Lubbock Independent School District

Connecting Students to Bright Futures

This West Texas district’s 600 Industry Partnerships and Centralized CTE Model Create Direct Pathways from Classroom to Career.

In West Texas, where cotton fields stretch to the horizon and agriculture drives a $24.9 billion state economy, one school district is rethinking what it means to prepare students for the modern workforce. Lubbock Independent School District serves 24,000 students in a region that produces 60 percent of America’s cotton yet faces a challenge many urban districts would find counterintuitive: declining enrollment amid community growth.

“Lubbock ISD’s mission is to nurture, develop, and inspire every child every day,” says Dr. Kathy Rollo, the district’s superintendent. “We base the decisions that we make around three pillars: value data, love people, and develop leaders.” The district educates students in a city that has evolved from a traditional agricultural economy into what local leaders describe as a seven-legged economic structure, encompassing technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and professional services alongside its farming roots.

The enrollment paradox conforms to a common suburban sprawl pattern. While Lubbock County grows, new housing developments fall outside the district’s attendance boundaries, creating what Dr. Rollo calls “our greatest charge and mission.” Rather than viewing shrinking numbers as defeat, district leaders have doubled down on providing choice and opportunity. “We see our CTE courses as an outstanding choice for students who want to pursue something outside of the traditional pathway of going to college, although we want to prepare them for that as well,” Dr. Rollo explains. “CTE gives our kids a large number of choices in order to succeed.”

Four Comprehensive High Schools and Unique Programs

Career and Technical Education is a critical pathway nationwide, with 85 percent of 2019 high school graduates taking at least one CTE course. In Lubbock, this trend takes on particular significance as the district leverages its unusual structure to maximize student opportunities across a diverse economic landscape that includes everything from semiconductor manufacturing to traditional agriculture.

“Lubbock ISD has four comprehensive high schools, and that is something that when we saw our community growing 60, 75 years ago, we ended up with four comprehensive high schools,” Dr. Rollo explains. The district also operates Talkington School for Young Women Leaders, which recently graduated its 13th class, and offers a magnet middle school focused on project-based learning. This infrastructure creates an uncommon advantage in a mid-sized district.

The choice model covers more than traditional boundaries. “A large percentage of our students don’t attend their neighborhood zoned school,” Dr. Rollo notes. “They’re actually choosing to go to other schools that fit their needs because each one of those comprehensive high schools and Talkington have some very unique programming opportunities for kids.” Students can select from an international baccalaureate program with feeder schools, Project Lead the Way engineering courses, or an early college partnership with Texas Tech University that allows graduates to earn up to 60 college hours.

The crown jewel of this choice architecture is the Advanced Technology Center, which serves all high schools through a centralized approach. “All of our kids at all of our high schools have access to the Advanced Technology Center, which is where they can go to take their more advanced level CTE courses,” Dr. Rollo says. “We have a centralized approach to that, which is unique for our community as well.”

Industry Partnerships That Work

Across the United States, businesses face mounting challenges filling middle-skills jobs in trades, telecommunications, healthcare, and information technology. Career and Technical Education programs increasingly serve as the bridge between classroom learning and workforce demands, with successful models requiring deep industry integration. In Lubbock, where regional employment has grown by nearly 10,000 jobs over five years, this partnership approach has reached unprecedented scale.

“We actually have 16 distinct advisory committees that are composed of up to 600 community partners,” says Amy Baker, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education. “Within each of those committees, we work with various local, state, and national partners to make sure that we have that continual industry connection.” The district requires teachers to host industry partners in their classrooms at least twice yearly, creating direct pipelines between education and employment.

Healthcare partnerships exemplify the model’s depth. Covenant Health Systems, the region’s largest healthcare provider employing over 5,000 people, offers skills bootcamps, live surgery viewing opportunities, and middle school summer camps. “They help with our middle school lunch and learn events where we bring our industry partners into the middle schools and we let kids engage in hands-on training,” Baker explains. “They’re touching and using stethoscopes, they’re looking in each other’s ears, they’re taking each other’s temperatures and measuring their heart rates.”

The trades programs demonstrate similar industry commitment. “Those partners have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to our facility for training equipment, and then they walk hand in hand with us in coming into the classroom and doing interviews with our students, hiring them for internships, and then hiring them for post-graduation, full-time employment,” Baker notes.

Certifications and Real-World Readiness

Career and Technical Education programs nationwide increasingly focus on industry-recognized credentials that provide immediate workforce entry points. Research shows CTE concentrators are more likely to complete postsecondary degrees and earn higher wages than traditional associate degree recipients, while businesses benefit from programs that directly address skill gaps in high-growth industries. Lubbock ISD has transformed this concept into measurable outcomes that rival university placement rates.

“Last school year, we had 1,063 students who earned an industry-based certification that is recognized by the Texas Education Agency,” Baker reports. “Additionally, we had around 550 students who earned college dual credit in our career and technical education programs.” The dual pathway is part of the district’s recognition that modern careers often require both technical skills and continuing education flexibility.

The HVAC program illustrates how workforce demands drive curriculum development. “We had folks come in to say, ‘Look, we need a workforce. We need people to work,'” recalls Ann Archer, Principal of the Advanced Technology Center. “HVAC was one of those areas where we heard loud and clear that there is a shortage in our area of certified technicians.” Industry partners, including Armstrong Mechanical and Robert Madden Industries, responded by donating over $30,000 worth of equipment for hands-on training.

The culmination comes through a unique “skilled trade signing day” where graduating students formalize employment agreements with local companies. “The employers come and bring tool belts and equipment and present those students with a signed agreement that they are a partner after graduation,” Baker explains. Among the district’s 75 industry partners are Temple Electric, Lee Lewis Construction, and the West Texas Home Builders Association, creating immediate career pathways that are akin to traditional college athletic signings.

Technology Integration and Modern Facilities

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation across American schools, forcing districts to rapidly deploy one-to-one device programs and integrate technology into daily instruction. Many institutions struggled with the transition, but some leveraged existing infrastructure to create lasting educational advantages. In Lubbock, where the economy increasingly relies on technology sectors and advanced manufacturing, digital integration has become fundamental to career preparation.

“We were a district before the pandemic who actually had enough devices in the district for every child to have one, but we had not checked them out to children,” Dr. Rollo explains. “The week before spring break when we realized that something strange was coming in 2020, we made the decision to go ahead and get those devices checked out to kids.” The district now operates as a fully one-to-one system with district-issued Chromebooks for every student from pre-kindergarten through high school.

Classroom technology encompasses more than basic computing. “We have interactive televisions or smart boards where the kids can move things around on the screens,” says Cassie Sanders, a Career and Technical Education teacher. “We are a Google District, so we have access to all of the Google products, and the kids have their own email addresses.” Google Classroom enables continuous learning for student athletes and those with other commitments who frequently miss class time.

Specialized equipment enhances hands-on learning across programs. “I have a display camera right above my main table that will zoom in and give a really close view of what we’re working on that day,” Sanders notes. The health sciences wing features simulated hospital and long-term care environments with professional-grade technology similar to real workplace conditions, preparing students for immediate workforce integration upon graduation.

Leadership, Lifelong Learning, and Strategic Priorities

Educational leaders typically face mounting pressure to adapt curricula and facilities to rapidly changing workforce demands while maintaining fiscal responsibility. In Texas, where agriculture contributes $159.3 billion to the state’s GDP and technology sectors continue expanding, districts must balance traditional economic foundations with emerging opportunities. Successful superintendents increasingly view continuous adaptation as essential to institutional survival and student success.

“Oh, I learn something new every single day. So of course I’m a proponent of lifelong learning,” Dr. Rollo emphatically states. “Particularly when you’re talking about CTE courses, we have to make sure that we’re continuing to evolve and learn and grow and get better.” The district regularly evaluates courses, equipment, and facilities to maintain relevance with industry standards and technological advancement.

The recent bond passage provides strategic opportunities for expansion. “Having just passed a bond election in May, our top priorities right now are planning around that bond and how we’re going to use that to best help us garner some efficiencies,” Dr. Rollo explains. The funding will support facility consolidation and CTE program growth. “CTE is a part of the bond too, so we’re super excited about expanding some of our learning opportunities in CTE through this bond election as well.”

The district’s AgriSTEM facility exemplifies forward-thinking infrastructure investment. Located on Texas Tech University land, the partnership expands agricultural pathway access from two high schools to all five district campuses. “Our students prior to that program being opened had access to agriculture career pathways at only two of our five high schools,” Dr. Rollo notes.

Lubbock ISD’s comprehensive approach shows how educational institutions can transform demographic challenges into competitive advantages. Through industry partnerships, centralized specialized resources, and flexible program development, the district has created a replicable model for workforce preparation that serves student aspirations and regional economic needs. In a state where agriculture remains foundational but technology and healthcare drive growth, this West Texas district proves that successful education lies not in choosing between tradition and innovation, but in strategically bridging both worlds.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Lubbock Independent School District

What: Public school district serving 24,000 students with comprehensive Career and Technical Education programs, four comprehensive high schools, and 600+ industry partnerships

Where: Lubbock, Texas

Website: www.lubbockisd.org