In 2001, Albany was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for the maximum term of six years.

[3] In 2013 Albany High School received an award for Distinction in Civic Learning from the California Courts.

Associate Justice Carole Corrigan of the California Supreme Court presented the Award which honored the work of the social studies department and student clubs such as the Model United Nations program.

[14] In 1997, Albany High School's main building and gymnasium, both completed in 1934, were deemed to be seismically unsound.

[17] In fall of 2016 an Albany High student started an Instagram account on which he posted unauthorized photos of Black classmates along with the word nigger and images evoking lynchings.

[19] One of these protests was held in April, at the same time and place as a voluntary mediation session between the suspended students and the affected Black classmates.

[17] The next month, ten Albany High students filed suit against the school arguing that they had been punished unfairly for their involvement with the Instagram account.

[21] Eight of the ten ultimately settled their claims with the school,[22] provoking distress in the victims' families.

In December 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court ruled unanimously in favor of the school district, saying that the Instagram account amounted to "severe bullying" and "contributed nothing to the 'market of ideas'.