Career & Technical Education

Providing 21st Century Skills for All Secondary Students

Our Career and Technical Education team promotes and supports middle and high school programs that provide 21st century, academic and technical skills for all students.

Our goal is to prepare all students for their futures by helping them build strong foundations in academic and social learning and providing high-quality career and technical education opportunities for students to explore their passions and strengths.

Career and Technical Education provides students access to learn:

  • College and career readiness skills aligned with state and national standards.

  • Academic subject matter taught with relevance to the real world.

  • Employability skills.

  • Career pathways that link secondary and post-secondary education.

Our Career and Technical Education program is continually evolving to meet the needs of our students, the economy, our schools, our community, and college and career readiness requirements.

Watch to Learn More About CTE

Career & Technical Education Graduation Pathway

Beginning with the Class of 2020, students have access to a Career and Technical Education sequence of courses as a graduation pathway.  Students who pursue this pathway do not need to meet the English and mathematics requirements separately. English and mathematics content are embedded – and this pathway meets the purpose of a high school diploma: to declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner (RCW 28A.230.090).

The pathway is a minimum of 2.0 credits of career related classes that match the student’s High School and Beyond Plan and noted on said plan.

  • At least one of the credits within these 2.0 credits must offer the student the potential of earning Dual-Credit (DC), earning both high school and college credit, OR the potential of earning an Industry Recognized Credential (IRC)

  • The 2 credits must be within the same OSPI program area

  • View CTE Graduation Pathways and credit and credential requirements.

Kent School District CTE Program Areas:

  • Agriculture

  • Business & Marketing

  • Family & Consumer Sciences/Human Services

  • Health Sciences

  • Skilled & Technical Sciences

  • STEM

CTE 101 Video

Earn College Credits for High School CTE Courses

Students in grades 9-12 taking select CTE courses have the opportunity to earn high school and college credit at the same time.

Explore Future Career Pathways

Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes fall into one of 16 career clusters, a group of jobs and industries that are related by skills or products. Within each cluster, there are pathways that correspond to a collection of courses and training opportunities to prepare students for a chosen career. Each cluster contains information on careers, affiliated student leadership organizations, education, and training options for high school graduates after high school, and other related student resources.

CTE classes integrate academics with technical skill development to help prepare students for higher-level courses in college or for an internship. Discover CTE pathways that align with your future career goals.