…I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.” President Obama, State of the Union Address, February 2009

Career and Technical Education (CTE) gives high school students, like you, the chance to get a head start on preparing for college and careers. In CTE programs you will learn how core school subjects like math, science and writing are used in real-life. As a CTE student you have the opportunity to participate in hands-on training in your chosen program and gain real world experience through job shadows and internships. Many programs offer you the opportunity to earn nationally recognized certifications which you can use to get a job to pay for college or as the start of your career!

CTE Clusters

The industries which you can choose to study are:

CTE College and Career Academy Applications

Are you in 8th grade and interested in attending a College and Career Academy?

College and Career Academies are new, state of the art CTE programs, currently offered across multiple industries at 11 schools dispersed throughout the city. They are open to all interested students, with no attendance area boundaries - students with ISAT Math and Reading Stanine scores at or above 5 receive preference in admissions. To attend, you must apply while in 8th grade and be accepted. To review the list of College and Career Academies and to download and print the application, please click the link below.

The College and Career Academies have moved to rolling admissions. This means applications will be accepted until all the spots in the freshman class have been filled.

» English Version of Application
» Spanish Version of Application

CTE Participation at Neighborhood Schools

No application is required for you to participate in most CTE programs. All you need to do is determine which program at your school you are interested in and you can enroll in the introductory course when you choose your sophomore courses with your counselor (may vary by school). See the list of CTE Programs being offered for the 2010-2011 school year to find out which options are available at your neighborhood school.