| Fact | New Castle School of Trades |
|---|---|
| Type | Private trade school; all programs in person |
| Campuses | 3 sites in 2 states: main campus in New Castle, PA; New Castle Satellite in Pulaski, PA; East Liverpool, OH |
| Credentials | Associate in Specialized Technology (AST) degrees, diplomas and CDL training |
| Program length | A few weeks (CDL) to 60 weeks (AST degrees); East Liverpool diplomas 50 weeks |
| Accreditation | ACCSC (since 1973, first as NATTS); licensed in Pennsylvania, registered in Ohio |
| Federal aid | Yes (Pell Grants and Direct Loans); VA-approved |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Enrollment | About 700 students, all full-time (IPEDS 2024, via Data USA) |
| Facts checked | 12 October 2026 |
A New Castle trade school with an Ohio branch
New Castle School of Trades (NCST) has trained tradespeople in western Pennsylvania since 1945. It moved to Route 422 in Pulaski in 1954, moved its main campus to a larger building on Pulaski Road in New Castle in 2011, keeping the Route 422 site as a satellite for driving, heavy equipment, diesel and motorcycle training, and opened a branch in East Liverpool, Ohio in 2016. Most programs are 50- to 60-week diplomas or Associate in Specialized Technology degrees; truck driving takes a few weeks. Federal data count about 700 students, all full-time, in 2024. In February 2026 the Business Journal Daily reported that Alta Succession LLC had bought the three campus properties and would keep the same programs.
NCST’s 14 programs and where they run
| Program | Credential | Length | Schedule | Where | Cost if completed on time (2025-26 graduates) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive Technology | AST degree | 60 weeks | Day or evening | New Castle | $26,104 |
| Building Technology | AST degree | 60 weeks | Day or evening | New Castle | $23,709 |
| Electrical Technology | AST degree | 60 weeks | Day or evening | New Castle | $25,245 |
| Industrial Electro-Mechanical Technology | AST degree | 60 weeks | Day | New Castle | $26,410 |
| Refrigeration & A/C Technology | AST degree | 60 weeks | Day or evening | New Castle | $24,760 |
| Combination Welding | Diploma | 50 weeks | Day or evening (New Castle); day (East Liverpool) | New Castle; East Liverpool | $23,154 (New Castle); $23,099 (East Liverpool) |
| Machinist & CNC Manufacturing | Diploma | 44 weeks | Day | New Castle | $19,093 |
| Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair Technology | AST degree (includes Class A CDL training) | 60 weeks | Day | Pulaski satellite | $28,501 |
| Motorcycle & Power Equipment Technology | AST degree | 60 weeks | Day | Pulaski satellite | $25,896 |
| Heavy Equipment Operations with Commercial Truck Driving | Diploma (prepares for the Class A CDL exam) | 30 weeks | Day | Pulaski satellite | $19,640 |
| Commercial Truck Driving | Class A CDL training | A few weeks | Weekdays, full-time | Pulaski satellite | Not published |
| Class B CDL Training | Class B CDL training | 82.5 hours | Not stated | Pulaski satellite | Not published |
| Electrical & Industrial Maintenance | Diploma | 50 weeks | Day | East Liverpool | $21,845 |
| Refrigeration & Climate Control | Diploma | 50 weeks | Day | East Liverpool | $20,769 |
Costs are the school’s “cost if completed in normal time” figures for students who graduated between July 2025 and June 2026 (see the cost section). NCST teaches everything on its own campuses; no program page mentions an externship. Short PA emissions and state inspection classes are also offered at the main campus.
What the main programs cover
Combination Welding
Welding students practice shielded metal arc, gas metal arc and gas tungsten arc welding, and oxy-fuel, plasma and carbon-arc cutting, alongside blueprint reading and welding math. The New Castle day section meets Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 1:45 and the evening section from 5:30 to 11:15. In East Liverpool the program runs in the daytime only. The course is built on ASME and AWS specifications, and the school says graduates are prepared to pass ASME and AWS tests.
Electrical programs
The New Castle Electrical Technology degree moves from residential and commercial wiring to motor and machine control, programmable logic controllers, telecommunications and solid-state and electronic controls; the 2026 book list includes the National Electrical Code. East Liverpool’s Electrical & Industrial Maintenance diploma is aimed at maintenance work in factories, schools, hotels and hospitals, so it adds pneumatics, hydraulics, forklift operation, basic plumbing and welding and vibration analysis. Neither program leads to an electrician’s license by itself.
Truck driving and Heavy Equipment Operations
The Class A course meets Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 3:30 at the Pulaski satellite, where the truck range and the Truck Testing Services skills-test site are. Students must hold a commercial learner’s permit before they start. The 30-week Heavy Equipment Operations diploma meets Monday to Thursday and trains on forklifts, backhoes, dozers, excavators, loaders and dump trucks, with rigging and site plans; students get their permit during the program and finish ready for the Class A CDL exam. Its 2026 book list includes NCCER Heavy Equipment Operations texts.
Building Technology
Despite its name, Building Technology is a construction program, not building maintenance. Over 60 weeks, day or evening, students work through masonry and concrete, framing and carpentry, siding, drywall and roofing, building codes and estimating. Electrical and plumbing topics appear only as they relate to framing. Graduates earn an Associate in Specialized Technology degree; in recent federal data it was one of the school’s larger awards, with 35 degrees in 2024.
Industrial Electro-Mechanical Technology
This day-only degree at the main campus combines courses from several trades: electrical services, combination welding, HVAC, basic rigging and forklift, and print and schematic reading. The school points graduates to facility maintenance and industrial maintenance technician jobs, where the work often includes plumbing, boilers and heating and cooling. It runs 60 weeks and leads to an Associate in Specialized Technology degree.
Cost: priced by program, no separate 2026-27 tuition sheet
NCST charges by program, with no in-district, in-state or out-of-state rates. Its consumer information page lists a $25 registration fee as the only required fee. The school posts no separate 2026-27 tuition sheet, and the Tuition & Fees Schedule in its 2026 catalog could not be read.
The most current prices are on the school’s federal disclosures, revised 1 July 2026, which give each program’s cost if completed in normal time for students who graduated between July 2025 and June 2026. At the Pennsylvania sites these ran from about $19,093 for Machinist & CNC Manufacturing to $28,501 for Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair, per the main campus disclosure. The disclosures do not cover the truck-driving courses, and no current CDL price is published.
At East Liverpool the same figures ran from $20,769 for Refrigeration & Climate Control to $23,099 for Combination Welding, per the East Liverpool disclosure.
Paying for it
NCST takes federal aid (Pell Grants and Direct Loans). Its FAQ also lists Pennsylvania and Ohio state grants, scholarships, county workforce funding and VA education benefits, and the school says it awarded $180,000 in scholarships at its Scholarship Day in October 2025. The 2026 catalog says the school’s own private financing plan charges 12% annual interest.
Entrance test, interview and schedule
- A high school diploma or GED (or an associate degree or higher).
- An entrance evaluation with a minimum score of 75, a personal interview and a required campus tour.
- Machinist programs add a math placement assessment.
- Commercial Truck Driving: a driver’s license, an acceptable driving record, a physical, a drug screen and a commercial learner’s permit before the program starts. Heavy Equipment Operations and Diesel have the same checks, but students get the permit during the program.
The school runs on 10-week quarters. Day classes usually meet Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 1:30 and evening classes from 5:30 to 11:00. Evening sections run only at the main campus, for Automotive, Building, Electrical, Refrigeration & A/C and Welding; every satellite and East Liverpool program is day only.
Accreditation and graduation and job rates by campus
NCST states that it is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), and that it was first accredited in 1973 by ACCSC’s predecessor, NATTS, per its accreditations page. It is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools, registered with the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, and approved for the training of eligible veterans.
The school publishes program-level rates from its 2025 annual report to ACCSC. For the New Castle sites (main campus and satellite), graduation rates (graduates divided by starts) ranged from 47% in Motorcycle & Power Equipment to 100% in Class B CDL, and employment rates for graduates available for work from 71% to 100%. The start cohorts differ by program; most began between June 2022 and May 2023.
East Liverpool’s rates in the same report were lower: 41% to 67% of students who started between September 2022 and August 2023 graduated, and the reported employment rates were 55% to 62%. The school publishes no licensure or CDL skills-test pass rates.
Before you enroll
- Compare campuses. In the 2025 ACCSC report, East Liverpool’s graduation rates were 41% to 67% and its employment rates 55% to 62%, below the New Castle sites’ 71% to 100% employment. Ask for the latest rates for your program.
- No separate 2026-27 tuition sheet is posted (the 2026 catalog’s tuition page could not be read), and the truck-driving courses are not on the cost disclosures. Get a written price for your start date before you sign; the school’s own financing plan charges 12% interest.
- Truck driving, heavy equipment, diesel and motorcycle classes meet at the Pulaski satellite, even though the program pages name New Castle. The satellite serves enrolled students only, so tours and admissions happen at the main campus.
- Credentials are the school’s own: Combination Welding prepares students for ASME and AWS tests but the school awards no welding certification, the electrical programs are not an electrician’s license, and the Refrigeration & A/C program page does not mention EPA Section 608 testing, so ask how and where you would take it.
- Evening classes run only at the main campus, for five programs. Everything at the satellite and in East Liverpool is daytime only.
NCST’s three sites
- New Castle, PA: 4117 Pulaski Rd, New Castle, PA 16101
- New Castle (Pulaski), PA: 4164 US 422, Pulaski, PA 16143
- East Liverpool, OH: 129 E. 5th St., East Liverpool, OH 43920
The two Pennsylvania sites are about six miles apart: the main campus teaches the shop and building trades, and the satellite has the driving and heavy-equipment ranges. East Liverpool teaches only its three diplomas, all in the daytime.
Job placement help, no housing
NCST has no student housing. Its job placement office offers employer introductions, resume and interview help, on-campus recruiting at both the New Castle and East Liverpool campuses and help after graduation, and says no school can legally guarantee employment. The school’s annual career fair draws more than 100 employers; the 2026 fair was held on 19 March.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
New Castle, PA (main campus)
- Automotive Technology (AST degree)
- Building Technology (AST degree)
- Electrical Technology (AST degree)
- Industrial Electro-Mechanical Technology (AST degree)
- Refrigeration & A/C Technology (AST degree)
- Combination Welding (diploma)
- Machinist & CNC Manufacturing (diploma)
- PA Emissions and PA State Inspection classes (short courses)
New Castle Satellite, Pulaski, PA
- Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair Technology (AST degree)
- Motorcycle & Power Equipment Technology (AST degree)
- Heavy Equipment Operations with Commercial Truck Driving (diploma)
- Commercial Truck Driving (Class A CDL)
- Class B CDL Training
East Liverpool, OH
- Combination Welding (diploma)
- Electrical & Industrial Maintenance (diploma)
- Refrigeration & Climate Control (diploma)
Campus Locations
New Castle, PA 4117 Pulaski Rd, New Castle, PA 16101
New Castle (Pulaski), PA 4164 US 422, Pulaski, PA 16143
East Liverpool, OH 129 E. 5th St., East Liverpool, OH 43920