Passaic County Technical Institute

45 Reinhardt Road

School District

Passaic County Vocational
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

public

School Map for Passaic County Vocational School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 16, 2024

I cannot say enough good things about Tech! We sent our daughter there after reading about two rapes that happened inside our city's dump of a high school. Students here have to pick a major which prepares them for careers in fields such as medical, IT, automotive, culinary arts, music, etc., and there's a new STEM academy. Our daughter graduated from her graphic arts major with Adobe certification and a portfolio in place.This school does not tolerate behavioral issues which weeds out a lot of the nonsense going on in the municipal schools. Buses are provided for the kids who need transportation.Beautiful campus with strict security that feels like a college campus. Two libraries! Most importantly, I will be forever indebted to the faculty and staff at this school for being there for us when my daughter was struggling with mental health issues. Counselors there worked with her therapist to help her feel safe and supported and the principal reached out to us to offer his support. This will always be a special place for us!
Submitted by parent on January 03, 2023

Overall a terrible school and does not help students.
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2021

School does not prep students for college. Opportunities limited and far and between. Very strict on students and lacking a sense of community.
Submitted by student on November 05, 2021

Good school! I'm a student, and I do not regret choosing PCTI instead of my district high school. Certain teachers don't teach as effectively as others, but thankfully, their classes have not compromised my GPA. One complaint I have is the lack of variety in extracurriculars: all EC's are academic-related, and the students who can join specific EC's can be limited (e.g., "only students in the Criminal Justice CTE course may join Mock Trial.") However, there is a wide variety of athletic opportunities, and the CTE Programs themselves are truly exceptional. PCTI provides students with endless resources to ensure academic success.
Submitted by student on October 17, 2021

Pros: Students are friendly, rarely see bullying, because it's vocational it provides lots of experience/knowledge Cons: Homework is usually lengthy, by taking all AP/Honors courses you should expect at least 4 hours of homework daily, taking regular classes will give you around 3. Many teachers waste class time and make up for it by assigning more homework than necessary. Teachers are a hit or miss. Help after school is only available 2 days a week and may not fit within a student's schedule. Club options are limited/just education-based. Sports are extremely competitive and require 3-6 hours of dedication daily making it hard to do homework after. Getting into a sport is difficult, you have to already be good at the sport, you can't join a sport casually or just for funOverall Review: Although I love that I can study the job I want to work at in the future at PCTI, this school takes away opportunities. You can't always take the classes you want due to the scheduling, the homework is extremely stressful, and the teachers are like a coin flip. I have no free time outside of school at all. People here are extremely mature and nice but the clubs and activities are more education-based. The homework they give is way too much, it leaves you with no time to work, do extracurriculars, or just have a normal life and hang out with friends. I've gotten used to my daily living of just doing homework and getting no free time. Even on the weekends, we get even more homework. Looking back, I regret going to this school since I should've had a balanced high school life and spent more time hanging out with friends & family, getting a job, experiencing sports and clubs for fun, all while still doing well in school. I feel like my high school career/life was stripped from me. I recommend this school only for people who want to focus on getting career experience rather than those who care about getting above-average grades. Depending on the teacher, it's easy to fail a class even if you work extremely hard. Unless you want to dedicate your whole high school life to your future job instead of getting perfect grades, this school may be too stressful and actually take away opportunities outside of school.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2021

My child was a student at PCTI several years ago. Our experience with the school was not positive. It has the potential to be great with the numerous opportunities it has to offer. However, there is a certain rigidity to the way things were done. I understand that there needs to be order in such a large environment but when your child becomes just another number that is an issue. Those in charge would not adjust to students' needs. I saw this with multiple students not just my own child. I hope things have improved since then.
Submitted by teacher on April 17, 2014

The absolute best! The school offers everything from culinary to business. It truly is a wonderful place.
Submitted by other on January 21, 2014

Opportunities are endless. But the lunch could seriously use some alterations if you know what I mean.