According to the Texas Education Agency, a Career and Technical Education program is a coherent course with a focus on academic standards and technical skills for future careers. The rise in popularity of both districts' CTE programs has led to an increase in district investment.
The big picture
Tomball ISD’s CTE program offers 13 career clusters with 28 specialized programs. They have a health program held at Tomball Star Academy and their Future Educators P-TECH is opening this fall at Tomball West High School.
The Tomball Innovation Center hosts many of the district's CTE career clusters, including but not limited to:
- Aviation lab
- Cybersecurity lab
- Law enforcement & legal studies labs
- Graphic design lab
- Emergency medicine
The director of the TISD CTE program, Karla Sandoval, has said that making sure the students are set up for long-term success is MISD’s highest priority.
“Ensuring that our graduates are well prepared for their lives after high school, whether that includes postsecondary training, education, immediately entering the workforce, or serving in the military, is our highest priority,” Sandoval said.
Magnolia ISD offers 10 career clusters with more than 25 individualized programs of study for both junior and high school students. Foy Campbell, the current director of the MISD CTE program, said a key aspect of connecting students with their CTE programs is simply finding what excites them and stoking that passion until they choose to pursue it.
Magnolia High Health Science Building hosts the district's population health CTE program; amenities of the facility include but are not limited to:
- Mock ambulances
- Mock hospital rooms
- Medical labs
- Interactive manakins
Diving Deeper
Input from local business leaders and high interest from students are the two common driving factors for Tomball and Magnolia's investment in their CTE programs.
In Magnolia, the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation continues to work to bring in new business to the city. MISD works in conjunction with the EDC to invest in CTE programs that will lead to opportunities for students post-high school.
“The Magnolia economic development folks [EDC], they want to bring businesses to Magnolia, and we want to have graduates that can take those work positions that they might have available when the time comes,” Campbell said.
TISD also partners with the Tomball Economic Development Corporation, or TEDC, which offers a Summer Youth Employment Program. The program allows local businesses to work with CTE students from their affiliated program areas in paid internships over the summer.
Sandoval said the Tomball ISD CTE program also has a CTE Advisory Board, which is made up of parents, students, local businesses, industry leaders and higher education institutions. Together, the board helps determine CTE programs that need improvement and expansion. Some programs recently added based on that input include aviation maintenance, aviation pilots, cybersecurity, electrical technology, law enforcement, and legal studies.
Why it matters
Tiffani Wooten, the assistant director for the Tomball Economic Development Council, said a benefit students tend to see when earning a certification through CTE programs is more career opportunities either after high school or through higher education.
“We've seen increasing interest in skilled trades, manufacturing, healthcare, engineering, construction, and other technical careers,” Wooten said. Students are recognizing that there are multiple pathways to a successful career.
MISD Assistant Superintendent of Communications Denise Myers said a new initiative the district is encouraging is for junior high students to take CTE courses early to get a taste of what they'd like to do before deciding on high school or college.
Lend a hand
As part of the hands-on training aspect of the district's CTE programs, Magnolia and Tomball ISDs have partnerships with local businesses and higher education organizations to match students in the program with careers.
TISD’s investment in its Electrical Technology program led to a partnership with Lone Star College-Tomball's Electrical Technology program. Taught by Assistant Electrical Technology Professor Sree Nair, the program offers 15 hours of workforce credit and an Electrical Technology Occupational Skills Certificate in one year. Nair has said the program has grown in popularity with students. As the electrical and data industry in Texas grows, electricians will be a very popular and sought-after trade for the time being.
“Electricians are an integral part of modern society,” Nair said. “They provide the essential infrastructure required to power homes, businesses and critical facilities. Their expertise is vital for maintaining public safety, supporting the digital economy and driving the global transition toward renewable energy.”
MISD has made numerous investments and partnerships to support the district's growing health program. One of these partnerships is with The Heights Magnolia nursing facility, which began during the 2025-26 school year. Administrator Jordan Blake said that Certified Nursing Assistant program students shadow the facility's trained nurses as they take care of the elderly residents. Though it's only the first year of the partnership, Blake has already hired multiple students due to the great work they've done.
“The first year of the partnership was a great success," Blake said. “The students were very engaged during the clinicals. ... Then, after the program ended, the community was able to hire 5 of the students to full-time jobs after they graduated in May this year.”
Looking ahead
For the near future, both districts have planned for different programs and initiatives to continue growing their individual CTE programs. Sandoval said TISD is currently planning on revitalizing warehouse space at the Tomball Innovation Center in order to expand CTE offerings. Campbell said MISD is considering investing in a new drone program at the third high school that's being built in the near future.
Tomball ISD's most popular career clusters
- Health Science
- Business, Marketing and Finance
- Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Engineering Foundations
Magnolia ISD's most popular career clusters
- Health Science
- Agriculture Mechanics - Welding
- Culinary
- NJROTC
