Northwest ISD will continue to expand its career and technical education academies in the coming years, first with the Construction Academy opening in 2025, followed by the Transportation, Automation & Logistics Academy in 2027.
“Through these new academies, district students will have more opportunities to pursue their passions and gain a competitive advantage when beginning their careers,” the district said in a statement. “The new academies will expand Northwest ISD’s award-winning CTE options for students, helping them prepare to either enter the workforce or go into college with higher preparedness than their peers. The district currently offers seven academies as well as 22 programs of study.”
Academies represent concentrated training in a specific industry, with four years of unique classes offered on specific campuses, according to a district news release. Programs of study, however, are offered at all comprehensive high schools and provide more flexible scheduling.
“When opening new academies, Northwest ISD analyzes growing career fields and wages to provide students with the best opportunity for career opportunities,” the district said. “Both construction and transportation fields continue to see growing needs across the region and United States, and both provide strong wages for entry-level work as well as higher-level employment.”
The Construction Academy, to be housed at Northwest High School, will provide students with the ability to learn trade skills and immediately enter the workforce upon graduation as well as gain more advanced construction knowledge for career preparation and advancement, according to NISD. Students enrolled in the Construction Academy will learn hands-on construction career skills in HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, electrical, site safety and construction management. Northwest ISD plans to partner with local companies and organizations for internship opportunities to prepare students for trade fields or post-secondary education in the field.
New trade skills programs in construction and related fields have been among the most-suggested additions to the district’s CTE offerings. The new Construction Academy will meet this request while ensuring that the management knowledge students gain will benefit them in pursuit of career advancement.
“We know there’s a really strong demand for trades-based training,” said Kelley Henderson, executive director of college and career readiness. “We want students to have a broad experience with construction trades. As they move to their junior and senior year, they can specialize in certain trades.”
Enrollment requests for the new academy are already underway in advance of its August 2025 opening as Northwest High School continues its expansion and renovation. Thanks to funding approved by voters in the 2021 bond election, a new construction shop and classrooms will open at the start of the 2025-2026 school year to house the academy.
The Transportation, Automation & Logistics Academy will be located at the district’s upcoming fourth high school. Program areas include automotive technologies, diesel mechanics, and automation and software programming. Logistics and supply chain modules will be built into each program.
As a global logistics hub, the Alliance corridor provides unique opportunities for industry partnerships unavailable to most school districts. Jobs related to the TALA fields in the region are among the most rapidly growing and offer competitive compensation.
“When we talk about automation, we know there’s technology being developed right now that our students are going to learn as part of their career,” said Dr. Mark Foust, superintendent of schools. “With this academy, we want to be in a position where we can interact with those changes in industry. We want students to have experience with diesel and other traditional transportation aspects of the industry as we have a foot in the future with automation and other industry-leading technologies and trends.”
This new academy will provide students with the opportunity to learn in a burgeoning career field that has boundless opportunities in the area. Northwest ISD has already begun discussions with potential area business partners to provide real-world training as part of the academy.
Enrollment requests for the new academy will begin in winter 2026 in preparation for the high school’s opening in the 2027-2028 school year. The school will feature automotive-oriented classrooms, automotive bays (including two diesel-specific bays), industry-specific computer and programming labs, and an innovation makerspace outfitted with automation and logistics technologies.
Funding for both the new high school and its new academy space was approved by voters in the 2023 bond election.
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