Bergen County Technical High School, also known as Bergen Tech (BT), is a four-year, 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 Teterboro,

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 ...

serving students in ninth 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

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.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 ...

, United States. Bergen Tech is part of the

Bergen County Technical Schools Bergen County Technical Schools (BCTS) is a county technical school district that serves as the vocational / technical education arm of all the school districts within the 70 municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The primar ...

, a countywide district that also includes Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, Applied Technology in

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 ...

, and Bergen Tech in Paramus. The school is nationally recognized, as students have the opportunity to be engaged in a technical major while fulfilling college preparatory classes and having the opportunity to take a wide variety of electives. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 678 students and 68.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1. There were 39 students (5.8% 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 th ...

and 12 (1.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro

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. Bergen Tech is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology and the

Coalition of Essential Schools The Coalition of Essential Schools is a US organization created to further a type of whole-school reform originally envisioned by founder Ted Sizer in his book, ''Horace's Compromise.'' The group began in 1984 with twelve schools and grew to 600 ...

. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education.

History

Bergen Tech was originally a shared-time vocational school which was completely revamped in 2000 to be a full-time, academic high school with students taking classes in their particular "majors." A number of advanced classes have been added to Bergen Tech's curriculum since the school's inception, including AP Physics C and AP Government to sophomores in the Law and Justice major. The high school also gained the interest from schools abroad with the intention of creating a foreign exchange program in 2013, receiving visits from high schools in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

(due to a partnership between the Hyundai Motor Company and the Bergen Tech Automotive major).

Awards, recognition and rankings

2011

Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 18th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 6 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (98.3%) and language arts literacy (100.0%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

2012

The school was recognized in 2012 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program of 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 ...

, one of 15 public and private schools in the state to be honored that year. It was ranked 104th in the nation and sixth in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by ''The Daily Beast'' / ''

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 primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of

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 ...

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 lesser factors 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, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.

2013

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 74th in the nation among participating public high schools and 7th among schools in New Jersey. U.S. News & World Report named BT as a Gold Medal High School the same year.

2014

In 2014, Bergen Tech was named the 129th best high school in the nation, and the 5th best high school in the state of New Jersey by the U.S. News & World Report. '' New Jersey Monthly'', which publishes high school rankings within the state based on student/teacher ratio and student results on the SAT, HSPA, AP/IB exams, and graduation rates, placed BT tied for 8th within its list of the "Top Vocational High Schools in New Jersey". In addition, the school was named an Apple Distinguished School for 2013-2015.

2015

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'', using data from the 2015 Niche rankings, ranked the school as 12th in the nation and second in New Jersey on its 2014 list of the "25 best public high school in the United States". In addition, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the school 3rd best in the state and 31st in the nation.

2016

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 41st out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 13th among all high schools in New Jersey.

Admissions

Bergen County Technical High School utilizes a selective admissions process. For the 2010-2011 school year, 168 students out of 1,500 applicants were accepted into Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro's Class of 2015, for an acceptance rate of 11.2%. The current admissions process for Bergen Technical High School - Teterboro requires students to complete an application (which can be found online at the school website); to submit

NJ ASK The New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) was a standardized test given to all New Jersey Public school (government funded), public-schooled students in grades 3-8 during (usually) March, April, or May, and was administered by the N ...

scores (Proficient or above), transcripts from middle school, letters of recommendation from the applicant's math, science, and English teachers; and to complete an entrance exam that consists of a writing and mathematics section.

Academics

In addition to studying specific "majors" of study, the school currently offers 16 different

(AP) courses, including every

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 ...

AP course offered by the College Board in addition to college level courses which offer credit through articulation with various universities. Approximately 81.4% of students participate in Advanced Placement classes, which is above the New Jersey state average participation rate of 19%. The 149 students in the Class of 2014 took a total of 645 Advanced Placement exams. On average, each student took 4.2 exams. Students fulfill requirements for their major in addition to the New Jersey required curriculum and are able to use remaining elective slots to pursue other interests.

Majors

Bergen County Technical High School offers nine majors for its students, each offering a unique curriculum. A student's major, however, does not limit the electives the student may take. ;Automotive Engineering & Design The Automotive major focuses on using modern technology to educate its students in automotive engineering. Classes include Systems Analysis I and Advanced Systems Analysis. A recently created automotive lab and a newly upgraded automotive shop offer hands-on experiences to students of this major. ;Business (Strategic Asset Management) The Business (Strategic Asset Management) major recently took part in the National Financial Capability Challenge. 11 out of 13 students of the Class of 2015 scored in the 90th percentile, including one student who obtained a perfect score (only 583 students across the United States earned a perfect score). Students are required to take

AP Macroeconomics Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics (also known as AP Macro and AP Macroecon) is an Advanced Placement macroeconomics course for high school students that culminates in an exam offered by the College Board. Study begins with fundamental econ ...

in their sophomore year, and AP Microeconomics in their junior year. Courses include Strategy Formulation (via Harvard case studies), college-level financial accounting, derivatives trading, and portfolio management. ;Commercial Art & Graphic Design The Commercial Art & Graphic Design major is a college-level course with an intense focus on the principles of art and design. Students in this major often participate in design contests and art festivals, such as the Bergen County Teen Arts Festival. By the end of a student's senior year, students have a portfolio showing their creativity and technical proficiency. ;Culinology® (Food Science) The Culinology major is the first high school program of its kind in the United States. The major's three classrooms are equipped with the country's one and only Culinology facility, a state of the art kitchen, and a food science laboratory. Students focus on both food and culinary sciences during their high school career. ;Digital Media The Digital Media major is a 4-year program where students learn to use relevant computer programs, including

Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the indu ...

and

Adobe Premiere Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based and non-linear video editing software application (NLE) developed by Adobe Inc. and published as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud licensing program. First launched in 2003, Adobe Premiere Pro is a success ...

. Also known as "DM", the program focuses on teaching students how to translate ideas to film and programming and to create all kinds of pieces of art. ;Fashion Art, Design & Merchandising ;Computer Science (IT) ;Law & Justice The Law and Justice major has hosted numerous

mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...

s, competitive

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

s, and social issues presentations. Classes for this major include Intro to Law & Justice,

AP United States Government and Politics Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students throug ...

, Criminology, Constitutional Law, Introduction to Public Policy Analysis (Syracuse University Course), Forensic Science (Syracuse University Course), and Senior Seminar. The major culminates in a Washington DC capstone trip, where students choose a topic of choice to research and go onto conduct interviews with staff members, public servants, and interest groups on the trip to complete their paper. Previous courses offered include Torts and Corrections & Police Studies. The major also currently holds an articulation agreement with

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

for those interested in pursuing a B.A. in Criminal Justice. ;Aerospace Engineering This major offers courses geared towards

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, with a more specific focus on aerospace engineering. Classes include Intro to Aerospace Engineering, Digital Electronics, and Principles of Engineering. Aerospace Engineering started in September 2014, replacing the Pre-Engineering major.

Science (A Physics First Approach)

Bergen Tech has also been recognized for their rigorous physics department, where nearly 64% of students move on to take

AP Physics B Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B was an Advanced Placement Physics course equivalent to a year-long introductory college course in basic physics concepts. High school students studied Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, therm ...

(now updated to AP Physics 1) in their sophomore year. Dr. Robert Goodman, a former Bergen Tech physics teacher, who was named New Jersey

Teacher of the Year The National Teacher of the Year is a professional award in the United States. The program began in 1952, as a project by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and aims to reward excellence in teaching. It is sponsored by ING. S ...

for 2005-2006., is an advocate of the

Physics First Physics First is an educational program in the United States, that teaches a basic physics course in the ninth grade (usually 15-year-olds), rather than the biology course which is more standard in public schools. This course relies on the limited ...

methodology and did his doctoral dissertation at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

based on the success of teaching Physics First to freshman based on the model he implemented at Bergen Tech. The science curriculum framework centers around freshmen taking Physics Honors, with the option of taking AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, and Waves and Modern Physics from

NJIT {{Infobox university , name = {{nowrap, New Jersey Institute of Technology , image = New Jersey IT seal.svg , image_upright = 0.9 , former_names = Newark College of Engineering (1930–1975)Ne ...

in subsequent years. Instead of the traditional biology-chemistry-physics sequence, Physics First relies upon a physics-chemistry-biology sequence. The school's specialized curriculum adds a lab period once a week to every student's schedule to all science classes, which is equivalent to two regular periods. In these labs, students perform unique experiments to understand real-life methods applications of the sciences they are studying. Physics experiments range from creating a personal

generator Generator may refer to: * Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals * Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. * Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...

to measuring the frequency of a

sonic boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...

. Students interested in taking AP Chemistry can do so their junior and senior years, and those interested in AP Biology may do so in their senior year. In addition to AP Chemistry and Biology, as well as AP Environmental Science, students have the option to take college level classes in Organic Chemistry (articulation with

), Forensic Science (a Syracuse University Project Advance Course), and/or Anatomy & Physiology.

Mathematics

Bergen Tech - Teterboro offers a wide range of mathematics courses. These include:

Algebra I In contemporary education, mathematics education, known in Europe as the didactics or pedagogy of mathematics – is the practice of teaching, learning and carrying out Scholarly method, scholarly research into the transfer of mathematical knowled ...

Geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

, Math Analysis I & II (a highly rigorous 2-year

Precalculus In mathematics education, precalculus is a course, or a set of courses, that includes algebra and trigonometry at a level which is designed to prepare students for the study of calculus. Schools often distinguish between algebra and trigonometr ...

with

Limit Limit or Limits may refer to: Arts and media * ''Limit'' (manga), a manga by Keiko Suenobu * ''Limit'' (film), a South Korean film * Limit (music), a way to characterize harmony * "Limit" (song), a 2016 single by Luna Sea * "Limits", a 2019 ...

s course with a heavy emphasis on

Algebra II In contemporary education, mathematics education, known in Europe as the didactics or pedagogy of mathematics – is the practice of teaching, learning and carrying out scholarly research into the transfer of mathematical knowledge. Althoug ...

and

Trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies. T ...

AP Calculus Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cover ...

AB, AP Calculus BC, Multivariable Calculus, and

AP Statistics Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-ca ...

. Based on the number of students who choose to take the class, some years there will be an Algebra II class, or a Calculus Honors course. Incoming students can take a summer Pre-Algebra or Algebra I course if they feel necessary, or to be placed in another math class.

Humanities

Aside from World Cultures, United States Honors 1 and 2, and AP US History classes, college level classes in Global Challenge and Sociology are also available as electives. In the 2016-2017 academic school year, AP Human Geography was introduced to the freshmen class for certain students. Course material in Human Geography is based on the concept of globalization.

AP Seminar and AP Research

Bergen Tech will start offering AP Seminar starting the 2015-2016 academic year, one of the newest curriculum designed by the CollegeBoard. The subsequent year is expected to see the introduction of AP Research.

Project Wednesdays and Senior Experience

Every Wednesday during the school year, periods are shortened to accommodate an additional hour before the day's end. This period is known as Project Wednesday. Types of projects that students can apply to are:

knitting Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or i ...

Physics Olympiad The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967. Each national delegation is made up of at ...

, Garage Band, Radio Lab, Equations,

The Sims ''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation game, life simulation video games developed by Maxis and video game publisher, published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling ...

, Robotics, Earth preservation, Fitness, Teacher, and many more. This allows students to take classes that help explore their interests outside of traditional course offerings. Freshmen are required to take a project named "School Climate" to help adjust to Bergen Tech's intense coursework. Seniors take every Wednesday to partake in what is known as "Senior Experience," where every senior participates in an off campus internship for the entire school day that gives credits required for graduation.

Extracurricular activities

Among a wide variety of after school clubs and extracurricular activities available, students at Bergen Tech - Teterboro participate in the

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 ...

competition yearly. The school gained a record-breaking achievement of eight gold medals, nine silver medals and three bronze medals for their 2012 chapter. Some after school clubs offered at BT include, but is not limited to Action is Magnanimous (AIM), BT Ink Writing, Chemistry, Computer, CyberPatriot, Empower, Engineering, Debate, Gay-Straight Alliance, Global Citizens, Interact, Knight News, Model UN, Physics, Student Council, Quiz Bowl, Super Smash Bros. Club, and the Ski/Snowboarding Clubs. Clubs can be started with enough student interest and initiative to do so, which has given rise to BT Storytellers and the Drama Club in recent years. BT is especially known for their accomplished quizbowl club which has won many medals at

and competes in NORJAC yearly. Clubs revolving around competitions, like CyberPatriot Club and the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot Competition, have been developed to assist student participants in practicing for first place. Clubs such as Student Council, Chemistry Club, Biology Club and Super Smash Bros. Club host various school-wide events for all students to enjoy. Some of these events include Badminton and Volleyball tournaments hosted by Student Council, and Smash Bros. tournaments called Smash Out hosted by Super Smash Bros. Club.

Athletics

The school offers various sports, where students play together with the other campuses of the

district under one consolidated set of teams. The boys' teams, called the Bergen Tech Knights, and the girls' teams, the Bergen Tech Lady 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. compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

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 (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 school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2018–2020. Sports offered include: cross country, football, soccer, tennis, volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, bowling, indoor track, fencing, baseball, golf, lacrosse, softball, and track & field. Students who wish to play a high school sport that is not offered can make accommodations with their town of residence, as appropriate.

Administration

David J. Tankard is the school's principal. His administration team includes an assistant principal.Teterboro Administration
Bergen County Technical Schools. Accessed February 16, 2022.

References

External links

Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro
*
Data for the Bergen County Technical Schools

{{Authority control 2000 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 2000 Magnet schools in New Jersey Public high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey Teterboro, New Jersey