Career academies offer one model for providing students a different high school experience. They create a small learning community within a larger school, integrate academics with a career theme, and partner with local employers and others to provide work-based learning and other opportunities.

California lawmakers have supported the career academy model by providing funds for California Partnership Academies (CPAs) since the early 1980s. These academies are explicitly intended, in part, to improve the educational experiences of at-risk students.

In total, 464 CPAs are operating in California high schools in 2009–10. Typically serving students in grades 10–12, these CPAs operate in 33 of 58 counties in the state and across all 15 industry sectors defined in the state’s Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards.

Distribution of California Partnership Academies (CPAs), by county, in 2009–10

 

 

California Partnership Academies across industry sectors and counties in 2009–10