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Abstract
In 2018, Indiana adopted Graduation Pathways to move beyond a one-size-fits-all high school diploma and provide students with multiple ways to demonstrate postsecondary readiness. One pathway allows students to meet graduation requirements by attaining concentrator status in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program of study. To support this goal, Indiana launched the Next Level Programs of Study (NLPS) initiative, consisting of seventy updated CTE programs across fourteen career clusters. As CTE programs increasingly serve as critical pipelines to high school graduation and workforce preparation, understanding their availability and accessibility is essential for identifying equity gaps and resource needs. This quantitative study examines the relationship between school demographics (geographic location, corporation type, and student population size) and the availability of NLPS offerings in Indiana high schools. Using publicly available data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and Indiana’s CTE Data Explorer, analyses of variance and frequency distributions were conducted. In addition, survey data from high school principals was analyzed to explore factors influencing CTE implementation and barriers to program expansion. Summarized through the lens of open system theory, findings revealed persistent disparities in access to NLPS offerings in Indiana. CTE program availability aligned closely with geographic and enrollment characteristics, suggesting that labor market demand and resource capacity shape CTE offerings. Although Indiana high school principals strongly supported the state’s essential and quality CTE components, financial constraints, staffing shortages, and facility limitations emerged as the primary barriers to expanding CTE access, raising important equity concerns for statewide CTE implementation.