Biotechnology High School (BTHS), or commonly referred to as Biotech, is a four-year comprehensive

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious co ...

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 ...

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 ...

serving students in

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 in Freehold Township, Monmouth County, United States, as part of the

Monmouth County Vocational School District The Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) is a vocational and technical public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, providing vocational education to students across the county. Monmouth County Vocational ...

(MCVSD). Its curriculum includes a science program, consisting of eight different science classes spread over four years, designed to prepare students to pursue further education in

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 the

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

. Emphasis is placed on research, laboratory skills, critical thinking, problem solving, technology, and teamwork. Over 90% of the 2009 graduates selected college majors in the life sciences.BTHS Profile
, Biotechnology High School. Accessed Jun 24, 2011. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2005. Since graduation of its first class in 2009, it has consistently been ranked one of the best high schools on the East Coast and in the United States by national media outlets. According to the national high school rankings report published annually by '' U.S. News & World Report'', the school was ranked sixth in New Jersey, and 85th in the nation, in 2020. As of April 2007, it became an official

International Baccalaureate Organization The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

school, offering 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 ...

to all students. BTHS is the only high school in New Jersey in which 100% of students are IB Diploma Candidates. Most of the courses taken in junior and senior year are IB courses, which are comparable to

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(AP) courses. Courses taken freshman and sophomore year prepare students for IB. At the beginning of their junior year, students declare either an IB Chemistry or IB Physics concentration, which requires two full years of study accumulated in an exam session. Depending on the course and plan of study, IB exams for other courses are administered in the spring of their junior or senior year. Students also complete a full-time senior

mentorship Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

under an employer of their choice during their last month before graduation. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 315 students and 26.0 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 12.1:1. There were 1 students (0.3% 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 2 (0.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Biotechnology High School

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. The average graduating class size is around 70-80 students.

Awards, recognition, and rankings

In 2014, the school was recognized by the

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program 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, ...

as one of 11 schools to be honored in the state that year, and received the

National Blue Ribbon Award 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, ...

from 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 ...

, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. In 2013, the school achieved its highest standing to date as the eighth best high school in the United States and first in New Jersey by '' U.S. News & World Report''. In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 15th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked sixth among all high schools in New Jersey. In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", ''

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 the school 24th in the nation among participating public high schools and 2nd among schools in New Jersey. The school was ranked 20th in the nation and first in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by ''

'' / ''

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 ...

'', with rankings based 25% each on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

courses taken per student, with 10% based on average scores on the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

/ ACT, 10% on AP/IB scores and an additional 5% based on the number of AP/IB courses available to students. In 2011, Biotech was ranked 25th out of more than 27,000 U.S. high schools by Newsweek, using a six component rating system: graduation rate (25%), college matriculation rate (25%), AP/IB tests taken per graduate (25%), average

/ ACT scores (10%), average AP/IB scores (10%), and AP courses offered per graduate (5%). It was ranked 18th for average SAT scores (2008–2010) and 26th for number of AP/IB tests given per graduate in 2010. In 2010, Biotechnology High School was categorized as a "Public Elite" by ''

''. In September 2010, Biotechnology High School entered into a partnership with

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full- ...

, which allows graduates to enter into the University's

bachelor of science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

program, in addition to allowing students to participate in research projects with MU faculty. 2012-2013 average SAT scores were 662 reading, 694 math, and 678 writing. Schooldigger.com ranked the school as one of 16 schools tied for first out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (unchanged from the 2010 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy (100.0%) and mathematics (100.0%) components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA).

Administration

The school's principal is Sharon Bryant. Linda Eno, a former pre-medical teacher at the AAHS, served as the founding Principal, from 2005 to 2014. Sean Meehan, a former history teacher at Biotechnology High School, was principal from 2014 to 2020.

Faculty

Biotech's faculty includes four teachers holding doctorates in their fields from graduate schools such as UNC Chapel Hill and Princeton University. Other staff members hold bachelor's and master's degrees, many from nearby Rutgers-New Brunswick and Monmouth University.

Architecture

The Biotechnology High School facility was completed in December 2005 and cost approximately $16.9 million to construct. Designed by The Thomas Group, the building consists of of space on two floors and can accommodate a student population of 280. It meets all requirements for

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

certification and features: *Two dedicated

biotech 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 ...

labs *General-purpose labs 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 ...

and

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 ...

*Tissue Culture Lab *Hookups for

alternative fuel Alternative fuel, known as non-conventional and advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels like; '' fossil fuels'' (petroleum (oil), coal, and natural gas), as well as nuclear mat ...

vehicles *An

Energy Star Energy Star (trademarked ''ENERGY STAR'') is a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that promotes energy efficiency. The program provides information on the energy consumption of pro ...

compliant EPDM roof

Admission criteria

As with all of the career academies in the Monmouth County Vocational School District, a student wishing to attend Biotechnology High School must apply in a competitive admissions process. Only those who possess high seventh grade final scores and eighth grade first semester scores (based on the core subjects,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

), and achieve high scores in an admission exam that encompasses language arts literacy and mathematics, as compared to others applying, will be offered admission. One student with the highest scores and grades from each sending district will be admitted to the school, and the remaining openings will be filled with the next strongest applications regardless of hometown. Monmouth County students may only apply to one of the five MCVSD schools, so they must consider their application choice carefully. Paperwork must also be submitted in the admissions process, including an application that is received upon visiting the school during a designated open-house day. The application includes a short writing task that is not considered in the admissions process.

Curriculum

All students at Biotechnology High School study under a curriculum that includes eight mandatory science classes, each of which includes a laboratory component. The Biotech curriculum includes block scheduling so students may take different classes on each day of the week as well as different classes between first and second semester. All students enter the

International Baccalaureate 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 ...

at the start of their junior year, at which point they sell their soul to either an IB Physics or an IB Chemistry concentration. Students must take a biology course for all four years, in addition to physics in their sophomore year, and either chemistry or physics in their junior and senior years. Four years of humanities are also offered, as well as a multitude of STEM and humanity-based electives. Spanish is the only foreign language offered, and as such, students are introduced to the language in their first two years, and move on to complete IB Spanish in either their junior or senior year.

AP Spanish Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish V, or AP Spanish) is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placemen ...

is offered as an optional elective to students who complete IB Spanish in their junior year. The IB Program at Biotech includes three High Level IB classes and three Standard Level IB classes. Chemistry/Physics, Biology, and English are the high level courses and Mathematics, Spanish, and History are the standard level courses. As with all career academies in the

, 160 credit-hours are required to graduate. Successful completion of

Theory of Knowledge Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...

(TOK), an

extended essay 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 ...

(EE),

Creativity, Action, Service Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) (Formerly 'Creativity, Action, Service') is a mandatory core component of the IB Diploma Programme. It aims to provide a 'counterbalance' to the academic rigour of the educational programme. Before the 2010 exa ...

(CAS) hours, and an Individual Oral Commentary (IOC) in both English and Spanish, along with receiving passing marks on all internal and external assessments, are required components for the IB Diploma. Upon graduation, eligible students receive both a

high school diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

and an

IB Diploma 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 ...

, with the latter ceremonially distributed the following academic year.

Student life

Students at Biotechnology can join a variety of different organizations and clubs to enrich their academic experience. These range from competing in science competitions to participating in volunteer service projects. Many of the club meetings occur during the long lunch period that students have after their morning classes. There is a Student Government Association that helps organize events and run monthly Town Hall meetings for the entire school. Each grade also has an acting government, so students are slightly involved in the school community outside the classroom. Students have the opportunity to compete on the sports teams, band, and other activities at the high school from their sending district. Each year, there is a Spirit Week where the four grade levels compete against each other to be the champion of the classes. Activities during this week include decorating a wall, themed school days, outdoor activities, and a talent show performance.

Notable alumni

* Vincent Accettola (born 1994, class of 2012), producer and arts administrator, currently serving as Managing Director of the

National Youth Orchestra of China The National Youth Orchestra of China (NYO-China, zh, 中华青少年交响乐团) is a full symphony youth orchestra composed of approximately 100 Chinese musicians aged 14 to 21 years old. Students from all over China audition to participate in ...

Monmouth County Vocational School District

There are four other career academies /

sister school A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Rad ...

s in the

. The other schools (with 2021–22 enrollment data) are: *

Academy of Allied Health & Science The Academy of Allied Health and Science (AAHS), established in 1996, is a small magnet public high school located in Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of five career academies offered by the Mo ...

(AAHS) in Neptune Township (301 students; in grades 9-12) *

Communications High School Communications High School (CHS) is a four-year magnet public high school and career academy serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United Stat ...

(CHS) in Wall Township (310; 9-12) *

High Technology High School High Technology High School (HTHS), founded in 1991, is a four-year magnet public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, United States, operated ...

(HTHS) in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township (287; 9-12) *

Marine Academy of Science and Technology The Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) is a coeducational four-year magnet public high school located in the Sandy Hook section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth throu ...

(MAST) in

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

in Middletown TownshipMarine Academy of Science and Technology
Monmouth County Vocational School District. Accessed January 20, 2020. (269; 9-12)

References

External links

Biotechnology High School (official site)

Monmouth County Vocational School District
*
School Data for the Monmouth County Vocational School District

{{Authority control 2005 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 2005 Freehold Township, New Jersey International Baccalaureate schools in New Jersey Magnet schools in New Jersey Monmouth County Vocational School District School NCSSS schools Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey