Kilgore High School helps students plug into modern jobs as CTE evolves

Guided by TEA, Career & Technical Education pathways ensure high schoolers get a jump-start on career goals |

The ‘Career & Technical Education’ moniker is broad, but it doesn’t fully capture all the facets of Kilgore High School’s efforts to prepare students for college, the workforce and beyond.

“We hone in, and they’re able to explore all different types of jobs and careers when they’re in high school and they choose their program of study,” says Misty Lewis, CTE Director at KHS. Introducing all the opportunities to eighth graders, “We’re showing them and guiding them through each program of study to see what the career and job opportunities are. We offer a wide range of programs to choose from in order to study those careers and those jobs.

“If this is their goal for their career, this is the path they need to take.”

The ongoing efforts are ensuring a steady stream of students with practical experience as well as the soft skills they need to be an asset to Kilgore companies.

Kilgore High School’s latest Programs of Study Guidebook is available via https://tinyurl.com/KHS-cte-2526 to introduce incoming eighth graders to the options available to them as freshmen.

CTE concentrations for 2025-2026 at KHS range from Agriculture to Architecture & Construction, Business, Education, Health Science, Law & Public Service, Manufacturing and Transportation plus Arts, A/V Technology & Communications.

It’s in the final pathway that KHS Senior Nate Perez has logged his CTE hours the past four years.

Across 10 courses since he started out in the concentration as a freshman, Perez has amassed a mixture of instruction and  practical experience – he’s on the yearbook staff this year, spending a portion of that practical time covering the activities of other CTE students on campus.

“There are many pathways,” Perez says, and he has former classmates who are pursuing their CTE concentrations in college and beyond it.

Perez is heading to Texas A&M in the fall. In particular, he feels his time in graphic design and media has given him practical skills he’ll be able to put to work in his chosen field, mechanical engineering.

“Being able to present these different ideas for projects I want to do, it’ll help me communicate what I’m trying to do for people,” he said. The CTE coursework has also bolstered his soft skills, integrated into all his other endeavors, too: “They really helped me out of a shell I once had. I wasn’t confident speaking in front of people or even creating something from my own imagination.

“Both programs helped me develop those skills. Being able to communicate is such a great skill that many people don’t have.”

Perez says he’s seen the same growth in his classmates, whether they’re in journalism, teacher training or another CTE pathway. They’re developing marketable skills and preparing for life beyond high school.

“I’m very grateful for our CTE programs we have here,” he said. “Not only has it helped me, it’s helped more than I can count.

“I feel that through my years here at KHS they’ve truly developed and are really something where kids can go grow and learn and really develop skills they’ll need for later on.”

BY THE NUMBERS

• Over the past five years, Kilgore ISD has increased CTE revenue by $2M, driven by enrollment growth in advanced courses.
• 97% of Kilgore High School students are enrolled in at least one CTE course every year.
• 400+ KHS students are scheduled to earn certifications from 13 industries this year.
• 145 students participate daily in practicum, clinical, or work-based learning with local employers and institutions.
• All KHS Programs of Study align with high-wage, high-growth, high-demand occupations based on current labor market data.
• 120+ students are enrolled in workforce-specific dual credit courses at Kilgore College, with ISD covering any tuition gaps not funded through HB 8.
• 49.2% of KHS students are CTE completers, compared to a 33.5% state average – well above the norm and a key priority for continued growth.

School districts’ CTE pathways start at the top – Texas Education Agency sets the number and variety of concentrations for which students in the Lone Star State can get lessons, credits and certifications.

“We can’t just pick anything… We’re choosing from what the state tells us we can choose from,” Lewis said. “We choose from those based on high wage, high demand in our area. We look at that data, and we look at what fits in East Texas. We’re building the programs of study that fit that.”

At KHS and other districts, the CTE pathways are tailored to not only the local job market and student interests but also the culture of the school and community. Every program of study stretches across the four years of high school, but some pathways incorporate more courses than others.

Welding for example, starts with introductory courses and includes some double-block class periods. The practicums for the pathway are also double-blocked.
Those practicums can be taught on campus or they may be off-campus at a paid or unpaid job. Likewise, within welding (and select other pathways) students have the opportunity to take dual credit at Kilgore College during their junior and senior years.

“We have some wiggle room in there as far as what it looks like.”

Schools’ flexibility under TEA’s guidance helps ensure the community’s employers are seeing a steady flow of highly-skilled workers coming through the pipeline to fill a variety of positions.

During the past five years, Kilgore ISD has increased Career & Technical Education revenue by $2 million, driven by enrollment in advanced courses – 97 percent of Kilgore High School students are enrolled in at least one CTE course every year. Among those, 145 students participate daily in practicum, clinical or work-based learning with local employers and institutions.

This year, more than 400 KHS students will earn industrial certifications, with 13 industries represented in the mix. All Programs of Study at Kilgore High School align with high-wage, high-growth, high-demand occupations based on current labor market data.

 

Some students are college-bound, others head directly into the workforce.

Lewis’ path to CTE director featured a bit of the same.

With a marketing degree in hand, “God said, ‘You’re going to be a teacher,'” and fresh out of college she spent six years teaching Accounting and Business Computer Information Systems.

After 13 years as a stay-at-home mom, Lewis re-entered the workforce as an English teacher before accepting a marketing opportunity.

Life led her back to education, though.

“I don’t know that I saw myself as a CTE director,” Lewis added. “The more I saw, the more I really enjoyed getting to have my hands on every program of study and getting to impact more students.

“I love going into class. They want to show me what they’re doing. In construction, they can’t wait to show me the picnic table they’re building. I love visiting with our FFA kids; they want to practice their speeches with me.”

 

With so many active CTE pathways derived from Texas Education Agency’s targets, students are getting plugged into their passions.

“That has been truly rewarding, to have a hand in all of it and to get to see kids daily,” Lewis said, “and to still have that wide range of all our students and all our CTE programs of study.”

The pathways and programs continue to evolve, and Kilgore ISD has a goal to introduce the opportunities to students at younger ages than eighth grade.

“We want to have more of a presence and a voice in our elementary years,” Lewis said, opening the doors to conversations about the future earlier and earlier, helping youngsters focus their efforts. “When you’re asking a student what their end goal is, we say ‘This is how we get you there,’ and we start here.”