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

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • 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.

  • California Middle School Breaks Ground on Major Renovation Project

    The Hillsborough City School District (HCSD) in Hillsborough, Calif., recently began construction on new multipurpose and administration facilities for Crocker Middle School, according to a news release.