New Jersey county vocational-technical schools have set a new record with 337 students from the Class of 2025 earning an associate degree while in high school.

That number is up 86 students from last year, reflecting the growing opportunities provided by the state’s county-based schools to give students a meaningful head start in their college and career journeys.

“At a time when the traditional progression from high school to college to career is being examined, we are proud to showcase our county vocational-technical school model that enables students across New Jersey to customize their learning,” said Jackie Burke, executive director of the NJ Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools (NJCCVTS).

Each of the state’s 21 county vocational-technical school districts has articulation agreements with their local county college, and other two- and four-year colleges and universities, that enable students to earn credit for college-level work as part of their high school career and technical education program.  

“We are able to make college more accessible and affordable for students,” said Dr. James Pedersen, superintendent of Essex County Schools of Technology and president of the NJCCVTS. “Students get to sample college-level courses with the support of our staff and work toward an associate degree – the equivalent of two full years of college.  They can earn these credits at a significantly reduced cost or even no cost in some districts and programs.”

Eric Mora Jimenez is one of 22 high school seniors from Camden County Technical Schools (CCTS) to earn an associate degree from Camden County College this year through the Early College Associate Degree (ECAD) program. This program was developed by the college to support CCTS students in meeting high school graduation requirements while simultaneously earning an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Science. 

“My school subsidized the cost of the degree completely,” said Jimenez of the support he received from CCTS. “In addition, the staff helped me plan my classes and provided resources to ensure my success.”

Jimenez, who moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2016, said his family’s pride in his accomplishment is just as rewarding as earning two degrees.

Starting in the fall, he will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on a full scholarship. A music instrumental student at CCTS, he also has a passion for science and plans to study physics. His dream is to earn a doctorate and work for NASA before returning to the Dominican Republic to teach.

At some county vocational-technical schools, students work with counselors to customize their own plan for earning an associate degree. Sussex County Technical School engineering student Owen Demeter worked closely with his counselor Bina Varkey to satisfy the requirements of his engineering program and earn an associate degree this year.

“The head start I had by taking concurrent classes at my technical school was the biggest boost,” said Demeter. “I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this if I wasn’t getting as many credits from my high school classes.”

Varkey said Demeter used those credits as motivation to keep working toward the associate degree, even if it took some creative scheduling. “He saw an opportunity and ran with it,” added Varkey. “It meant a lot to him to accomplish this, and he took pride in being able to relieve some of the burden of paying for college.”

Of the 337 students graduating from a county vocational-technical school this month with an associate degree, 89 are from Bergen County Technical School District, 73 from Cumberland County Technical Education Center, 46 are from Ocean County Vocational Technical School, 22 from Camden County Technical Schools, 22 from Essex County Schools of Technology, 21 from Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools, 19 from Hudson County Schools of Technology, 16 from Middlesex County Magnet Schools, 13 from Salem County Vocational Technical School District, nine from Gloucester County Institute of Technology, four from Morris County Vocational School District, two from Mercer County Technical Schools, and one from Sussex County Technical School.