Newburgh P-TECH honors 2026 graduates, marks 12 years of success

At Newburgh Free Academy’s NFA North Campus, P-TECH graduation was not just about a cap and gown moment. It was a snapshot of a local pipeline that has already moved Orange County students from high school classrooms into SUNY Orange degrees, internships, and work-ready skills in computer networking and cyber security.

The Newburgh Enlarged City School District and SUNY Orange honored the class of 2026 on June 3, marking 12 years for the program that began in 2014. District leaders have framed NFA P-TECH as a model built for students who want both a diploma and a direct path into college and the technology workforce, with the program offering an Associate in Applied Science degree in Computer Information Technology-Networking or Cyber Security at no cost to families.

That value proposition is rooted in a three-way partnership among the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, SUNY Orange, and IBM. Students are based primarily at NFA North Campus, but their coursework takes them onto SUNY Orange campuses as well, where the college portion of the program helps them accumulate credits while they are still in high school. District materials say the model also includes IBM-based projects, mentoring from IBM or Global Foundries professionals, and internship opportunities built into the regular school day.

The district’s own milestones show how that pipeline has widened. Recent reporting said 18 NFA P-TECH scholars earned SUNY Orange associate degrees in one class, while an earlier group saw 28 scholars graduate from SUNY Orange with associate degrees in Cyber Security or Networking. Another district story said 105 NFA P-TECH scholars had earned SUNY Orange associate degrees overall, a figure that signals not just participation but sustained completion across multiple cohorts.

The program’s roots reach back even further. District reporting says planning began in 2010 with a School Improvement Grant, and the Newburgh model was built after the first P-TECH school in Brooklyn opened in September 2011. Newburgh’s version, once known as Excelsior Academy, became the first P-TECH outside New York City with IBM as a partner in New York State when it opened in 2014 under the leadership of Matt Doddo and NFA P-TECH House Principal Kevin Rothman.

That workforce focus remains central as the program adapts to new demands. Faculty have continued refining the curriculum for emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, a sign that the school is still trying to keep pace with the job market its graduates are expected to enter. SUNY Orange’s May 21, 2026 commencement also underscored the program’s reach, noting that 33 graduates were products of the Excelsior Academy collaborative P-TECH program at Newburgh North High School.

For Orange County families, the significance is concrete: a public school pathway that combines college credit, employer mentorship, and technical training, while helping students leave Newburgh with credentials that can carry them directly into higher education or the local labor market.