It served ninth through twelfth grade students from 16 communities all on the North Shore.

They included Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Rockport, Salem, Swampscott, Topsfield, and Wenham.

On July 1, 2014, North Shore Tech merged with the Essex Agricultural and Technical High School to create Essex Technical High School located in the Hathorne section of Danvers, Massachusetts.

The school operated on a rotating schedule that alternated between academic and technical studies weekly.

Upon completion of a twelve-week career/technical exploratory program during grade 9, students then selected one technical area in which they concentrated for the remaining three years.