Across Conroe, Montgomery and Willis ISDs, each district offers a wide variety of Career and Technical Education programs tailored to individual students' interests and skill sets. The Texas Education Agency has an official framework for 14 distinct CTE career clusters. Within the 3 main districts, however, there are differences in how each operates.
What you need to know
For Montgomery ISD, its CTE program mainly operates in a centralized facility known as The Den, where students across the district are bused in for their specific CTE classes. The construction of The Den came from a $326.9 million bond that passed in May 2022. The facility was completed for the August 2025 school year. MISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin has said The Den was designed as a bridge between the classroom and workforce.
“The DEN was built around a belief that every student deserves access to high-quality career preparation,” Ruffin said. “By bringing advanced programs together under one roof, we're able to offer more opportunities, maximize taxpayer investment, and ensure students receive experiences that mirror today's professional workplaces.”
Conroe ISD's CTE program does not have a centralized CTE facility, unlike Willis ISD and Montgomery ISD. Instead, its programs are spread throughout the district in different school facilities.
Montgomery ISD offers 23 programs, including:
- Cosmetology and personal care services
- Agricultural technology & mechanical systems
- Culinary arts
- Engineering
- Welding
Conroe ISD offers 26 programs, including:
- Exercise science, wellness and restoration
- Health informatics
- Nursing science
- Diagnostic and therapeutic services
- Biomedical science
Willis ISD offers 22 programs, including:
- Animal science
- Cosmetology & Personal Care Services
- Welding
- Diagnostic & Therapeutic Services
- Engineering foundations
Diving in deeper
A common theme behind all three districts' recent investments in CTE programs is the desire to properly set up students for success once they leave the district.
“Parents, students, business leaders and community members made it clear they wanted Montgomery ISD to provide more opportunities for students to explore careers, earn industry credentials, and graduate with real-world experiences that prepare them for success beyond high school,” MISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin said.
Andrew Stewart, CISD Executive Director of Communications, said that the district's programs are developed and reviewed using regional labor market data,
Montgomery County workforce needs, Texas workforce priorities, and input from local industry partners. Noah Hollander, the Willis ISD Executive Director of CTE, said their investments also primarily focus on future workforce needs in the region.
“We want students to explore career fields, earn industry-recognized certifications and graduate prepared for college, technical training, military service, or immediate entry into the workforce, said Hollander.
Why it matters
The total cost for MISD’s new agricultural and CTE facility was $69.5 million. The CTE facility known as the Den was a critical investment and community hub for the Montgomery community. The Den's main advantage is its “industry-standard equipment and hands-on learning environments that couldn’t be replicated on multiple campuses,” Ruffin said.
In 2019, CISD passed a $653.5 million bond to fund multiple upgrades across the school district, including to CTE programs and facilities. CISD used $10.5 million of the bond fund to build a new South County CTE Center for Oak Ridge and Grand Oaks High School.
WISD passed a $109.5 million bond package in 2015 to fund multiple new infrastructure projects. One of these projects was the district's $39.4 million CTE center that was completed in 2018.
Giving back
Thanks to the numerous partnerships each district has with its CTE programs, students have a better chance at receiving internships and jobs both during and after high school.
Scott Harper, the president of the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, is one of the many local organizations that offer career exposure programs with the CISD and WISD CTE programs. The chamber program consists of job fairs and connecting students with a wide variety of job opportunities early on in high school.
“I think that's where it creates the relationship with the schools at a young age with these kids and then all the way into high school,” Harper said. “To where they can come out of high school with no debt, walking into a guaranteed job that's making solid money.”
Examples of CTE partnerships with local businesses include:
Montgomery ISD
- Better Care Chiropractic
- Woodforest Dental Loft
- Stone Creek Family Medicine
- Montgomery Police Department
Conroe ISD
- Memorial Hermann Health System
- St. Luke’s Health
- Carlton Woods
- Lamar Institute of Technology
Willis ISD
- Rave Financial
- European Auto Services
- Lone Star College
- Lamar State College Orange
Looking ahead
All three districts have recently taken necessary steps to strengthen their CTE programs for the future. On June 8, the WISD board of trustees and the long-range planning committee reviewed a $18.5 million bond recommendation for additions to a new CTE center. MISD CTE Director Kristy Starkey said the district will introduce new programs for the 2026-27 school year. For CISD, they are set to open three new Agriculture facilities to support the district's growing CTE and FFA program.
Montgomery ISD
- 2026-27 New CTE Programs
- Virtual Business
- Digital Art and Animation
- Automotive II
- Statistics & Business Decision Making
Willis ISD
- $18.5 million new CTE center additions
- Chennault Aviation partnership for student aviation maintenance and pilot training
- District-wide mock interview program
Conroe ISD
- North, East and South CTE Agriculture facilities open August 2026
- Education and Training program expansion in Timber Mills High
