Bergen County Academies (BCA) is a tuition-free

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is a city in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.New Jers ...

that serves students in the

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s from

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Academies at Englewood, in 1991.Admissions
, Bergen County Academies. Accessed November 15, 2016. In 2021,

Niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

ranked BCA as the #1 best public high school in America. BCA was also named as one of the 23 highest performing high schools in the United States by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. BCA is a

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

, a member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools, home of eleven 2020

Regeneron Science Talent Search The Regeneron Science Talent Search, known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, and then as the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) from 1998 through 2016, is a research-based science competition in the United Sta ...

Scholars including two Finalists, and a Model School in the Arts as named by the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

.Class of 2020 Profile
, Bergen County Academies. Accessed October 16, 2019. The school is currently organized into seven academies: Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST), Academy for Business and Finance (ABF), Academy for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Administration (ACAHA), Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT), Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST), Academy for Technology and Computer Science (ATCS), and Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA). As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,109 students and 93.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.8:1. There were 26 students (2.3% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with the ...

and 16 (1.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Bergen County Academies

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022.

History

Bergen County Academies was conceived by John Grieco. The school was founded on a

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

framework with the mission of preparing students for careers in math and science by promoting a problem-solving, project-based, technical learning environment. It has since departed from this model and adopted a more standard college-preparatory curriculum. The school originally began as a single academy, "The Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology" (AAST), which shared the current campus with the Bergen County Technical High School now located in

Teterboro Teterboro ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 67, In 1997, additional academies opened on the campus: the Academy for Business and Computer Technology (ABCT), the Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT), and the Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST). The following year saw the opening of three career institutes, renamed a year later to become academies: the Academy for Culinary Arts (ACA), the Academy for Power and Transportation (APT), and the Academy for Visual Arts and Graphic Communications (AVAGC). Soon, all seven programs began focusing on college preparation, adopting a

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

curriculum with a focus on their respective fields. In 2001, a dispute initiated by the Bergen County School Administrators' Association focused on what

Paramus Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

Superintendent Janice Dime called "

elitism Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be constructi ...

." Several sending districts threatened to withdraw funding from the school. In response, the Bergen County Technical Schools agreed to increase the transparency of the admissions process and enter into talks with a number of sending districts. In 2002, APT was eliminated. ABCT was split into the Academy for Business and Finance (ABF) and the Academy for Telecommunications and Computer Science (ATCS). In 2012, ATCS turned its attention away from Telecommunications and towards Technology, and so was rechristened the Academy for Technology and Computer Science. ACA added

hotel administration A hotel manager, hotelier, or lodging manager is a person who manages the operation of a hotel, motel, resort, or other lodging-related establishment. Management of a hotel operation includes, but is not limited to management of hotel staff, ...

to its coursework and became the Academy for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Administration (ACAHA). AVAGC expanded its scope to include

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

and became the Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA).Home Page
, Bergen County Academies Parent Partnership Organization. Accessed July 18, 2017. The school itself has also changed its name numerous times, from "Bergen County Regional Academies" to "Bergen Academies" to "Bergen County Academy" and to the present "Bergen County Academies." BCA was certified to offer the

IB Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

in January 2004, making it one of only 17 schools in New Jersey to offer the IB program at the high school level.

School structure

BCA has an extended school day from 8:00 AM to 4:10 PM. Prior to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the day would start with a 4-minute Information Gathering Session (IGS), serving the purpose of a

homeroom A homeroom, tutor group, form class, or form is a brief administrative period that occurs in a classroom assigned to a student in primary school and in secondary school. Within a homeroom period or classroom, administrative documents are distri ...

, followed by 27 modules (commonly referred to as "mods") that would last 15 minutes each, with 3 minutes of passing time in between each. Classes were commonly structured as either 2 or 3 mods. Currently, the day consists of 9 periods that last 50 minutes each, with 5 minutes of passing time in between each. All academies require four years of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, social studies, and

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

, as well as three years of

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

(

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, and/or

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

) and world language (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, French, or

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

). All students take three years of projects and clubs; projects take place periods 2-3 and clubs take place period 9, both on Wednesdays. All seniors participate in Senior Experience, an

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

program where seniors work and learn for the full business day each Wednesday instead of being on campus. 40 hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

are required for graduation, up to 20 of which can be hours worked at the school. In addition to their regular classes, students of all academies have the opportunity to develop research projects. Research can be conducted in

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

, chemistry and

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

agriscience Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

, psychology, nano-structural imaging,

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...

, and mathematics, among other subjects.

Current academies

BCA is currently divided into seven academic and professional divisions, often referred to by their acronyms or, colloquially, by their single-word nicknames. However, BCA is treated as a single high school within the district and the state. The Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST; Science) was founded in 1992. AAST focuses on in-depth instruction of the sciences along with the practical applications of the scientific ideas learned in the classroom. By the end of sophomore year, students have taken courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. The academy also features a weekly lab rotation for the first two years. As the academy is science-based, many AAST students take on personal research projects in addition to their regular classes. The Academy for Business and Finance (ABF; Business) was founded in 2002, separating from the Academy for Business and Computer Technology that was founded in 1997. Students in ABF take courses in economics, marketing, finance, management, business law, management information systems, entrepreneurship, and business ethics. To graduate, ABF students are required to complete a senior thesis and participate in the full IB Diploma Programme. Additional ABF opportunities include participation in DECA, involvement in their global studies program, and special access to the Financial Markets Lab, funded by

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ma ...

technology, allowing students to conduct economic research and analysis. The Academy for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Administration (ACAHA; Culinary) was founded in 1998, originally called the "Academy for Culinary Arts" (ACA). Along with their core classes, ACAHA focuses on

hospitality management Hospitality management may refer to: *Hospitality industry *Hotel manager A hotel manager, hotelier, or lodging manager is a person who manages the operation of a hotel, motel, resort, or other lodging-related establishment. Management of a hote ...

, entrepreneurship, and the

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

. As a part of the academy's curriculum, students receive certification from the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation and the

ServSafe ServSafe is a food safety, food and beverage safety training and certificate program administered by the U.S. National Restaurant Association. The program is accredited by ANSI and the Conference for Food Protection. It is considered a system that ...

Managers program. Though seeking the IB diploma is optional, ACAHA also has access to International Baccalaureate business management courses. Students often participate in the ProStart Hospitality Management competition and

SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occu ...

Leadership Conferences, as well as BCA's annual Chocolate Competition. The Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT; Engineering) was founded in 1997. The academy was formed "as an extension of AAST", with a concentration in engineering and design. Courses unique to AEDT also explore topics like computer science,

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, product development, and

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

. Students often compete in various

robotics competitions Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

and other projects, like in the Solar Car Challenge, in BCA's laboratories. The Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST; Medical) was founded in 1997. From 9th to 11th grade, students in AMST take courses about various medical fields, such as

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

, and

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

. Students often take on personal research projects in addition to their regular classes. Historically, many have also opted to apply for NREMT certification. Many AMST students participate in BCA's chapter of HOSA, though it is open to all students. The Academy for Technology and Computer Science (ATCS; Computer Science) was founded in 2002, separating from the Academy for Business and Computer Technology that was founded in 1997, and originally called the "Academy for Telecommunications and Computer Science". ATCS has a focus on the world of computers and the internet. Its students are prepared for careers such as computer programming, software engineering, and other computer and engineering related professions. The Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA; Visual Arts, Theater, Music) was founded in 1998, originally named "Academy for Visual Arts and Graphic Communications". AVPA is subdivided into three concentrations: Visual Arts, Music, and Theater.AVPA Main
, Bergen County Academies. Accessed July 16, 2007.

Admissions

Bergen County Academies' admissions process consists of three main stages: an initial application, an admissions exam, and an interview. The online initial application, which may also be shared with the application for Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, is submitted in December. Students may not also submit applications to other schools in the Bergen County Technical Schools district in addition to BCA. As well as being an

eighth grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

r residing in Bergen County, applicants must: * complete a 400 word essay **additional 100 words on activities and accolades * obtain a

letter of recommendation A letter of recommendation or recommendation letter, also known as a letter of reference, reference letter or simply reference, is a document in which the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the person being recommen ...

from: ** 8th grade math teacher ** 7th or 8th grade English teacher ** 7th or 8th grade science teacher * submit middle school transcript and

standardized test A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...

scores * declare first and second choice of academy In January, all applicants must take the admissions exam, consisting of a literary essay and a math test. The 45-minute long essay on a given passage is scored based on comprehension, insight, organization, support, style, and grammar/spelling. The 60-minute long math section is made up of 40

multiple choice Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is m ...

questions focused on basic skills and word problems. Open-ended problems were included on the math test until 2011, when they were removed to include more word problems. Students will then receive a letter stating if they have moved onto the interview phase. Interviews are conducted on an individual basis by teams of teachers and guidance counselors. Unlike the previous two stages, which are identical for every student, the interview may be personalized according to academy. For example, applicants for AVPA in the Music and Theatre concentrations present an

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

, while applicants for the Visual Arts concentration of AVPA participate in an art workshop and present a

portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...

. In 2021, BCA reported that they had a 15% acceptance rate.

Extracurricular activities

Clubs

During the 2019–2020 school year, BCA had over 130 clubs. BCA has a

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

team that runs its own Model UN conference for high school students, known as AMUN. The team also runs its own Model UN conference for middle school, known as JAMUN. The BCA Model UN team has won Best Delegation at numerous conferences, including those hosted by

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. The BCA Model UN team has also earned many individual delegate awards and is the largest club at the school. In 2008, BCA's math team won first place in Division B at the Princeton University Mathematics Competition, an annual competition attended routinely by the team. The school routinely has 10+ students qualifying for the USAMO (United States Mathematical Olympiad), with a student winning the competition in 2012. The school captured first place at the 2009 ARML Local competition, another routine annual competition. In 2015, student Ryan Alweiss competed on the American team at the International Math Olympiad, helping the United States win the competition for the first time since 1994 with a 98th percentile score of 31. BCA's junior varsity and varsity quiz bowl teams qualified to compete in the

National History Bowl The National History Bee and Bowl (NHBB) are nationwide history quiz competitions for high school, middle school, and elementary students in the United States. International Academic Competitions oversees both NHBB and the comparable Internation ...

in 2013, and several individuals competed in the National History Bee. BCA had a battle

BattleBots ''BattleBots'' (logo: Bꓭ)In season 10, the 2020-2021 TV season, the show introduced the "Bꓭ" logo is an American robot combat television series. The show was an adaptation of the British show '' Robot Wars'', in which competitors design and o ...

IQ team, known as the Titanium Knights. The team won the 2006 national heavyweight championship in the high school division with the robot ''E2V2'', and won two other awards for another 120-pound robot, ''Knightrous''. In previous years, the team has won second, third, and fourth place titles in BBIQ, and affiliated student teams have won numerous awards in Northeast Robotics Club events. The BattleBots team was succeeded by the school's "MAKE project", which focused on allowing students to pursue a wider set science and engineering projects and competitions. By 2014, BattleBots was no longer an active club at BCA. However, in 2018, the moniker and spirit of the Titanium Knights were revived by the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics club, an after-school club. In 2020, both of its teams qualified for the state-wide

FIRST Tech Challenge FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly known as FIRST Vex Challenge, is a robotics competition for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other te ...

robotics competition. In addition, BCA also has a DECA chapter that participates in regional, state and international conferences. The club requires all members to be a part of the Academy of Business and Finance. It’s the second largest club in the school and has over 100 members. In 2021, three BCA sophomores placed first at DECA’s "

Stock Market Game In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

" competition, the first time a team from the school won in that event. BCA is home to a

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

student group that leads schoolwide events and attends local, regional, and national conferences on

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

Sports

BCA shares its sports program with the Bergen County Technical Schools in Teterboro and Paramus to form the Bergen Tech Knights.Bergen County Technical High School
,

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. The schools compete in the

Big North Conference The Big North Conference is a high school athletic conference in New Jersey. It is one of six North Jersey "super athletic conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) in 2009. There are 41 member sc ...

, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

counties, and was established following a reorganization of the Northern New Jersey sports leagues by the

. In the 2009–2010 school year, the school competed in the

North Jersey Tri-County Conference The North Jersey Tri-County Conference was a high school athletic conference in New Jersey, created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) as a holding conference. The NJTCC consisted of 45 public and non-public school ...

, which was established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Before the realignment, Bergen Tech had been placed in the

Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League The Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, abbreviated NNJIL, was a former athletic conference located in Bergen County, Passaic County and Essex County, New Jersey. The NNJIL was separated into three divisions, according to the classificatio ...

(NNJIL) at the start of the Fall 2006 athletic season. With 1,669 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Ivy Red division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The football team is one of the 12 programs assigned to the two Ivy divisions starting in 2020, which are intended to allow weaker programs ineligible for playoff participation to compete primarily against each other. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2018–2020. Athletic achievements for the Bergen Tech Knights and Bergen Tech Lady Knights include: * In 2006, the football team reached the playoffs before losing to Randolph High School 29–0. In the same year, the boys' soccer team advanced to the state tournament, winning in the first round before losing to

Memorial High School Memorial High School may refer to: United States As ''Memorial High School'' alone *Memorial High School (Millville, New Jersey) *Memorial High School (West New York, New Jersey) *Memorial High School (St. Marys, Ohio) * Memorial High School (Tul ...

in the semifinal game. * The tennis team and baseball team advanced to the playoffs in 2009, with the tennis team continuing on to the semifinals after winning sectionals.

Campus and facilities

Bergen County Academies is located on the Dr. John Grieco Campus in Hackensack. The school occupies a sprawling main building which runs along Hackensack Avenue as well as a nearby Environmental Science Center (ESC) building connected to a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

. An

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

adjoining the main building seats 1,200 people. The school's baseball/softball field, football field, and track are located behind the academic buildings. Completed in August 2008, the school's cafeteria underwent a massive overhaul that expanded the space from 1,500 to 11,000 square feet. The school has a variety of science laboratories. The

lab opened in 2009 and offers

spectrophotometers Spectrophotometry is a branch of electromagnetic spectroscopy concerned with the quantitative measurement of the reflection or transmission properties of a material as a function of wavelength. Spectrophotometry uses photometers, known as spec ...

differential scanning calorimeter Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a thermoanalytical technique in which the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. Both the sample and ref ...

, and a probe station. The cell biology lab opened in 2004 and has a viability analyzer, a chip array bioanalyzer, an electroporator, and

microplate readers Plate readers, also known as microplate readers or microplate photometers, are instruments which are used to detect biological, chemical or physical events of samples in microtiter plates. They are widely used in research, drug discovery, bio ...

. The

lab opened in 2006 and features a DNA sequencer, a

flow cytometer Flow cytometry (FC) is a technique used to detect and measure physical and chemical characteristics of a population of Cell (biology), cells or particles. In this process, a sample containing cells or particles is suspended in a fluid and inject ...

RT-PCR Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a laboratory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA (in this context called complementary DNA or cDNA) and amplification of specific DNA targets using polymerase cha ...

and standard PCR machines, and a lypholizer. The

lab opened in 2008 and is home to one laser scanning confocal microscope, one scanning electron microscope (SEM) and one

transmission electron microscope Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a microscopy technique in which a beam of electrons is transmitted through a specimen to form an image. The specimen is most often an ultrathin section less than 100 nm thick or a suspension on a gr ...

(TEM). There are also laboratories largely built and designated for specific academies. A dedicated Bloomberg workstation lets students conduct independent financial markets analysis and research. The option to earn a Bloomberg Certification is also available through tutorials. The school features two studio art labs. One of the studios is a visual arts lab equipped with compositing and printing equipment. A video lab broadcasts inside the school and features workstations, professional cameras, and a bluescreen. The school also has a restaurant-grade kitchen for teaching culinary arts.

Awards and rankings

In 2015, Bergen County Academies was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of 9 public schools, to be recognized as a

in the exemplary high performing category by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

. In the same year, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' ranked BCA fifth out of the top 500 public schools in America in 2015 and fourth in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. ''Inside Jersey'' magazine ranked BCA first in its 2014 ranking of New Jersey's Top Performing High Schools. In the same year, ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' ranked BCA 15th in the nation among over 700 magnet and charter schools, second among the 25 Best High Schools in the Northeast, and first among schools in New Jersey. ''

'' designated BCA as one of 23 top-performing schools with elite students intentionally excluded from its list of America's Most Challenging High Schools "because, despite their exceptional quality, their admission rules and standardized test scores indicate they have few or no average students." Mathews, Jay
"Top-performing schools with elite students"
, ''

'', April 4, 2014. Accessed November 21, 2014. "These top-performing schools, listed in alphabetical order, were excluded from the list because, despite their exceptional quality, their selective admission rules and standardized test scores indicate they have few or no average students." In October 2020,

ranked the school as the #1 public high school in the nation, as well as the #1 magnet school, #3 college prep public high school, #5 teachers in a public high school, and #7

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

high school (all for America). It swept all of these categories on the state, county, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area level, with the exception of STEM school, which it came in second for with NJ and NYC area, and college prep, which it came in second for with the NYC area. During the 2019-2020 school year, Bergen County Academies had the best graduation rate and SAT scores in the state of New Jersey.

Notable alumni

* Harry Altman (class of 2005), featured in the 2002 documentary film Spellbound about the

Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scri ...

. *

Shakira Barrera Shakira Barrera (born 1990) is an American dancer and actress. She joined the cast of the Netflix series '' GLOW'' in its second season. Early life and education Barrera was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to Nicaraguan-American parents and att ...

(born 1990, class of 2008), dancer and actor who has appeared in the Netflix series '' GLOW''. *

George Hotz George Francis Hotz (born October 2, 1989), alias geohot, is an American security hacker, entrepreneur, and software engineer. He is known for developing iOS jailbreaks, reverse engineering the PlayStation 3, and for the subsequent lawsuit br ...

(born 1989, class of 2007), known for computer and device hacking. *

Sachin H. Jain Sachin H. Jain (born 1980) is an American physician who held leadership positions in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). From 2015 to 2020, he se ...

(born 1980, class of 1998), CEO of CareMore and former Chief Medical Information Officer of

Merck Merck refers primarily to the German Merck family and three companies founded by the family, including: * the Merck Group, a German chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences company founded in 1668 ** Merck Serono (known as EMD Serono in the Unite ...

. * Sarah-Nicole Robles (born 1991), actress and voice actress, best known for providing the voice of

Luz Noceda Luz Noceda is the main protagonist of the Disney Channel animated series ''The Owl House'', created by Dana Terrace. She is voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles. Luz is confirmed to be Bisexuality, bisexual by Terrace, some calling her the "first bisex ...

in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

animated series ''

The Owl House ''The Owl House'' is an American animated fantasy television series created by Dana Terrace that premiered on Disney Channel on January 10, 2020. The series stars the voices of Sarah-Nicole Robles, Wendie Malick, Alex Hirsch, Tati Gabrielle, Issa ...

''. *

Kaavya Viswanathan ''How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life'' is a young adult novel by Kaavya Viswanathan, written just after she graduated from high school. Its 2006 debut was highly publicized while she was enrolled at Harvard University, but the b ...

(class of 2004), author of the controversial 2006 novel entitled ''

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life ''How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life'' is a young adult novel by Kaavya Viswanathan, written just after she graduated from high school. Its 2006 debut was highly publicized while she was enrolled at Harvard University, but the b ...

'', since withdrawn due to accusations of plagiarism."Once-touted novel has uncertain future"
''

Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'', April 28, 2006, accessed April 23, 2007. "Weems, who taught literature to Viswanathan when she was a junior at Bergen County Academies in New Jersey, remembered her as a gifted student and as the winner of a number of writing contests."

References

External links

Bergen County Academies websiteBergen County Academies PPO websiteNational Center for Education Statistics website
{{Authority control 1991 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1991 Hackensack, New Jersey International Baccalaureate schools in New Jersey Magnet schools in New Jersey NCSSS schools Public high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey