New SRI Report Examines the Landscape of CTE in Los Angeles

Group of young people in technical vocational training with teacher

May 29, 2026 | By Miya Warner

Career and technical education (CTE) is an increasingly popular approach to making high school more relevant—connecting classroom learning to real careers while preparing students for both college and the workforce. But big questions remain: What CTE opportunities are actually available to students? Who participates—and who completes these programs? And do these experiences make a difference for students’ outcomes?

A new multiyear SRI study takes a close look at these questions in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation’s second-largest school system.

Using data for students who started high school in 2020–21 and 2021–22, we examined the two main approaches to CTE in LAUSD:

  • Traditional CTE pathways, which involve sequences of two or more CTE courses within a program of study
  • Linked Learning pathways, a more comprehensive model that integrates college preparatory academics, technical training, work-based learning, and student supports

What CTE options do students have access to?

For the students who entered high school in 2021–22, the district offered pathways across all 15 California CTE industry sectors:

  • 265 full CTE pathways
  • 72 Linked Learning pathways

On average, rising ninth graders had access to nine CTE pathways and two Linked Learning pathways across more than six industry sectors.

Who participates — and who finishes?

While access was widespread, student experiences varied as they moved from exposure to completion:

Upside down triangle graphic split in half. The top half says Participation was broad. Nearly two thirds of LAUSD students took at least one CTE course in high school. The bottom half says Completion rates were much lower. Only about a fifth of students completed a CTE or Linked Learning pathway. Completion rates were highest in Linked Learning pathways.

Does pathway completion make a difference for student outcomes?

Although not causal, the associations between pathway completion and student outcomes—including attendance, graduation, completion of college-preparatory coursework, and college enrollment—are promising.

  • Students who completed a pathway—especially a Linked Learning pathway—had stronger outcomes than similar students who did not take any CTE courses.
  • For students who took some CTE courses but did not complete a pathway, the results were more mixed.

Our findings validate the work that the district’s CTE leaders are already engaged in to (1) support high schools to increase CTE completion rates, and (2) encourage more CTE pathways to adopt the Linked Learning approach.

What’s next?

This landscape report is the first in a series from SRI’s ongoing study of career development opportunities in LAUSD. The study is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences as part of the CTE Research Network 2.0. Read the full report and executive summary to learn more.

Topics: Access and equity Career and technical education Integrated college and career pathway approaches