Since 2021, our BCA cohorts have delivered strong results — the 2025 cohort saw about 90% of students receive BCA interview invites. Book a free assessment and see where your child stands.
Benjamin Franklin Middle School (335 North Van Dien Avenue) and George Washington Middle School (155 Washington Place) — Ridgewood's two public middle schools — are each about 3-4 miles, roughly a 10-minute drive, from MindzQ Education's Fair Lawn center: one of the shortest trips of any town MindzQ serves (measured school-to-center; other parts of Ridgewood may vary slightly). Ridgewood runs its own K-8 public district across these two schools, and most public-school BCA applicants from Ridgewood are current 8th graders at one of them.
Ridgewood High School has a strong reputation of its own, so families sometimes ask why a Ridgewood student would bother applying to BCA at all. The honest answer: BCA offers seven specialized, career-focused academies — science, art, technology, music, theatre, culinary, finance — structured differently from a traditional comprehensive high school, and it's consistently ranked among the top three high schools in New Jersey. A number of Ridgewood families we work with are also weighing private-school options like Holmstead School and Windsor Bergen Academy, both a short 10-15 minute drive away; BCA eligibility and MindzQ Education's prep program work the same way regardless of which school a student currently attends.
About 10 minutes by car, 3-4 miles, measured from Ridgewood's two middle schools (Benjamin Franklin and George Washington) — one of the shortest drives of any town MindzQ serves; distance from other parts of Ridgewood may vary slightly.
Benjamin Franklin Middle School and George Washington Middle School, Ridgewood's two public middle schools.
Many Ridgewood families ask this. BCA's seven specialized academies offer a different, career-focused structure than a traditional comprehensive high school, which is why students from even the strongest home districts still apply — it's an addition to, not necessarily a replacement for, the home high school option.
Yes — students from Holmstead School, Windsor Bergen Academy, or any Bergen County school are eligible on the same terms as public-school students, based on residency and grade level, not current school.
MindzQ Education offers a unique Bergen County Academies Prep program tailored for competitive students aspiring to attend a prestigious magnet school in Bergen county NJ. Our BCA prep program is available to all rising 8th graders who intend to apply to BCA/BT. Applicants are required to take a diagnostic test for evaluation.
Bergen County Academies (BCA) is a public magnet high school located in Hackensack, New Jersey.
BCA serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades from Bergen County only. Bergen County Academies is a public high school that accepts students at no cost; the expenses are covered by the student's home district. The school features seven specialized college-preparatory programs, each known as an "academy."
The Bergen County Academies offer seven distinct specialized high school programs, each focusing on a different career path. Students can explore their passion for science, art, technology, music, theatre, cooking, design, or finance. BCA allows students to complement their studies with electives and clubs that cross academy boundaries, enabling them to explore multiple fields of study.
Known for their rigorous academic environment and broad opportunities, BCA and BCTS set the stage for a successful academic career for their students.
The BCA application process is completed in three phases.
Register online; the application portal will open in the fall.
In late February, all applicants to the Bergen County Academies will be notified of their application status. Interview invitations will be sent to students who are progressing to Phase 2.
Students who interview receive decision letters in mid-April.
“Tommy and I are quite pleased with the tutoring services that were offered at MindzQ. They took the time to address the specific needs and areas of focus that my son needed to improve on. They also laid out a set of guidelines that specifically related to the BCA/BT exam that is taken to get into this school. All around great experience, bravo!”
MindzQ Education has structured BCA test preparation into two distinct sessions — a Spring Warm-Up Session and a Summer-Fall Stimulation Session. Each session is meticulously designed to cover all the necessary topics and strategies crucial for achieving success in the BCA entrance exam.
Our spring classes focus on remediation and building a solid foundation in English and essential math concepts. By addressing and reinforcing these core topics in the spring, we help students solidify their grasp of essential algebraic principles and more, thus eliminating the need for reiteration during the summer sessions.
Students planning to apply to BCA or BCTS who have uncertainties about previously studied concepts. These sessions comprehensively cover foundational areas, from divisibility rules in math to grammar rules in English, so students are confident heading into Summer-Fall stimulation test prep.
View BCA Spring Class Schedule 2026Rigorously designed to delve deeper into the complexities of the exam materials. Our comprehensive BCA preparation course begins in the summer and extends through the end of November, ensuring students are well-prepared and confident.
Advanced math topics that frequently appear on past BCA entrance exams — number systems (base 10 and base 2), functions and their operations, expressions and polynomials, and the fundamentals of statistics — to build a robust mathematical foundation.
Enhancing critical reading and thinking skills, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and proficient writing, plus logical reasoning and comprehension — skills that also help with the application essay.
From September to December, students take a series of weekly simulated tests to get comfortable with the pressure and format of the real exam.
Every student planning to sit for the entrance exam. We recommend joining from the start of summer right through fall — continuous preparation is key to mastering the exam's challenges.
Bergen County Academies (BCA) is a public magnet high school in Hackensack, NJ, serving grades 9–12 from Bergen County only. There's no cost to attend — expenses are covered by the student's home district. BCA offers seven specialized college-preparatory programs, called "academies," each focused on a different career path such as science, art, technology, music, theatre, cooking, design, or finance. Read more about BCA.
Only students currently in 8th grade who are Bergen County residents (as of September the year prior to enrollment) may apply. Each applicant may submit only one application to BCA and/or BCTS, and the application window closes November 30th of the year before the intended enrollment. Full eligibility criteria.
The BCA application is completed in three phases: (1) register online when the portal opens in the fall, (2) in late February, applicants are notified of their status and interview invitations go out, and (3) students who interview receive decision letters in mid-April. See the full application timeline.
The BCA/BCTS entrance exam takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday of December and takes about 2 hours. The Math test has 40 multiple-choice questions; the English test involves reading a passage and writing an essay in 45 minutes. Exact calendar dates are set by Bergen County Academies each year — check the official BCA admissions site for this year's dates.
Applicants write an essay explaining their academy choice (up to 400 words) and highlighting personal achievements (up to 100 words). Students applying to both BCA and BCTS need two distinct essays, and it's best to start drafting early in the admission process. Full essay guidance.
MindzQ's Spring Warm-Up classes focus on remediation and building a solid foundation in English and essential math concepts, ahead of the Summer-Fall Stimulation session. View the BCA Spring Class Schedule 2026 (PDF).
MindzQ's Summer-Fall Stimulation classes run from summer through the end of November, covering advanced math (number systems, functions, expressions/polynomials, statistics), English (critical reading, writing, grammar), and weekly simulated tests from September to December. See the full topic breakdown, or contact us for the current schedule.
