How Houston schools are building future-ready talent

Writer: Andrea Teran

December 2025 — Houston-area school districts are rethinking how career and technical education (CTE) fits into a modern K–12 system. At a recent education leadership panel, four superintendents from districts across Greater Houston outlined how they’re expanding STEM and career pathways — not just in high school, but starting in pre-K.

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“It starts early,” said Rebecca Brown, superintendent of Dickinson ISD, during the Invest: Houston Leadership Summit on Nov. 20. “We begin talking about post-high school plans in elementary school — STEM instruction, yes, but also giving students real choices early on. That includes everything from technical careers to fine arts to trades.”

Statewide shift, local action

Texas has leaned heavily into career and technical education in recent years. As of the most recent figures from Advance CTE, more than 1.18 million high school students in Texas are classified as CTE concentrators — roughly 70% of the state’s public high school enrollment. Total secondary CTE participation now exceeds 1.18 million students statewide, reflecting widespread integration of career pathways into the K–12 system.

In the Houston Independent School District — the largest in the region — district data from 2019 already showed upward momentum, with CTE enrollment growing from 33,634 to 44,840 over a decade. In addition, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, all HISD high schools are now required to offer at least two designated CTE programs, such as health informatics, networking systems, and entrepreneurship. Students who complete coherent CTE sequences in HISD show lower dropout rates (2.6% versus 3.9% for peers) and higher pass rates on core end-of-course exams.

“Student engagement is the key,” said Randal O’Brien, superintendent of Goose Creek CISD. His district hosts ten career academies aligned to regional labor demand. “We talk to students, families, and business partners — what do kids want to do, and what do employers need? Then we build pathways.”

Career pipelines as early as pre-K

Panelists emphasized that CTE isn’t just about welding labs or health science tracks in high school. In La Porte ISD, all seven elementary campuses have STEM academies. Pre-K classrooms at Goose Creek CISD are themed — space, wetlands, robotics — and regularly host visits from local professionals.

“Our four-year-olds are saying words like ‘minuscule’ and ‘veterinarian,’” said O’Brien. “We’re building vocabulary, sparking curiosity. They’re already thinking about who they want to become.”

Ken Gregorski, superintendent of Katy ISD, echoed the importance of foundational skills. His district recently rolled out a 1:1 Chromebook initiative to standardize tech access across all 97,000 students. “Technology can equalize opportunity. Every student, regardless of zip code, should be ready for the future.”

Workforce alignment, local impact

The region’s economy — anchored by energy, healthcare, logistics, and aerospace — has shaped the structure of many local CTE programs. Dickinson ISD, for example, is investing in a new CTE center set to open in 2026, aimed at expanding high-demand pathways. The district plans to offer programs in health science, cybersecurity, HVAC, maritime, firefighting, and culinary arts — aligned with regional workforce needs in energy, infrastructure, and public safety.

“We are focused on future-forward fields, but also the trades: HVAC, welding, electrical,” said Brown. “We sit near the Gulf Coast, so energy and infrastructure matter. Our students need skills that match what this region demands.”

Statewide, Texas has outpaced federal investment in CTE, according to a 2023 policy analysis by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. That funding has helped expand dual-credit programs, certifications, and high school–college–industry partnerships.

Still, gaps remain. A Kinder Institute study found that not all Houston campuses offer equal access to career clusters and that long-term outcomes vary based on postsecondary attainment. National data from NCES show that CTE concentrators are more likely to earn associate degrees but less likely to earn bachelor’s degrees than their non-CTE peers.

Investing in educators

Expanding high-quality career and technical education depends deeply on a stable, well-prepared corps of teachers. According to Texas Public Radio, data from the Charles Butt Foundation show Texas still faces a serious retention challenge — 66% of teachers surveyed in 2025 said they had considered leaving the classroom, citing stress, low pay, heavy workloads, and feeling undervalued.

That reality reinforces what panelists emphasized at the leadership summit.

“We need to make certain that we are investing in our young teachers,” said Walter Jackson, superintendent of La Porte ISD. “Not just paying them a good salary when they start but also figuring out ways to pay for them to go back and learn — even earn master’s and doctoral degrees — so that we can feel like we have masters in every classroom.”

Want more? Read the Invest: Houston report.