The Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) is a

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al four-year

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located in the Sandy Hook section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the

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, serving students in

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through

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. The school offers learning in all subjects, specializing in marine science and technology. It is one of five career academies administered by the Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD). MAST requires each student to participate in the Naval

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military bases across the world. The progr ...

(NJROTC) every year as well as an Annual Military Inspection (AMI) in the spring or fall. The school's curriculum focuses on marine sciences and marine technology/engineering. The school offers small classes with close personal attention. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 273 students and 27.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 10.1:1. There were 4 students (1.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 1 (0.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Marine Academy Of Science And Technology

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. Accessed December 15, 2024. The school is accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.Marine Academy of Science and Technology

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 21, 2020. The Marine Academy is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology. For the 1997–98 and 2013 school years, the Marine Academy was designated a

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

by the

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.Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2019

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

. Accessed January 21, 2020. MAST was selected by the Department of Education as a New American High School for the 1998–99 school year; among the many honors and awards the innovative program has received throughout its years. On April 15, 2007, in honor of the Marine Academy's 25th Anniversary, a proclamation by the Monmouth County

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

declared April 15 as "Marine Academy of Science and Technology Day" in Monmouth County.

History

Marine Academy was founded in 1981 as a part-time program which served an inaugural class of 53 students who attended their home high school in the mornings and took 2 hours of classes at MAST in the afternoon. The school has since become a full-time diploma-granting program.

Location and campus

MAST campus is located in the Fort Hancock Historic Area, as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The school is adjacent to the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse in the country, and is within walking distance of several beaches. The campus includes 13 newly renovated buildings and various laboratories devoted to marine biology, marine chemistry, oceanography, C.A.D., and multi-media. The buildings were previously mess halls and latrines for the "Tent City" that was set up at Fort Hancock for a time during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A Technology Workshop, a Media Center containing a Computer Classroom, a Naval Science Building, a state of the art wet lab in the James J. Howard Marine Science laboratory, and other classrooms round out the facilities. There is also hands-on instruction on the school research vessel, the ''R/V Blue Sea'' for underclassmen and some seniors. The "R/V Blue Sea" is currently berthed at the Coast Guard Station on Sandy Hook. This vessel is extensively used throughout many core classes in the curriculum including marine biology, marine chemistry, marine physics, and oceanography. In the wake of significant damage to the Sandy Hook campus following

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

in October 2012, the MAST campus was temporarily relocated to St. Joseph's School in Keyport, in addition to the use of lab space at

Brookdale Community College Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, Free ...

. As of September 9, 2013, MAST relocated back to its Sandy Hook campus.

NJROTC

All students at the Marine Academy participate in the Navy

Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...

(NJROTC). The unit is designated as an Area 2 school and participates in many inter-unit competitions, the most prominent of which is the Drill Team. Cadets can participate in several disciplines including Freshmen, Color Guard, Armed Platoon, Unarmed Platoon, Unarmed Exhibition, and Armed Exhibition. In the past, MAST has been successful at several area competitions, including Neptune, Linden, and Areas. Exceptional performance in the Area 4 Drill Competition (placing first in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012) has qualified the school for national competition in

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for those years. In 2016, the MAST Drill Team attended Navy Nationals once again in

, their first time back since 2012. Each year, cadets take a physical fitness test (PFT). The standards for this exam are based upon Navy guidelines. Grades range from "unsatisfactory" to "outstanding", and the result forms a part of the Naval Science grade for credit. Satisfactory PFT performance is a criterion for advancement and promotion. At the end of each year, qualified cadets are promoted to a rank and billet commensurate with academic performance, ability, and PFT results. The MAST unit is organized into a battalion with four companies and a headquarters section. The highest rank a cadet can achieve is Cadet Commander.

Awards

* For the 1997-1998 and 2013 school years, Marine Academy of Science and Technology received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. * MAST was one of two high schools recognized by the New Jersey "Star School" program in its inaugural year of 1993–94. MAST has been honored twice since with the New Jersey Department of Education's highest recognition for a New Jersey school, in both 1997-98 and 2003–04.New Jersey Star Schools Program Winners
/ref> * For the 1998–1999 school year, MAST received additional national recognition as the New American High School. * Best Practice Award (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003) * New Jersey Governor's School of Excellence Award, October 2005 * Intel Scholastic 21st Century Schools of Distinction, 2004 finalist * Toyota Tapestry Award, 2002 * Designation as NJROTC Honor Unit/CNET Unit or Distinguished Unit with Honors: every year since 1990 *In 2005–06, the school averaged a 1875 combined SAT score, sixth highest of all public high schools statewide. *In April 2010, the MAST Ocean Bowl team competed at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl and placed 2nd in the nation. *Schooldigger.com ranked the school as one of 16 schools tied for first out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (unchanged from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy (100.0%) and mathematics (100.0%) components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA). *In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", ''

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'' ranked the school 364th in the nation among participating public high schools and 33rd among schools in New Jersey. *In September 2013, the academy was one of 15 in New Jersey to be recognized by the

as part of the

, an award called the "most prestigious honor in the United States' education system" and which Education Secretary

Arne Duncan Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator and former professional basketball player who served as the 9th United States secretary of education from 2009 to 2015 and as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools ...

described as schools that "represent examples of educational excellence".2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private
pp. 15-17.

. Accessed September 25, 2013. *In April 2015 MAST was one of nine schools in the nation recognized by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) with the Excellence in Action Award. MAST won for its Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography program. NASDCTEc Executive Director, Kimberly Green, said of the winning programs, "Incredibly successful graduating their students at above average rates, building strong industry and community partnerships, and increasing students chances to obtain postsecondary credit and degrees and industry-recognized credentials," Moore, Earl
"MAST wins Excellence in Action award"
''

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'', April 20, 2015. Accessed November 11, 2016. In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 181st out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 28th among all high schools in New Jersey.

Other career academies

There are five other career academies /

sister school A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Ra ...

s in the Monmouth County Vocational School District. The other schools (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the

) are: * Academy of Allied Health & Science (AAHS) in Neptune Township (with 304 students; in grades 9–12) * Academy of Law and Public Safety (ALPS) in Long Branch (70; 9–12) * Biotechnology High School (BTHS) in Freehold Borough (320; 9–12) * Communications High School (CHS) in Wall Township (299; 9–12) *

High Technology High School High Technology High School (Abbreviated HTHS, also known as High Tech), founded in 1991, is a four-year magnet public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmo ...

(HTHS) in the Lincroft section of Middletown TownshipHigh Technology High School
Monmouth County Vocational School District. Accessed March 25, 2025. (284; 9–12)

References

External links

Marine Academy of Science and TechnologyMonmouth County Vocational School District
*
School Data for the Monmouth County Vocational School District