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Frisco ISD · Guide

Career and technical education (CTE) pathways in Frisco ISD

Career and technical education (CTE) courses teach skills for a career, from engineering and health science to culinary arts and law. This guide explains Frisco ISD's CTE Center and its programs of study, based on the district's 2026-27 CTE Guidebook and other official pages.

Last checked November 10, 2026About 8 min readUnofficial

Unofficial guide. CTE courses, forms and dates can change each year, and some details below come from Frisco ISD's 2027-28 High School Academic Guide, which the district says may still change until January 2027. Always confirm with your school counselor or the CTE Center counselor and the official Frisco ISD sources linked at the bottom.

What the CTE Center is

The Frisco ISD CTE Center (CTEC) is a separate building at 9889 Wade Blvd., Frisco, Texas 75035. It houses advanced CTE courses for high school students from any of Frisco ISD's 12 high schools.

  • You stay enrolled at your own high school. You take your core classes and introductory CTE classes there. Only courses marked "(CTEC)" are taught at the CTE Center. In the course catalog, many of these have "(CTE Center)" in their name.
  • Some courses are offered only at the CTE Center. Course offerings can change based on student interest and enrollment.
  • Seats are limited in some programs. Frisco ISD's guide says completing the prerequisites doesn't guarantee a spot in some advanced CTE Center courses.
  • The CTE Center has student organizations you can join, such as BPA, DECA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA and TAFE.

Getting there and the school day

  • Frisco ISD provides transportation between your high school and the CTE Center during the school day. It doesn't provide transportation to internship sites, so you arrange that yourself.
  • The CTE Center runs an A/B block schedule with 90-minute class periods. School there begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 4:35 p.m. Lunch and the activity period are at your home campus.
  • If a CTE Center class conflicts with an activity at your home campus, you're expected to stay in your CTE Center class.
  • Missing the shuttle bus again and again leads to consequences, starting with detention.
  • If you drive and park at the CTE Center, you need to register your car and get a parking permit from your home campus.

Ask your counselor: how students with a first-period or last-period CTE Center class get there or home. The bus schedule we found shows only the mid-day trips.

How to sign up

You pick CTE courses in your normal course selection, starting with your 8th grade course selection meeting with your high school counselor. Admission is based on grade level, age, interest, space in the class and aptitude.

Courses with extra forms (for the 2027-28 school year)

  • Rehabilitation Aide and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): applications are open November 2 – December 11, 2026.
  • Work-Based Learning (WBL) Qualification Form: open December 14, 2026 – January 15, 2027. Late or incomplete forms aren't accepted. It's needed for Architectural Design II, Child Guidance, Child Guidance-Practicum, Culinary Arts I and II, Education and Training, Education and Training-Practicum, Pharmacology, Sports Management, INCUbatoredu and most practicums (Ag Structures and Equipment, Floriculture and Horticulture, Government, Graphic Design and Illustration, Information Technology, Law, Marketing, Sports Broadcast I and II, Veterinary Medical Applications).
  • Collin College health courses (Health Science Clinical, Practicum in Health Science, Pharmacology, Pharmacy Technician, Medical Scribe): the Collin College Health Professions Clinical Application is open December 14, 2026 – January 15, 2027. The first step is applying to Collin College and getting a Collin student ID (CWID). Some health courses have extra application requirements, so start early and read the CTE Center's Work-Based Learning page.
  • INCubatoredu (entrepreneurship) needs a Program Qualification Form and is offered at Centennial, Frisco, Emerson, Heritage and Lone Star high schools.

Course fees

Many CTE courses have a fee for lab materials, supplies, student organizations, certification exams or uniforms. Ask your counselor for the fee list; we didn't find the amounts.

Career clusters and programs of study

A program of study is a series of CTE courses that build on each other, from an introduction in 9th or 10th grade to advanced courses later. Frisco ISD's 2026-27 CTE Guidebook groups them into career clusters (Frisco's web pages give different totals, so ask your counselor if you need an exact count):

  • Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources: Agribusiness, Leadership, and Communications; Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems; Animal Science; Animal Science (Vet Focus); Plant Science (Floriculture Focus); Plant Science (Horticulture Focus). Upper-level courses are at the CTE Center.
  • Architecture & Construction: Architectural Drafting and Design (all courses at the CTE Center).
  • Arts, A/V Technology & Communications: Digital Communications (AV Production); Graphic Design (Interactive Media); Graphic Design & Interactive Media (Animation), (Esports) and (Fashion Design).
  • Business, Marketing & Finance: Business Management; Accounting and Financial Services; Marketing and Sales (Entrepreneurship), (Media) and general; Entrepreneurship.
  • Education & Training: Early Learning; Teaching and Training.
  • Engineering: Engineering Foundations (Aerospace), (Digital Electronics) and (Civil). All are Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses at the CTE Center.
  • Health Science: Diagnostic & Therapeutic Services (Science), (EMT), (Pharmacology Technician) and (Rehab Aide/Medical Scribe); Nursing Science.
  • Hospitality & Tourism: Culinary Arts; Lodging and Resort Management; Travel, Tourism and Attractions.
  • Information Technology: Cybersecurity; Information Technology Support and Services; Networking Systems; Programming and Software; Programming and Software (Video Game Focus); Web Development.
  • Law & Public Service: Government and Public Administration; Law Enforcement; Legal Studies (all at the CTE Center).
  • Transportation, Distribution & Logistics: Automotive and Collision Repair (years 3 and 4 are taught at Collin College in Allen).

See every CTE course, with its code, tier and grades, in our Frisco ISD course catalog (CTE courses have a CTE tag).

How CTE courses count in your GPA

Frisco ISD weights courses in three tiers (see the GPA and class rank guide). According to the 2027-28 High School Academic Guide:

CTE courseTierPoints for a 100
Most CTE coursesTier I5.0
PLTW Intro to Engineering Design, PLTW Principles of EngineeringTier I5.0
PLTW Aerospace Engineering, PLTW Civil Engineering and Architecture, PLTW Digital Electronics, PLTW Engineering Design and DevelopmentTier II5.5
Computer Science III AdvancedTier III6.0
CTE dual credit (Collin College)Tier II; Tier III starting with the Class of 20305.5 / 6.0

Ask your counselor whether these rules are the same in the 2026-27 guide; only the 2027-28 guide was available when we checked.

CTE courses that fill other requirements

  • 4th science: Animal Science, Plant & Soil Science, Food Science, Forensic Science, Medical Microbiology, Pathophysiology.
  • Fine arts: 3D Modeling & Animation, Floral Design. 4th math: AP Computer Science A. Health: Health Science.
  • Technology credit: for example PLTW Intro to Engineering Design, Digital Media, Computer Maintenance, Audio/Video Production I and BIM I.

Certifications and college credit

Some CTE pathways can lead to an industry-based certification (IBC), a work-ready credential. The 2026-27 CTE Guidebook lists these by cluster:

  • Agriculture: AWS Certified Welder; Elanco Veterinary Medical Applications; Veterinary Assistant, Level I; Texas State Florist's Association Level 1; TSFA Knowledge Based Floral Certification.
  • Arts, A/V: Certified Professional in Visual Design Using Adobe Photoshop.
  • Education & Training: Education Aide I.
  • Engineering: Engineering Technology Foundations.
  • Health Science: Pharmacy Technician; Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA); Certified Nurse Aide (CNA); Patient Care Technician.
  • Hospitality: ServSafe Manager.
  • Information Technology: Cybersecurity Fundamentals; Information Technology Specialist: Networking; Information Technology: Java; Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer.
  • Transportation: Certificate Level 2 – Automotive Service Technician (AST); Certificate Level 2 – Collision Technology.

Frisco ISD suggests talking with the CTE Center counselor or your CTE teachers to find out if you might be eligible for one.

College credit

  • Collin College dual credit: Practicum in Health Science, Medical Scribe, Internetworking II (CISCO 2 and 3), Health Science Clinical, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Rehabilitation Aide, Pharmacy Technician. Health profession courses need a college passing grade of at least 75%.
  • Articulated credit with Collin College: Health Science, Computer Maintenance, Internetworking I (Cisco 1), Sports Management. Ask your counselor how this credit is awarded.
  • You pay the tuition, books and fees for Collin College dual credit courses, and Frisco ISD doesn't provide transportation to Collin College.

CTE completers and endorsements

Texas calls you a CTE completer when you complete, pass and earn credit for three or more CTE courses for four or more credits in the same program of study, including at least one level 3 or level 4 course. Every CTE program of study can lead to an endorsement (see the endorsements guide).

  • Business & Industry and Public Service: usually 4 credits in a coherent sequence with at least one level 3 or level 4 course.
  • STEM through CTE: four courses from a STEM pathway, plus Algebra II, Chemistry and Physics.

Which endorsement each program leads to, according to the 2027-28 guide's endorsement pages:

  • Business & Industry: the agriculture programs; Digital Communications (AV Production); Graphic Design & Interactive Media (Graphic Design, Animation, Esports, Fashion Design); Accounting & Financial Services; Marketing & Sales; Business Management; Entrepreneurship; Culinary Arts; Lodging & Resort Management; Travel, Tourism and Attractions; Information Technology Support and Services.
  • Public Service: Early Learning; Teaching and Training; Health Science (Diagnostic & Therapeutic Services); Government and Public Administration; Law Enforcement; Legal Studies.
  • STEM: Engineering Foundations (Aerospace, Digital Electronics, Civil); Health Science-Nursing Science; Cybersecurity; Programming Software; Web Development.

Ask your counselor which endorsement Architectural Drafting and Design, Networking Systems, Programming and Software (Video Game Focus) and Automotive and Collision Repair lead to. They're in the 2026-27 Guidebook but not on the 2027-28 endorsement pages.

New for 2027-28

Frisco ISD's 2027-28 High School Academic Guide lists these new CTE courses:

  • Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flight-Drones, at the CTE Center.
  • Business Management, at the CTE Center.
  • Yearbook and Commercial Photography I, II, Practicum I and Practicum II, at Centennial, Lebanon Trail, Lone Star, Panther Creek and Wakeland high schools.

These aren't in our course catalog yet. When you're ready, open the planner to try CTE courses in your four-year plan.

See it for your own courses

My GPA Planner is a free course and GPA planner. Pick CTE courses from Frisco ISD's catalog for each year, and it shows each course's GPA tier, how it changes your projected weighted GPA, your graduation credits and your endorsement checks. Your plan stays on your device unless you choose to share it.

Open the planner

Official sources