Middlesex County Magnet Schools

The Middlesex County Magnet Schools, formerly known as the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, is a public school district that provides a network of high schools serving the vocational and technical education needs of students in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.^[4] Dating to 1914, the district was the first county vocational school system in the United States.^[5] The district serves high school, adult and special needs students.

Middlesex County Magnet Schools
Address
112 Rues Lane East Brunswick , Middlesex County, New Jersey, 08816 United States
Coordinates	40.420225°N 74.384426°W / 40.420225; -74.384426
District information
Grades	Magnet
Established	1914[1]
Superintendent	Jorge E. Diaz
Business administrator	Karl J. Knehr
Schools	5
Students and staff
Enrollment	2,107 (as of 2023–24)[2]
Faculty	183.0 FTEs[2]
Student–teacher ratio	11.5:1[2]
Other information
District Factor Group	NA
Website	www.mcmsnj.net
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) Vocational average %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $23,934 14 $18,891 26.7% 1 Budgetary Cost 19,799 16 17,296 14.5% 2 Classroom Instruction 9,205 13 9,045 1.8% 6 Support Services 2,585 16 2,269 13.9% 8 Administrative Cost 3,433 17 2,353 45.9% 10 Operations & Maintenance 4,005 17 3,014 32.9% 13 Extracurricular Activities 366 10 464 −21.1% 16 Median Teacher Salary 65,201 16 65,035 Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[3] *Of Vocational districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=21

As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,107 students and 183.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1.^[2]

The high school campuses in the district are located in East Brunswick, Edison, Perth Amboy, Piscataway and Woodbridge Township.

Awards and recognition

Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge was one of 11 in the state to be recognized in 2014 by the United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.^[6][7]

Perth Amboy Technical High School was recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 2012, one of 17 schools in New Jersey to be honored that year.^[8][9]

In 2024, Woodbridge Academy Magnet School was one of 11 schools in the state recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program as an Exemplary High Performing School.^[10]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[11]) are:^[1][12][13]

• East Brunswick Magnet School^[14] with 742 students in grades 9–12
• Edison Academy Magnet School^[15] with 175 students in grades 9–12
• Perth Amboy Magnet School^[16] with 262 students in grades 9–12
• Piscataway Magnet School^[17] with 640 students in grades 9–12
• Woodbridge Academy Magnet School^[18] with 285 students in grades 9–12

Career majors

A description of each career major can be found on the MCMS website.

Edison Academy

• Civil/Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Electrical/Computer Engineering Technology

East Brunswick

• Commercial Art/Marketing Design
• Graphic Arts
• Automotive Technology
• Machine Tool Technology
• Welding
• Architectural Drafting/CAD
• Carpentry
• Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC)
• Performing Arts Theatre
• Performing Arts Dance
• Music Performance & Technology
• Agriscience Technology
• Baking
• Culinary Arts
• Cosmetology/Hairstyling
• Health Technology
• Automotive Services
• Basic Business Technology
• Building Services/Maintenance Mechanics
• Building Trades
• Dry Cleaning
• Food Services
• Health Services
• Masonry
• Retail Sales

Perth Amboy

• Auto Mechanics
• Computer Applications for Business
• Graphic Design
• Carpentry
• Electrical Technology
• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
• Culinary Arts

Piscataway

• Computer Assisted Drafting
• Machine Tool Technology
• Automated Office Technology
• Computer Applications for Business
• Computer Systems Technology
• Automotive Collision Repair Technology
• Auto Mechanics
• Baking
• Culinary Arts: Commercial Foods
• Cosmetology/Hairstyling
• Apparel Services/Clothes Processing
• Auto Maintenance
• Auto Repair
• Basic Business Technology
• Building Trades
• Carpentry
• Culinary Arts: Career Development
• Hospitality: Hotel Services
• Landscaping/Horticulture
• Health Technology
• Production Welding
• Sales Occupations
• Supermarket Careers

Woodbridge Academy

• Biomedical Sciences
• Allied Health
• Computer Applications for Business/Health Careers
• Building Maintenance
• Industrial Processing/Machine Trades

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:^[19][20]

• Jorge E. Diaz, superintendent
• Karl J. Knehr, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The board of education is comprised of the county superintendent of schools and four members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.^[21][22][23]