Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) at North American Trade Schools

North American Trade Schools graduates start earning slightly above both national and Maryland medians for HVAC programs, ranking in the 60th percentile statewide—a solid position among Maryland's limited options. The $10,329 debt load is also meaningfully lower than Maryland's typical $13,000, resulting in a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.28 that most graduates should be able to handle within a year or two of work.

The concern here is the earnings trajectory: graduates actually see their income drop by 6% between year one and year four, falling from $36,464 to $34,203. This is unusual for skilled trades, where experience typically commands higher pay. It could reflect graduates moving between different types of HVAC work, changes in employment status, or even some leaving the field. For context, this program's first-year outcomes match those at Fortis Institute-Towson, the state's top-performing HVAC program, but Fortis's longer-term data isn't available for comparison.

For parents, this comes down to a simple calculation: their child gets trained affordably and enters the workforce quickly at competitive wages. The declining earnings pattern deserves a conversation with the school about job placement support and whether graduates maintain steady employment in the trade. If your child plans to stay in HVAC and build a career—potentially moving into supervisory roles or starting their own business—the low debt makes this a reasonable starting point, even if the earnings pattern raises questions about what happens next.