A student’s high school experience sets them up for success - it is the beginning of their story. The experience should allow students to gain skills that will be practical in any career field while exploring career interests in fun and engaging ways.

The Omaha Public Schools is excited to announce the evolution of high school programming in our district, The Omaha Public Schools College & Career Academies and Pathways.

The Omaha Public Schools College & Career Academies and Pathways builds on what has been working well and where we can grow. It ensures students gain real-world career experience while maintaining the foundation of core classes and access to advanced academics, fine arts and electives.

Student Focused Plan

The Portrait of a Graduate outlines the skills essential for students beyond high school to be successful in college, career and life.

Mastery of these skills will be beneficial for any path a student may take after graduation. As our district reviewed our portfolio of program options, the goal was to ensure that students could explore career interests while learning these foundational skills.

Throughout the process, feedback and input from our community was essential to the academy and pathway plan development. Local business leaders provided input on necessary job skills, and future job trends, while high school leadership teams helped to determine what programs best fit the needs of their school community. More than 2,100 parents, students, staff and business leaders were able to provide input on perceptions of the district’s current programming and what they would like to see in the future.

Academies and Pathways

After the evaluation and input from our community, our district proposed the Omaha Public Schools College & Career Academies and Pathways. Students in both academies and pathways take their core classes (English, math, social studies and science) along with career-focused classes, advanced placement classes and electives. Student choices are what determine the differences in the high school experience. To understand the options, we have provided a definition below:

• Academies are smaller learning communities with a career focus. Groups of students with a similar career interest take classes together. Career-focused classes proceed from one to the next in a series.
• Pathways are a series of four or more classes focused on a group of related careers, or cluster. Students in a pathway take classes with a wide range of other students across career interests.

Community Engagement

A business and industry partner is an organization or professional who works alongside schools to provide real-world expertise, helping shape curriculum, support student learning experiences, and ensure programs reflect current workforce needs. These partners collaborate with educators to create meaningful opportunities such as work-based learning, mentorship, and career-connected experiences for students. 

Questions?

If you have questions regarding a specific Academy or Pathway, families are encouraged to reach out to that school. General questions, or business partnership questions can be directed to Delayne Havlovic.