impressive stat: None of their teachers are in their first or second year.

4. Guilderland High School

Guilderland also scored very high in academics with an A and a review rating of 3.5 out of 5.

3. Shaker High School

With Shaker High School the academic bar is set even higher with an A+, and the student to teacher ratio is 13 to 1. Student teacher reviews are very favorable as well with an average of 3.8 out of 5.

2. Bethlehem Central Senior High School

The high academic scores and parent/student ratings continue at Bethlehem: They get an A+ and a 3.8 out of 5, respectively.

1. Niskayuna High School

So what are the key grades that make the teachers at Niskayuna High School the best according to Niche?

• An A+ Grade in Academics
• An average 3.9 out of 5 rating by students and teachers
• A very low 17.7% for teacher absenteeism
• Teacher Experience: Only 1.8% of teachers in first or second year

So there ya have it. The cool thing is no matter where you go in the Capital Region the schools are great, and these rating could be totally switched up the next time they come out. As a parent, I can say we feel great to have our kids in such a great area. You should feel the same if you have kiddos!