Welcome to New Jersey's oldest, largest and definitive Vocational Technical School System. Since 1914 Essex County Vocational Technical Schools has been providing a quality of education second to none. All 2,100 students are educated by the most highly qualified instructors one child at a time.

The Essex County Vocational Technical Schools system is a regional public school system that provides both occupational and academic instruction for high school and adult students in the Essex County region. The district has four high schools: Bloomfield Tech, Newark Tech, North 13th Street Tech and the West Caldwell Center. In addition the system provides adult programs in the evening at the Technical Careers Center and Bloomfield Tech, and during the day at its Adult Training Center at 50 South Clinton Street in East Orange.

All four high schools provide full comprehensive academic and occupational programs for grades 9 to 12. West Caldwell Center and North 13th Street Center offer both full and shared time to both general education and special needs students. North 13^th Street Center also offers full time to both special ed. & general ed. students. The district meets the diverse needs of a wide range of students including special education students, students with limited English proficiency, and gifted and talented students.

The philosophy of the district is to challenge all students through accelerated academic programs and rigorous occupational and technical training. The goal of the schools is to open up doors of opportunity for its graduates that allow them flexible career choices and access to a college education. All general students graduate with both career skills that meet nationally certified standards allowing them to enter the workplace directly, and academic skills that allow them to pursue post secondary education.

All general students are required to master at least geometry, while Tech Prep and Academy students complete a four year college preparatory program in mathematics and science that includes chemistry, physics, trigonometry, pre-calculus and calculus. Over 60% of general student graduates immediately pursue post secondary education in four year colleges, community colleges and technical schools.

The district provides high level state-of-the-art occupational training in over 25 career areas. The district has a Technology Plan that requires that all students learn to use computers and the Internet in all aspects of the curriculum. Every classroom is connected to the Internet. The district has a computer to student ratio of one to two, with high level applications in robotics, electronics, computer assisted drafting, multimedia production and graphics.

The district provides full time and shared time instruction for adults, including programs for Licensed Practical Nursing and dental assistants. Through the Department of Labor, the district supervises an apprenticeship program with over 750 apprentices throughout the county. As part of its school-to-work program, the district has partnerships with over 100 businesses in the county.