Monmouth County’s High Technology High School was recognized as the top Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) high school in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of high schools in America.
High Technology High School, located on the campus of Brookdale Community College in Middletown’s Lincroft section, draws students from more than 40 local sending districts in Monmouth County.
“This is the sixth year in a row that High Technology High School has been ranked the No. 1 STEM school in the nation,” said Timothy McCorkell, superintendent of the Monmouth County Vocational School District, which administers five full-time career academies. “This distinction affirms the mission of the school which offers a pre-engineering curriculum that emphasizes the interconnection of math, science, technology and the humanities.
“The ranking is a credit to the hard work of the students and staff. The distinction is shared with all of the elementary and middle schools in Monmouth County that prepare our students for this rigorous high school curriculum,” he said.
The Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies took the spots nationally on the Top STEM schools list bt U.S. News and World Report.
Union County Magnet High School was ranked 25, Academy for Health Sciences was listed 70 and Academy for Information Sciences was ranked 75 on the STEM list. All are operated by Union County Vocational-Technical School District. Several local districts in New Jersey also made the national list of top STEM high schools.
“These career-focused high schools give high achieving students with a strong interest in math and sciences a head start in preparing for careers in engineering, technology and other STEM fields that drive New Jersey’s high-tech economy,” said Judy Savage, the executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.
The rankings are based on a number of criteria, including college readiness, breadth of college-level curriculum, math and reading proficiency, performance of “underserved” students, such as minorities and students from low-income families, and graduation rate. Both Middlesex County academies have 100 percent graduation rates.
U.S. News and World Report also recognized the overall top high schools in New Jersey, including High Technology High School and Biotechnology High School in Freehold —also a Monmouth career academy — that are among the top 10.