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Passaic County Technical Institute
Address
45 Reinhardt Road Wayne, Passaic County, New Jersey 07470 United States
Coordinates	40°55′53″N 74°12′15″W / 40.9315°N 74.2043°W / 40.9315; -74.2043
Information
Type	Vocational Public high school
Motto	"Where Learning Has No Limit!"
Established	1917
School district	Passaic County Vocational School District
NCES School ID	341263004860
Principal	Antonio Garcia (PCTI) Joaquim Johnson (STEM Academy)
Faculty	286.0 FTEs
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	3,359 (as of 2022–23)
Student to teacher ratio	11.7:1
Color(s)	Blue and White
Athletics conference	Big North Conference (general) North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Team name	Bulldogs
Website	pcti.pctvs.org/pcti

Passaic County Technical Institute (also known as PCTI, Passaic County Tech, Wayne Tech or simply Tech), is a vocational public high school in Wayne, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from all of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located near the city of Paterson. PCTI offers some vocational classes in addition to several college credit courses.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,359 students and 286.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1. There were 1,598 students (47.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 320 (9.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. Based on 2021-22 data from the New Jersey Department of Education, PCTI was the largest high school in the state, one of 29 schools with more than 2,000 students.

Awards, recognition and rankings

Schooldigger.com ranked the school 212th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (an increase of 21 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

History

In 1917, a group of businessmen in Paterson helped form Paterson Vocational School to train young men to enter the textile industry. The school accepted boys who were at least 14 years of age or in the sixth grade, and trained them for two years or until they were ready to assume a job in a factory or trade. From 1917 to the early 1940s, Paterson Vocational School continued to operate as a two-year school, gradually expanding its curriculum to include a wider variety of trades. During World War II, the school remained open around the clock providing men and women with the training to become machinists and draftsmen to design and construct the engines used in bombers, fighters and transport aircraft flown in the Pacific and European theaters. For its service, the school was honored by the War Department.

Aware of the part technology would play in the booming postwar economy, Paterson Vocational School applied for and received approval from the New Jersey Department of Education to become a full-fledged high school in 1946. Academic subjects were added, as were new trades like Refrigeration, Industrial Electric, and Electronics. The school was renamed Paterson Technical and Vocational High School and quickly gained the name Paterson Tech. Agriculture was offered to shared-time students attending Central High School (now Kennedy High School), with Paterson Tech renting a farm close to PCTI's present Wayne site where students learned to raise farm animals and grow crops.

By the 1960s, the importance of vocational and technical education was becoming obvious, and in 1964, Paterson Mayor Frank X. Graves Jr. turned over Paterson Tech to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, thereby providing all youngsters in Passaic County access to Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School. With students flooding in from all over the county, Passaic County Tech, now reaching a student population of 500 young men and one girl, was significantly overcrowded. The school's two buildings — one dating from the Civil War located at the corner of Summer and Ellison, the other a refurbished factory on Market Street — could not meet the demands. By 1965 plans were well underway to build a new school that would accommodate students for generations to come.

Provided with a Federal grant of $3,925,000 (equivalent to $37.9  million in 2023) — the largest ever awarded to that date — and research from a Citizens' Study Committee, the county chose a 59-acre (240,000 m) tract of land which it owned in Wayne, previously the site of Camp Hope.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in November 1966 and construction began 15 months later. On September 8, 1970, Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School — at the time, the largest technical/vocational high school in the state and third largest in the nation — opened its doors to close to 1,500 young men and women. In the 25 years since, PCTI has added two wings and an additional Special Needs building, a variety of academic courses and special programs, and has kept abreast of technological advances and economic trends by constantly updating vocational, occupational, and technical courses. Passaic County Tech has since been renamed Passaic County Technical Institute.

With construction completed, a new library (F-Wing Library), a separate gymnasium (the Athletic Center, which consists of an indoor pool, a basketball court, an indoor track, a spin room used by the physical education department, and a top-notch athletic training room), and an extension to the school's F-Wing (now the FX Wing) were added to PCTI. Also, part of the H-Wing was remodeled, the first and second floors, to comply with the new H-Wing bridge that connects to the lower end of the FX-Wing, which added a new BlackBox Theater. Several trailer-type classrooms have been installed behind the F and FX wing. A new STEM building has been constructed alongside PCTI's campus.

Shops / majors

PCTI consists of 14 schools (as shown on the school's student application):

• Academy of Finance
• Academy of Information Technology

1. Information Technology and Network Security (formally computer repair)
2. Computer Science

• Academy of Health and Medical Science
• School of Business

1. Logistics
2. Marketing
3. Management

• School of Applied Technology

1. Drafting (Computer-aided design / CAD)
2. Electronics
3. Manufacturing Technology

• School of Automotive Technology
• School of Communication Arts

1. Advertising Art & Design
2. Graphic Design & 3D Animation
3. Audio Visual Production

• School of Construction Technology
• School of Cosmetology
• School of Culinary Arts
• School of Education/Human Services/Child Development
• School of Engineering
• School of Performing Arts

1. Dance
2. Theater
3. Instrumental
4. Vocal

• Academy of Criminal Justice and Public Safety
• Biotechnology
• STEM Academy
  1. Computer Science
  2. Engineering
  3. Biomedical

Extracurricular activities

The Passaic County Technical Institute Bulldogs compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). For the 2009-10 school year, PCTI was part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, a conference established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Prior to the realignment that took place in 2009, the school participated in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference, which included schools in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. With 2,633 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 Liberty Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,317 to 5,409 students.

School colors are blue and white. Sports offered at the school include tennis (men and women), soccer (men and women), cross country (men and women), bowling (men and women), cheerleading (men and women), volleyball (men and women), track and field winter (men and women), football (men), swimming (men and women), track and field spring (men and women), lacrosse (men and women), golf (men and women), softball (women), wrestling (men), basketball (men and women) and baseball (men).

The wrestling team won the North I Group IV sectional title in 1994 and won the North I Group V state sectional championship in 2017, 2019 and 2020

The football team won the North I Group IV state sectional championships in 1998 and 2001, and won the North I Group V title in 2015. The football team won the 1998 North I Section IV title game, defeating Union Hill High School 48-6 in the tournament final at Giants Stadium. The 2001 team finished the season with a record of 11-1 after winning the North I Group IV state sectional title by a score of 40-8 against Emerson High School of Union City in the championship game. The team won the North I Group V title in 2015, the program's third state championship, defeating Ridgewood High School in the tournament final by a score of 27-0 at MetLife Stadium.

In 2007, the boys' basketball team won the North I, Group IV state championship, edging North Bergen High School by 86-85 in overtime, in a game played at Wayne Valley High School.

The swimming team won its first North I Group A sectional title in 2015 and repeated in 2016 with a win against Montclair High School in the sectional final, becoming the first varsity team at PCTI winning back-to-back titles.

PCTI has featured a Navy Junior ROTC unit since 2004. It is currently led by the Senior Naval Science Instructor, Commander N. Hills, USCG (Ret.).

Administration

The principal of Passaic County Technical Institute is Antonio Garcia; Core members of the PCTI administration team are the three assistant principals. The principal of the STEM Academy is Joaquim Johnson, who is assisted by two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

• Mike Adams (born 1981), safety for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL.
• Derrick Etienne (born 1996), professional soccer player with Atlanta United.
• Elease Evans (born 1943), politician who represented the 35th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2007 to 2012
• Gerald Hayes (born 1980), linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.
• Jim Lampley (born 1960), professional basketball center who played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1986–87 season
• We McDonald (born 1998), singer-songwriter who has been a contestant on The Voice and American Idol (in 2023 as Wé Ani)
• Marcel Shipp (born 1978), running back for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.
• Carter Warren (born 1999), American football offensive tackle for the New York Jets

References

1. ^ School data for Passaic County Technical Institute, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. ^ Passaic County Technical Institute, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 8, 2016.
3. Kausch, Katie. "N.J.’s biggest high school has 3,350 students. See how your school compares.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 31, 2023. Accessed August 31, 2023. "With 3,350 students, Passaic County Technical Institute has an enrollment that rivals some of the state’s colleges and ranks as the largest high school in New Jersey. Another 28 New Jersey schools have at least 2,000 students, according to 2021-2022 enrollment data released by the state Department of Education."
4. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2009-2010, Schooldigger.com. Accessed January 14, 2012.
5. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
6. League Memberships - 2009-1010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed September 20, 2014.
7. Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed November 26, 2014.
8. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
9. Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
10. Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
11. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
12. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
13. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
14. Glickson, Grant. "High School Football; Second Straight Title for Morristown", The New York Times, December 6, 1998. Accessed October 18, 2019.
15. McIntyre, Jason. "Ecstasy & Agony; Passaic Tech Rolls to Title", Herald News, December 2, 2001. Accessed January 31, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Big or small, fast or slow, it really didn't matter who Passaic Tech put on defense Saturday in the North I, Group 4 championship game.... Passaic Tech's defense turned in an amazing performance, limiting Emerson (UC) to 102 yards of total offense in a 40-8 victory that gave the Wayne school its first sectional title since 1998.... Offensively, PCT (11-1) had to do very little because the defense kept setting them up."
16. Lanni, Patrick. "Defense provides championship redemption for Passaic Tech in North 1, Group 5 final", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 5, 2015. Accessed April 8, 2016. "The Bulldogs made it back to MetLife Stadium surrendering less than eight points per game and they continued that trend with a 27-0 win over Ridgewood in the NJSIAA/SportsCare Institute North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 final Saturday evening. The win solidified Passaic Tech's third title in school history and first since 2001."
17. Zagoria, Adam. "Passaic Tech wins in OT", Herald News, March 7, 2007. Accessed November 26, 2014.
18. 2007 Boys Basketball - North I, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 7, 2007.
19. Farrell, Sean. "H.S. boys swimming: NV/Demarest, Passaic Tech repeat as sectional champions", The Record, February 13, 2016. Accessed December 27, 2016. "Passaic Tech took the North 1, Group A title in a 107-63 victory over Montclair.... Passaic Tech's championship was its second straight in North 1, Group A. The Bulldogs are now division, Passaic County and sectional champions because of their strong sophomore class."
20. Staff. "Montclair (63) at Passaic Tech (107), NJSIAA Tournament, Final Round, North Jersey, Section 1, Public A - Boys Swimming", The Star-Ledger, February 12, 2016. Accessed December 27, 2016. "Brandon Matos, Laice Baloush, and Garret Pilkington, and Joseph Malicki each had individual wins to guide top-seeded Passaic Tech to a 107-63 win over third-seeded Montclair in the North Jersey, Section 1, Public A final in Wayne.... It is the second straight sectional title for Passaic Tech, which will swim Westfield, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, in the Public A semifinals on Feb. 17."
21. Administration, Passaic County Technical Institute. Accessed May 3, 2023.
22. Staff. "Back to Giants Stadium", The Record, November 28, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2015. "Passaic Tech alums Mike Adams, a safety for the Cleveland Browns, and Gerald Hayes, a linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals, won a North 1, Group 4 championship at Giants Stadium in 1998."
23. Derrick Etienne, Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer. Accessed October 1, 2015. "High School: Passaic Tech"
24. Freeholder Director Elease Evans Archived May 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed May 3, 2023. "The Passaic County raised Freeholder is a graduate of Passaic County Vocational and Technical High School."
25. Stapleton, Art. "Falcons' Beauharnais on a whole other level", Herald News, September 29, 2006. "Paterson Catholic coach Benjie Wimberly compares him to former Passaic Tech star Gerald Hayes, an All-State linebacker and now a starter for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL."
26. Jim Lampley, Basketball Reference. Accessed May 3, 2023. "High School: Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, New Jersey"
27. Yorio, Kara. "NJ's Wé McDonald moves on to next round on The Voice", Asbury Park Press, October 26, 2016. Accessed December 5, 2018. "Paterson’s Wé McDonald won her Knockout Round on The Voice Monday night. The Passaic County Technical Institute graduate and William Paterson University freshman wowed with her version of Mary J. Blige's No More Drama, beating out Courtnie Ramirez, a fellow member of Alicia Keys' team."
28. Beckerman, Jim. "Paterson resident Wé, formerly known as Wé McDonald, is on her way on 'American Idol'", The Record, April 14, 2023. Accessed May 3, 2023. "And few people have more will than Wé Ani — the artist formerly known as Wé McDonald — who catapulted to American Idol's Top 24 last Sunday for her soulful, warm-cello rendition of Aretha Franklin's 'Ain't No Way.'"
29. DiTrani, Vinny. "Shipp sailing smoothly but may face rough seas", The Record, November 9, 2003. Accessed August 30, 2014. "To Shipp's credit, he's been taking the high road - or the high seas - in this potential melodrama. The former Passaic Tech star became Division 1-AA's sixth-leading all-time rusher at UMass, accumulating 5,383 yards (4,922 m)."
30. Carter Warren, Pitt Panthers football. Accessed May 3, 2023."Hometown: Paterson, NJ; High School: Passaic Tech"

External links

• Official website
• School Performance Report for Passaic County Technical Institute, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Passaic County Technical Institute, National Center for Education Statistics

v t e Public and private high schools of Passaic County, New Jersey
Public	Clifton Eastside Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism Government and Public Administration Information Technology Garrett Morgan Academy HARP Academy Hawthorne International Kennedy Architecture and Construction Trades Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance Education and Training Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Lakeland Regional Manchester Regional Panther Academy Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering Passaic Passaic Tech Passaic Preparatory Academy Passaic Valley Regional Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology Pompton Lakes Rosa L. Parks Wayne Hills Wayne Valley West Milford
Private	Al-Ghazaly Al-Huda Collegiate DePaul Catholic Eastern Christian Hawthorne Christian Academy Mary Help of Christians Mesivta Zichron Baruch Paterson Catholic Pioneer Academy
Defunct	Don Bosco Technical High School (closed 2002) Neumann Preparatory School (closed 1990) Paterson Catholic High School (closed 2010) Paul VI High School (closed 1970) Pope Pius XII High School (closed 1983)
by county Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren

• Public high schools in Passaic County, New Jersey
• Vocational schools in New Jersey
• Wayne, New Jersey