I have tutored students for the SAT who are going to these. The counties have technical high schools with programs in different areas. In one county, the student told me that the medical program was the most competitive by far, with math/engineering next. There were also law, computer, and veterinary programs that were very competitive, but the culinary program not so much so. You apply to these in the 8th grade. If you get into the medical program, you are close to into medical school. The medical program sounded extremely intense. Many of the students study all night for exams. They take college level classes such as anatomy and nutrition. Most of the graduates get into top 30 colleges or BS/MD programs. The students I worked with were extremely hard working with SAT tutoring, except for one who was often too busy with class work. The one I described is in Morris County, NJ and there is a similar one in Passaic County, NJ.
Thought this was interesting, and wondered about experiences with this or similar programs.