Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH)

Students at Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-Tech) may earn two years of college credit in addition to a high school diploma. Students choose from two majors: electromechanical engineering or computer information systems. Graduates are equipped to find work in the information technology (IT) industry or continue to work toward their bachelor’s degree. Unlike many other early college programs, this school admits students of all academic abilities. P-Tech is designed to be six years, however some students accelerate through the program, earning a high school diploma and an associate's degree in just four years.

The school was founded in 2011 as a partnership with IBM and the NYC College of Technology at the City University of New York. Students take college classes on the P-Tech campus and at City Tech. Each student is paired with a mentor from IBM or a different corporation, and the school helps organize paid internships for students, many at IBM.

P-Tech was designed to bridge the gap between what high schools typically teach and what industry needs. “There isn’t a greater problem standing in the way of U.S. competitiveness than closing the skills gap, and this gets right at that core problem,” an IBM executive told CBS News. In a climate where so many young men of color are unemployed, schools like P-Tech truly “save lives,” says founding principal Rashid Davis. P-Tech has drawn national attention—President Barack Obama visited in 2014 and called it “outstanding.” P-Tech has become a model for similar schools across the country.

The school day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to the school's website, teachers draw not only on guidance from faculty at City Tech but also on information provided by human resources at IBM that indicate what skills are crucial for changing job markets.

The majority of classes have more than one teacher. In addition, the school offers supports such as tutoring, Saturday Academy for SAT/PSAT prep, academic and career planning, and small advisory groups led by faculty mentors.

The school has only a few art classes, and the only foreign language courses are in Spanish.

Just a handful of cohorts have completed the program, as the school is still fairly new. Specifically, as of 2017, 81 P-Tech students had been awarded associate's degrees, 81 had completed paid internships at IBM and 11 graduates had landed jobs at IBM since the school’s opening in 2011, the Daily News reports.

Housed in the Paul Robeson Educational Campus, the school shares the space with the Academy for Health Careers. Boys outnumber girls about 74 percent to 26 percent.

After school, students may take part in the building’s shared PSAL sports teams. There are a limited number of clubs, including robotics, student government and computer club. Additionally, P-Tech offers a handful of support groups for students, like “Real Talk, Real Men" and "Sista Talk,” according to the school’s website.

ADMISSIONS: Open to all NYC students. Priority to Brooklyn residents. (Katharine Safter, web reports and phone interview, July 2018)