Bergen County Academies
Bergen County Academies (BCA) is a tuition-free public STEM magnet high school in Hackensack, New Jersey that serves students from Bergen County in grades 9 through 12. John Grieco, who also founded the Academies at Englewood, founded the school in 1991.
The school is currently organized into seven academies: Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST), Academy for Business and Finance (ABF), Academy for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Administration (ACAHA), Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT), Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST), Academy for Technology and Computer Science (ATCS), and Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA).
All academies require four years of English, mathematics, social studies, and physical education, three years of science (biology, chemistry, physics, and/or psychology), and one year of a foreign language (Spanish, French, or Mandarin). All students participate in projects and clubs for three years; projects occur during periods 2-3, and clubs occur during periods 9, both on Wednesdays. Every senior participates in Senior Experience, an internship program in which seniors work and learn for the entire business day on Wednesdays instead of attending classes. For graduation, 40 hours of community service are required, with up to 20 of those hours working at the school.
Niche ranked BCA as the best public high school in America in 2021. The Washington Post also named BCA one of the top 23 high schools in the United States. BCA is a National Blue Ribbon School, a National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools member, the home of eleven 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars, including two Finalists, and a New Jersey Department of Education Model School in the Arts.
BCA is divided into seven academic and professional divisions, often referred to by their acronyms or, colloquially, by their single-word nicknames. However, BCA is treated as a single high school within the district and the state.
Website: https://www.bergen.org/bergencountyacademies
Address: 200 Hackensack Ave, Hackensack, NJ 07601, United States
Phone: 2013 436 000
Email: admissions@bergen.org
