The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has 14 statewide approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) Career Clusters. Across Houston Independent School District (HISD), all 14 clusters are offered. However, HISD has a unique structure among Houston-area school districts in which career clusters are available only at certain campuses. Students may enroll in schools offering their desired program through the district’s school choice system.
This study examined the availability and access to CTE programs across campus enrollment characteristics, neighborhood characteristics, and the time and distance from neighborhoods to schools offering particular CTE programs.
Key findings:
- The highest-growing occupations are associated with the health science, hospitality and tourism, and human services career clusters. Occupations associated with these clusters are projected to grow by 20% or more by 2030.
- Neighborhoods in HISD's southern half more often lacked ready access to certain CTE programs than those in the district's northern half, and these areas tend to have predominantly Black or Hispanic populations, as well as high proportions of low-income households with children.
- Neighborhoods that most often lacked easy access to certain CTE programs included: Sunnyside, Five Corners, Sharpstown, and areas near Pasadena.
- Neighborhoods with campuses served by the Barbara Jordan Career Center were often among those with the easiest access to a variety of CTE programs, offering a model that could potentially be emulated elsewhere in HISD.
Access information about each career cluster by clicking the links below. Download all the files here.
