The program, short for Pathways in Technology Early College High School, lets students start career preparation as early as ninth grade. It aims to close the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what local employers actually need, according to the district.
One of the biggest draws is cost. Students in the program can earn industry certifications, Level 1 or 2 certificates, or even an associate degree alongside their high school diploma, all at no cost to them.
For families at Coronado, this changes what a high school diploma can mean. A student could walk across the graduation stage with real workforce credentials or college credit already banked. That matters in a city where South Plains College and Texas Tech already anchor a lot of local hiring pipelines, and it gives Lubbock ISD students a direct line into both higher ed and industry before they even finish high school.
Freshmen at Coronado now have a path to a degree that starts years before most of their peers even pick a major.