J. M. Wright Technical High School

41°03′42″N 73°32′50″W / 41.0618°N 73.5473°W / 41.0618; -73.5473

J.M. Wright Technical High School, or Wright Tech, is a technical high school located in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Connecticut Technical High School System.

Having suspended operations in 2009[1] due to budgetary restrictions, Wright Tech reopened its doors in 2014 to 144 first-year students after undergoing an $85 million renovation.[2] During the groundbreaking ceremony, Connecticut Technical High School System Superintendent, Dr. Nivea L. Torres, referred to Wright Tech as the "flagship for the district." By 2017, the school expects to be at capacity with nearly 600 students.[3]

Prior to closing, the school offered training in seven trades. For the class of 2007, the most popular were automotive, electrical, and hairdressing.[4] In 2014, Wright Tech offered nine rigorous trade programs to students, including the system's first facilities management program, which has since become the most advanced program of its kind in the nation.[5]

Students come from Stamford, Norwalk, Easton, Fairfield, Weston, Wilton, Westport, New Canaan, Greenwich, and Bridgeport. In recent years, more students have been coming from the immediate Stamford area. In the class of 2008, 38 percent of students were from local school districts and 62 percent from Bridgeport. However, in the class of 2011, 82 percent of students were from Stamford.[6]

Trailblazers Academy, a charter school with 150 students in grades 6 through 8 and run by the nonprofit Domus Foundation of Stamford, was housed in the Wright Tech building starting 2000,[7] though it has since moved to downtown Stamford. Many Trailblazers students are those who have struggled in traditional schools.[8] As of the 2006–2007 school year, about 98 percent of the students were from Stamford.[9]

  1. ^ "Connecticut Department of Education Suspends Operations at J.M. Wright Technical High School" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  2. ^ "Wright Tech close to reopening". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  3. ^ Writer, KOREY WILSON Hour Staff. "A fully revamped Wright Tech set to reopen in August". Thehour.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  4. ^ Killeffer, Al, special correspondent, "58 grads take flight at Wright Tech", article, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, June 16, 2007, accessed via newsbank.com on January 4, 2008
  5. ^ "Preparing students for careers of the future". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  6. ^ "Give Wright Tech the chance to succeed", editorial, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, November 14, 2007, accessed via newsbank.com on January 4, 2008
  7. ^ Gosier, Chris, "Wright Tech upgrades delayed", article, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, November 22, 2007, accessed via newsbank.com on January 4, 2008
  8. ^ "Trailblazers Academy". Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  9. ^ Gosier, Chris, "Legal issue may push charter school out of Wright Tech", article, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, July 19, 2007, accessed via newsbank.com on January 4, 2008