The narrow niche a trade school provides is a positive aspect for some, but may be a major problem for others. For example, if you spend the next four years working within a trade school under a specific major, such as plumbing, your career choices after graduating may too narrow. This is especially true if the student does not want to go into the professional field you studied for after completing trade school.
One of the hardest measures of any school's potential is the success of students after they graduate the school. The data on trade schools seems mixed. On the one hand, with such niche training, all the student can apply for are specific jobs in a market. That market may or may not be flourishing after the student graduates. However, as a 2011 article on the Huffington Post points out, predicted success is difficult to measure even for liberal arts or bachelor's degree students as well.
Trade schools tend to be more expensive, relatively, than other academic institutions. For example, a two-year program may cost a student more than $30,000. The result is the application of aid, especially financial aid. This is because most of these schools do not have endowments or loan programs, so most students need to apply for federal or private financial aid. With large amounts of debt after graduating a school that may or many not have good job prospects afterword could be a tough sell for some students.
Each student is unique and each student requires their own educational experience. If a student wants a specific career and cannot see themselves doing anything else, a trade school would be a perfect choice. However, if other options are on the table, a student may to seriously weigh every option possible and evenly.