CV NEWS FEED // A unique Catholic trade school in Houston recently opened to form high school students in their faith while also providing them with specialized classes and alternatives to going to college.
Officially established in 2023, St. Peter’s Catholic Career and Technical High School is the first of its kind in Texas. With its highly specialized curriculum, teachers at the school seek to help students “navigate life after school and better prepare them for a career or continuing education.”
Principal Marc Martinez told the Houston Chronicle that at St. Peter’s, students aren’t pushed towards college like they are at other high schools. Instead, students get to take classes relating to their chosen career path while still earning a state-recognized high school diploma.
“At my previous school, I worked as the dean of academics and these students did not have the capabilities nor the desire to go to college, yet we were preparing them and pushing them in that direction—knowing full well, college is not going to be for them, but they didn’t have an option. This is that option,” Martinez said.
St. Peter’s offers four different career pathways for students to choose from: construction, business, education, and information technology. During their freshman year, students take career development courses to help them decide which area they want to concentrate on. In their sophomore year, students declare a specific field of interest and begin taking classes relating to that field.
St. Peter’s curriculum additionally focuses on different “life skills,” such as personal finance, resumé development, and personal marketing.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Martinez said that St. Peter’s four career pathways prepare students for hundreds of jobs, including professions in cybersecurity, AI, and computer coding, carpentry and other hands-on jobs.
Martinez added that the school is under the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston and is intended to help stave off declining enrollment and retention rates in Catholic schools. St. Peter’s replaces a Catholic elementary school that was forced to close in 2019 due to decreased enrollment.
Arturo Alonso, the first applicant for the school, told the Houston Chronicle that he decided to try St. Peter’s after seeing his sister’s college experience.
“I see no interest in going to college since from what I’ve seen of college and having my sister just coming out of college a few years ago. It’s a lot of money,” he said. “Also a bunch of things you can learn from college, you can learn from somewhere else as well, and get degrees or certification there.”
Alonso also said that the school’s Catholic identity was important to him, as he wanted to continue to “pursue learning in my faith.”
Martinez said that he hopes St. Peter’s can become a model for other Catholic trade schools around the country. Already, different Catholic schools have reached out to him with questions, interested in St. Peter’s unique approach to high school education.
