Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Q: Is Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy a good school?

Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy ranks 79 th of 422 New Jersey high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Pennington, New Jersey, with a student population of 119. This high-performing school is part of the Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County, which is ranked 284 out of 615 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy consistently ranks among the top high schools in New Jersey, with its students performing significantly better than state and district averages in subjects like English Language Arts, Algebra I, Geometry, and Science. The school's Hispanic and male students also excel, ranking 41st and 32nd, respectively, out of all New Jersey high schools in 2022-2023. Additionally, the school maintains a 100% four-year graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate, which are much higher and lower than the state and district averages, respectively. Despite having a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, the school's low-socioeconomic status students perform exceptionally well, ranking 16th out of 347 New Jersey high schools in 2018-2019.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Trenton Central High School - Main Campus and Daylight/Twilight High School, Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy has a more diverse student population, with a significant Hispanic (47.06%) and Asian (15.13%) representation. The school also has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 0.9% to 5.4% in recent years, which is significantly lower than the surrounding schools. Additionally, Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy has a relatively low spending per student of $4,422 in 2018-2019, compared to the higher spending at schools like Hopewell Valley Central High School ($11,670) and Trenton Central High School - Main Campus ($11,800).

Detail:

Public 9-12

129 Bull Run Road
Pennington, NJ 08534

(609) 737-9784

District: Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County

SchoolDigger Rank:
79^th of 422 New Jersey High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $4,422

Student/teacher ratio: 16.3

Number of students: 119

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.1%

White:

30.3%

Asian:

15.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 35.3%

See top rated New Jersey high schools

Compare Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy ranks better than 81.3% of high schools in New Jersey. It also ranks 2^nd among 3 ranked high schools in the Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 69.53. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.1%), White (30.3%), Asian (15.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 35.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy is 16.3. 3 high schools in the Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy employs 7.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy is $4,422, which is the lowest among 5 high schools in the Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County!

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy 79^th of 422 New Jersey public high schools. (See Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County:

SchoolDigger ranks Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County 284^th of 615 New Jersey school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

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Rank History for all students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2019	67.44	86^th	416	79.3%
2021	79.93	36^th	405	91.1%
2022	65.52	87^th	415	79.0%
2023	69.53	79^th	422	81.3%

See the entire list of New Jersey High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	86.27	16^th	347	95.4%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Male students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	87.31	23^rd	407	94.3%
2023	82.76	32^nd	414	92.3%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile
2021	96.65	13^th	374	96.5%
2022	81.30	37^th	382	90.3%
2023	78.98	41^st	385	89.4%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NJ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	52.63	123^rd	339	63.7%

See the entire list of Best New Jersey High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Jersey Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Two or More Races	Total
2018	30	17	6	18	4	75
2019	35	21	10	27	6	99
2020	42	19	11	31	5	108
2021	42	16	15	35	5	113
2022	39	10	17	40	3	109
2023	36	9	18	56	0	119

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	75	6.5	11.5	29.3
2019	99	7.0	14.0	30.3
2020	108	7.6	14.1	25
2021	113	9.0	12.4	24.8
2022	109	8.7	12.4	18.3
2023	119	7.2	16.3	35.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	75	6.5	11.5	29.3
2019	99	7.0	14.0	30.3
2020	108	7.6	14.1	25
2021	113	9.0	12.4	24.8
2022	109	8.7	12.4	18.3
2023	119	7.2	16.3	35.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$4,422

Data source: New Jersey Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 86^th of 416 High schools	Ranks 79^th of 422 High schools	2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
9th Grade English Language Arts (Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy)	76.9	68.6	8.3%
9th Grade English Language Arts (Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County)	63.7	59.8	3.9%
9th Grade English Language Arts (New Jersey)	55.9	52.1	3.8%
9th Grade Algebra I (Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy)	61.5	40.9	20.6%
9th Grade Algebra I (Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County)	31.3	23.2	8.1%
9th Grade Algebra I (New Jersey)	27.2	19.2	8%
9th Grade Geometry (Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy)	45.5	45.5
9th Grade Geometry (Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County)	52.6	42.3	10.3%
9th Grade Geometry (New Jersey)	59.1	50	9.1%
End of Course Algebra I (Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy)	64.2	40.9	23.3%
End of Course Algebra I (Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County)	32.6	21.1	11.5%
End of Course Algebra I (New Jersey)	43.3	35.1	8.2%
End of Course Geometry (Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy)	29.6	45.5	15.9%
End of Course Geometry (Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County)	28.8	42.3	13.5%
End of Course Geometry (New Jersey)	32.2	51.2	19%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	99	119	20.2%
African American	21	9	57.1%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	10	18	80%
Hispanic	27	56	107.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	35	36	2.9%
Two or More Races	6	0	100%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	30.3%	35.3%	5%

Schools Near Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				NJSLA-S Science (2023)		NJSLA English Language Arts (2023)				NJSLA Mathematics (2023)			NJSLA Algebra I (2023)			NJSLA Geometry (2023)			NJSLA Algebra II (2023)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry 10th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	NJSLA Algebra II 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
MCVS Arthur R. Sypek Center	Public	10-12	129 Bull Run Road	Pennington	08534	Mercer County	Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 737-9784	2	12	.1		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																		$11,242	$843	$10,399
Mercer County Technical School Culinary Arts Academy	Public	9-12	129 Bull Run Road	Pennington	08534	Mercer County	Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 737-9784	109	6	17.1	33.9%	22 (20.2%)	22 (20.2%)	64 (58.7%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.9	370^th of 422 public high schools	12.3%		17.4	353^rd of 415 public high schools	14.9%	17		15.4				28.2				2.8		2.3						$6,008		$6,008
Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy	Public	9-12	129 Bull Run Road	Pennington	08534	Mercer County	Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County	No	(n/a)	No	No	(609) 737-9784	119	7	16.3	35.3%	36 (30.3%)	9 (7.6%)	56 (47.1%)	18 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69.5	79^th of 422 public high schools	81.3%		65.5	87^th of 415 public high schools	79.0%	8		64.3				68.6				40.9		40.9	45.5		45.5			$4,422		$4,422
Lawrence High School	Public	9-12	2525 Princeton Pike	Lawrenceville	08648	Mercer County	Lawrence Township Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(609) 671-5510	1,207	98	12.2	32.0%	462 (38.3%)	192 (15.9%)	292 (24.2%)	199 (16.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	55 (4.6%)	52.5	147^th of 422 public high schools	65.2%		45.1	173^rd of 415 public high schools	58.3%	26		47.8				59.1				17.9		17.9	49.2		48.6	87.5	87.5	$14,745	$110	$14,635
Trenton Stem-to-Civics Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	1555 Pennington Raod	Ewing	08618	Mercer County	Trenton Stem-to-Civics Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 619-2000	585	24	24.8	60.2%	3 (0.5%)	370 (63.2%)	192 (32.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.4%)	16.3	357^th of 422 public high schools	15.4%		14.5	370^th of 415 public high schools	10.8%	13	0.0	6.4	10.8	24.2	21.3	32.0	3.1	3.2	3.3	21.7	1.3	5.8		3.2	3.2			$8,463	$1,091	$7,372
Ewing High School	Public	9-12	900 Parkway Ave	Ewing	08618	Mercer County	Ewing Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 538-9800	1,109	90	12.3	42.9%	239 (21.6%)	520 (46.9%)	262 (23.6%)	39 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (3.9%)	23.8	315^th of 422 public high schools	25.4%		20.4	330^th of 415 public high schools	20.5%	15		16.7				33.5				10.7		10.7	46.6		46.6			$14,002	$194	$13,808
Marie H Katzenbach High School	Public	9-12	320 Sullivan Way	Trenton	08628	Mercer County	Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf	No	(n/a)	No	No	(609) 530-3130	41	17	2.4	22.0%	9 (22.0%)	8 (19.5%)	22 (53.7%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)								(n/a)
Hopewell Valley Central High School	Public	9-12	259 Pennington Titusville Rd	Pennington	08534	Mercer County	Hopewell Valley Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(609) 737-4003	1,079	108	9.9	4.8%	772 (71.5%)	32 (3.0%)	65 (6.0%)	157 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (4.6%)	68.9	81^st of 422 public high schools	80.8%		54.5	133^rd of 415 public high schools	68.0%	52		58.1				56.8				36.7		36.7	78.3		77.1	81.6	81.6	$11,670		$11,670
Trenton Psychiatric Hospital	Public	10-12	100 Sullivan Way	Trenton	08625	Mercer County	Office Of Education Department Of Children And Families	No	(n/a)	No	No	(609) 633-1500	2				0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Daylight/Twilight High School	Public	9-12	135 E. Hanover Street	Trenton	08618	Mercer County	Trenton Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(609) 256-8190	479	33	14.7	42.0%	3 (0.6%)	127 (26.5%)	346 (72.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	10.2	405^th of 422 public high schools	4.0%		10.6	400^th of 415 public high schools	3.6%	5										0.0		0.0						$13,864	$2,099	$11,765

Frequently Asked Questions about Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy

Is Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy a good school?

Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy ranks 79^th of 422 New Jersey high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy in?

Area Vocational Technical School District of Mercer County

How many students attend Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 119 students attended Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy?

Students at Mercer County Technical School STEM Academy are 47% Hispanic, 30% White, 15% Asian, 8% African American.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.