Sussex County Technical School
Sussex County Technical School is a county-wide technical public high school located in Sparta Township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Sussex County Vocational School District. It is the home of the McNeice Auditorium and the Fighting Mustangs. The school's official colors are hunter green and gold. Gus Modla is the Superintendent and Principal. There are 19 different trades to choose from; Building Trades, Business Management and Administration, Carpentry, Cinematography and Film/Video Production, Clerical Skills, Commercial Art, Commercial Baking, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Electrical, Electronics Technology, Engineering, Graphic Design, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, Horticulture/Landscape Design Technology, Transportation Technology, Vehicle Maintenance Technology and Welding.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 689 students and 58.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1. There were 63 students eligible for free lunch and 24 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.
The Technical School is the home of all nine of the Umptysquatch human-powered submarines and the teams of engineering students who built them.
Athletics
The Sussex County Technical School Mustangs compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Until the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in the Sussex County Interscholastic League, which included public and private high schools located in Sussex County and northern Morris County. With 624 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the National Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 484 to 683 students.Interscholastic sports offered at the school include:
- Fall: Football, Boys' Soccer, Girls' Soccer, Cross-Country, Cheerleading, and Girls' Tennis.
- Winter: Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Winter Track Cheerleading, Bowling, and Snowboard & Ski Club.
- Spring: Track and Field, Baseball, and Softball
Clubs and organizations
Sussex Tech offers a variety of clubs, including:Student Council
SkillsUSA
Key Club
SADD
Spanish National Honor Society
Spanish Cultural Club
Math League
Gay-Straight Alliance
National Honor Society
Peer Leadership
The Quill literary magazine
Yearbook
Japanese Film Club
Debate Team
Awards
- 2009 Champions of the Grill
- Skills USA
- International Submarine Race
- *Umptysquatch IV: Best Design Outline, Best Spirit of the Races
- *Umptysquatch 3.2: 1st Place, Innovation, 3rd Place, Best Overall Performance
- *Umptysquatch 1: Best Design Outline and Report Award, 3rd place, Fastest Two-person, propeller, academic category
Graduation rate
According to the state's NCLB Report, the graduation rate for Sussex County Technical School for the class of 2008 was 96.2%. This rate exceeds the State high school graduation rate of approximately 93.1%.In the 2013–14 school year, Sussex County Technical School ranked ninth in Sussex County out of nine other public high schools in SAT scores.