Students enrolled in CTE courses are encouraged to join and participate in their respective Career & Technical Student Organizations (CTSO). CTSOs provide students the opportunity to apply their CTE curriculum in competitive events as well as develop their leadership skills for the future.
DECA
DECA: Distributive Education Clubs of America supports developing career, marketing and management skills in hospitality, finance, sales, service, business administration and entrepreneurship.
FCCLA
FCCLA: Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is a nonprofit national career and technical student organization supporting and promoting Family and Consumer Sciences Education.
FFA
FFA: The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in students lives by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
FRC
FRC: FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build game-playing robots that weigh up to 125 pounds.
FTC
FTC: FIRST Tech Challenge is an international competition where teams (up to 15 team members, grades 7-12) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format.
HOSA
HOSA: HOSA, Future Health Professionals, enhances student experience with opportunities for knowledge, skill and leadership development of all health science technology education students.
NTHS
NTHS: To honor student achievement and leadership in career and technical education, promote educational excellence, award scholarships, and enhance career opportunities for the NTHS membership.
ProStart
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that prepares students with skills needed in the culinary industry. From culinary techniques to management skills, ProStart’s industry-driven curriculum provides real-life experience opportunities and builds practical skills and a foundation that will last a lifetime.
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations.
TAFE
TAFE: Texas Association of Future Educators is a statewide organization that offers students the opportunity to explore the teaching profession through creating and supporting various activities, workshops, contests, scholarships, and summer workshops.
UIL
UIL: University Interscholastic League exists to provide educational extracurricular academic, athletic, and music contests.
Enrollment deadlines and fees may vary by organization and campus. Contact campus directly for more information. (DECA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, NTHS, SkillsUSA, TAFE) Membership eligibility should follow the guidelines of the state and national organization. Advisors are responsible for verifying that students are eligible for membership. A student must be an affiliated, verified member of an organization to be eligible for competition. While a student may be a member in multiple organizations, a student can only compete in one of the following organizations in a given academic school year (DECA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, TAFE). The number of available competition entries are determined by local and state guidelines for each organization. Local chapters are permitted to establish policies that determine competition eligibility. Policies should be approved by both campus and district administration.
