TCAT Jackson named among America’s top 250 technical schools
JACKSON, Tenn. — Tennessee had the fourth highest number of schools among the 32 states with institutions listed in USA Today’s top 250.
TCAT Jackson was one of 17 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology across the state included in USA Today’s list of America’s top 250 vocational schools for 2025. The 17 TCATs are the only Tennessee institutions cited on the list.
“If you’re looking for a good place to go to school TCAT Jackson has a lot of great programs, and it’s a great place to go and a great place to learn, expand upon what you already know or start a new career,” said David Peace, automotive technology reporter for TCAT.
The list was created to help students navigate career and technical education options.
The nationwide newspaper partnered with the market research firm statistic to create its first annual ranking of America’s top vocational schools.
“We are another option. Education is out there for all who can attain it, and there should be more than one sector of education. If they want to go to a technical college, community college, or even a four year university just to have those options out there. Part of our accreditation requires us to place students in jobs, so we have great partners in our community and these are the employers that are hitting our students,” said Jacquene Rainey, president of TCAT at Jackson.
Tennessee’s Colleges of Applied Technology are public career and technical post-secondary institutions known for their high quality of instruction, high graduation and job placement rates, high licensure rates in fields requiring licensure, affordability, and broad array of program offerings.
“They get not only book work curriculum but the hands on experience. We are very heavy into the hands on work care translating what they study online in their book out here to the shop to actually do the repairs and do the work,” said Peace.
Through Tennessee promise and Tennessee reconnect, eligible new high school graduates and adults without college credentials may attend free of tuition and mandatory fees increasing affordability beyond the colleges’ low tuition rates.
“It’s quite an honor and for us we’re going to continue to do what we’ve always done and that’s to help provide our students with quality training so that they can have a better quality of life. That’s our mission that’s what we do,” said Rainey.
According to USA Today, the state of Tennessee has invested more than $1.5 billion in new buildings, training equipment, and other campus improvements at TCATs across the state in the last three years.
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