Amy Murphy, School Counselor
518-283-4600
Please contact School Counselor Amy Murphy whenever you have a question about what high school will be the best fit for your child. Helpful information is listed below but speaking with Ms. Murphy is the best way to get detailed answers to questions such as high school courses that are offered and what credits will be accepted.
High School Choices
After graduating from Gardner-Dickinson, students can attend high school in the following districts:
- Averill Park Central School District
- Brunswick (Brittonkill) Central School District
- East Greenbush Central School District
- Tech Valley High School
- Troy City School District
Common Questions and Answers
Do families pay tuition to attend high schools?
No. Wynantskill UFSD pays tuition to participating school districts for Gardner-Dickinson students to attend their high schools.
Can my child change schools if we discover the school does not fit my child?
While students can change high schools, the district encourages parents to contact Ms. Murphy about any difficulties their child is having as soon as possible to help address concerns before considering changing schools.
If I have an older child in high school, can my other children attend that school as well?
Yes. Every effort is made to keep families together, unless a different selection is made by the family.
How is my child's Grade Point Average (GPA) calculated?
GPA, for the purpose of Honor Roll (89.5 to 94.4), High Honor Roll (94.5 or higher), and Class Ranking for Gr. 8 Valedictorian and Salutatorian, is calculated by averaging courses based upon their weight (i.e. a class that meets every other day counts for half of the points for a class that meets every day). For a specific breakdown or additional questions about your child’s quarterly GPA, please contact Ms. Murphy.
We are residents of North Greenbush Common School District (Little Red). Do we have the same choices?
No. Students attending Gardner-Dickinson who are residents of North Greenbush Common School District (Little Red) have different choices for high school; these parents should speak with Ms. Murphy about their options.
High School Selection Process – 2025
We are excited to announce that this year’s high school selection process will be enhanced to provide parents and students with more information sooner rather than later.
Every Wynantskill UFSD student must select one of the following partnering School Districts/High Schools to enroll in:
Averill Park High School within the Averill Park Central School District
Columbia High School within the East Greenbush Central School District
Tamarac High School within the Brunswick Brittonkill Central School District
Troy High School with the Troy City School District
Residents of the Wynantskill school district may also choose to attend high school programs at Tech Valley High School (Albany) and STEM High School (HVCC). Please note that these are high school programs that require you to choose one of the 4 school districts listed above as a home base. Students attending Tech Valley or STEM will be able to play sports for the high school they are enrolled at.
We will offer three unique opportunities for students and families to select a high school as described below:
1. During the month of January, each of the high schools will visit Gardner-Dickinson separately to meet with our students for a 45-minute presentation on the high schools’ programs and offerings. This will allow our students to ask questions with parents encouraged to attend as well.
2. There will also be an opportunity for families to attend an evening open-house program/ tour at each of the schools. The schools will either have a dedicated evening just for Gardner-Dickinson students or they will have a breakout session specific to our students and families.
3. During the month of February, students will have the opportunity to take a tour of any or all of the high schools during the school day. We will provide the chaperones and the transportation as this is an opportunity for our students to shadow other students and parents will not attend this tour.
Finally, we will ask each student to have a high school decision by March 1st, 2025.
Although all of the dates have not been finalized we would like to share the information we have so you can better understand our attempts to provide you with as much information as possible to make this very important decision.
If you have any questions at any time, please feel free to contact Amy Murphy at amurphy@wynantskillufsd.org or (518) 283-4600.
Thank you!
1) Presentation of Schools Individually at GD
| SCHOOL | GD VISIT DATE | TIME | Website |
| Averill Park HS | January 7, 2025 | 1:15-2:00 | https://www.averillpark.k12.ny.us/our-schools/averill-park-high-school/aphs-counseling-career-center/ |
| Troy HS | January 9, 2025 | 1:15-2:00 | https://www.troycsd.org/troy-high-school/counseling-center/ |
| STEM HS |
January 10, 2025
|
9:30- 10:15
|
https://www.questar.org/education/ptech-echs/
|
| Columbia HS | January 14, 2025 | 1:00-1:45 | https://egcsd.org/columbia-high-school/guidance/ |
| TVHS | January 16, 2025 | 9:00-10:00 | https://www.techvalleyhigh.org/admissions/information-sessions/ |
| Tamarac HS | January 23, 2025 | 1:15-2:00 | https://www.brunswickcsd.org/o/hs |
2) Open Houses for GD Families at the High Schools
| High School | Date | Time |
| Tech Valley | January 2nd, 2025 | 6:00 – 7:30 pm |
| Averill Park | January 8th, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm |
| HVCC- STEM High | January 9th, 2025 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm |
| Troy | January 16th, 2025 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm |
| East Greenbush | February 6th, 2025 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm |
| Tamarac | *Please contact Mrs. Murphy if interested |
3) Tours/Shadow Day – For those students interested
| High School | Date |
| HVCC- Stem High | January 17th, 2025 |
| Tech Valley | February 3rd, 2025 |
| Averill Park | February 7th, 2025 |
| Troy | February 12th, 2025 |
| Tamarac | *Please contact Mrs. Murphy if interested |
| East Greenbush | *Please contact Mrs. Murphy if interested |
