Essex Agricultural and Technical High School is an agricultural and technical high school located in Hathorne section of Danvers, Massachusetts. As of September 2014, the school has merged with Peabody Technical High School and North Shore Technical High School to form a new school, "Essex Technical High School" This new school occupies the North campus of the old Essex Aggie property.The school was home to over 400 high school students.There were 3 departments; Animal Science, Plant Science and Environmental Science. Students participate in hands-on learning using school-owned farm animals and farm equipment. The school is home to heavy machinery, many plants and various animals including horses, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, cows, snakes, and exotic birds.CurriculumThe Aggie requires the basic four parts of curriculum: math, science, history, and literature also allows for three different agricultural fields which students will choose after a brief trial. All students take MCAS testing, Certification of Occupational Proficiency as well as testing for higher education. The school uses an eight-day calendar with academic class on four days and agricultural on the others. Students also have physical education for all four years and a career exploration class offered by the guidance department.HistoryEssex Aggie was founded in 1913 on land granted to the school by the decedents of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Since then it has expanded. In 2014, it merged with North Shore Technical High School due to financial issues, and so they could expand by having more up to date and refined facilities and working areas.
