Houston-Area K–12 District Breaks Ground on New CTE Center

The Brazosport Independent School District in Freeport, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center at Brazosport High School, according to a news release. The 76,000-square-foot facility is being funded through a 2019 bond and has an estimated completion date of December 2024. The district partnered with VLK Architects for the building’s design.

“VLK is very fortunate to have partnered with Brazosport ISD in the design of the Brazosport High School CTE Center,” said VLK Architects Principal Monika Castillo. “The new building and addition will allow the district to continue delivering instruction for the betterment of their students’ futures.”

The new building will connect directly to the main school and offer specialized spaces for programs including cosmetology, floral design, veterinary technology, journalism, and others. It will also feature workshops for welding, architectural engineering, and construction, each with a dedicated classroom space and shop area with access to an outdoor, secured workspace. The new spaces were designed to include natural light and exterior finishes that complement the rest of campus.

The news release reports that the cosmetology lab will include installations for hair styling, pedicures and manicures, and facial treatments, while the vet tech lab will have space for animal treatment and grooming. The facility will also include a podcast room, green screen room, and control room for the school’s AV and multimedia production programs.

“Our new Career and Technical Education building will serve as a hub of innovation, fostering creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning,” said Brazosport ISD Superintendent Danny Massey. “This facility will provide our students with access to cutting-edge technology, modern workshops, and industry-standard equipment across a wide range of disciplines. Together, we will build not only a physical structure for our students today, but also a legacy of excellence for generations to come.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.