Career & Technical Education Programs

The vision of the Peninsula School District is that every student will graduate from our district, capable and able to take advantage of any life opportunity that might come their way.

Career and technical programs help students build and clarify their dreams and aspirations and ensure the skills and experiences for attaining them. These courses are a critical part of your high school education and provide meaning and relevance to learning.

CTE: A Pathway to Graduation

The state of Washington requires students to fulfill certain requirements beyond credits for graduation. One of these is your High School and Beyond Plan. Another is fulfilling one of eight Graduation Pathways. This requirement can be met by completing 2.0 credits in a Career and Technical Program area. There is also the option of taking classes that may be in different program areas if the set of classes are aligned to your goals after high school, called a Local CTE Pathway. For more information on how to have a Local CTE Pathway approved for graduation, see your counselor.

The Career and Technical Program Areas are:

1. Agriculture and Environmental Science

2. Business and Marketing

3. Health Sciences

4. Human Services, Education, and Personal Health

5. Skilled Trades and Art Science

6. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)

The classes our district offers in each CTE Program Area are listed below. Courses completed through West Sound Technical Skills Center can also help students meet the CTE Graduation Pathway. (Courses taken through Running Start do not meet the CTE Graduation Pathway.)

CTE Dual Requirement

Some CTE courses may be used to meet more than one graduation requirement. The dual requirement courses meet multiple requirements but only offer one credit toward the total 24 credits needed for graduation.

For example, Digital Photography I counts as both a CTE and an Arts class but only adds 0.5 credit to a student's total credits earned. Taking dual requirement courses can bring flexibility to a students' high school courses.

CTE Dual College Credit

In partnership with Bates Technical College, Clover Park Technical College, and Pierce College, many career and technical courses in our district give college credit to students who successfully complete the courses taken at high school. Our Peninsula School District CTE teachers register the students for credit and enter grades in the college’s system. Students can access their grades and transcripts following course completion. For more information, talk to your teacher or visit Pierce County Careers Connection. CTE courses that also offer CTE Dual Credit are listed in the descriptions on each program areas page.