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Partner School Districts
CAST Schools are built in partnership with public school districts. Today, CAST Schools are a network of 5 schools in four (4) different school districts, East Central ISD, Southwest ISD, and San Antonio ISD. The network’s sixth school, CAST Teach will open in August of 2022 in Northside ISD.
San Antonio Independent School District
As San Antonio’s founding school district, San Antonio Independent School District neighborhood schools have served the heart of the Alamo City for more than 100 years. CAST Schools and San Antonio ISD operate three schools in the district under a Texas Partnership agreement (also known as an 1882 Partnership):
College coursework and industry-recognized certifications are embedded within the high school program at all three schools and supported by employer partnerships. All schools are open to students from the greater Bexar County region, with no admission requirements.
- Advanced Learning Academy (ALA): The network’s only prek-12th school opened in 2016 and joined the CAST Schools Network in 2019. ALA has committed to providing 21st-century opportunities within a caring, open community that fosters deep thinking, problem-solving, creative design, and real-world learning applications. Students develop deep content knowledge and cutting-edge learning skills to prepare them for any future they can envision.
- CAST Tech High School: The network’s flagship school opened in 2017 and serves 9th through 12th-grade students. At CAST Tech, students will follow one of three pathways: 1) business, 2) technology, or 3) user experience (UX). Students prepare for careers in coding, cyber security, gaming, entrepreneurship, business, and more.
- CAST Med: Students focus on one of three major pathways: 1) biomedical research, 2) medical professions, or 3) public health. CAST Med High School is the only medically focused, dual-language high school in south San Antonio. Students can meet, intern, and be mentored by doctors, nurses, researchers, and more to provide students early exposure to high-paying careers in healthcare. For the 2024-2025 school year, CAST Med will serve 6th, 8th, and 9th-12th grade students and 6th – 12th grades in the 2025-2026 school year.
Southwest Independent School District
The mission of the Southwest Independent School District, established in 1951, is to deliver exemplary educational experiences that prepare and inspire all students for life-long success in a competitive global society. CAST Schools and Southwest ISD opened CAST STEM High School in 2019 and now serves 9th-12th grade students. Students prepare for engineering, technology, advanced manufacturing, and global logistics careers. College coursework and industry-recognized certifications are embedded within the high school program at CAST STEM and supported by employer partnerships. Starting January 2024, CAST STEM High School will serve students on the campus of Palo Alto College. This new partnership between Palo Alto, SWISD, and CAST Schools offers a new model integrating college and career, allowing students to pursue customized opportunities based on student interests. CAST STEM is open to students from the greater Bexar County region, with no admission requirements.
East Central Independent School District
East Central Independent School District, founded in 1949, has a mission to cultivate problem-solvers prepared to thrive in an interconnected world. CAST Schools and East Central ISD opened CAST Lead in 2020 and entered into a Texas Partnership agreement (also known as an 1882 Partnership) in 2022. The school serves grades 8th through 12th, and students follow one of four pathways: 1) hospitality and tourism, 2) eCommerce, 3) Business Management, and 4) Agribusiness. Students can focus on Fashion/Food Retail Leadership, Event Planning, Web Development, eCommerce, Store management, Visual merchandising, and many others. College coursework and industry-recognized certifications are embedded within the high school program at CAST Lead and supported by employer partnerships. CAST Lead is open to students from the greater Bexar County region, with no admission requirements.
Northside Independent School District
Established in 1949, Northside Independent School District is South Texas’ largest school system and is the “Destination District” for thousands of families wanting a high-quality school system. In 2022, CAST Schools, Northside ISD, and the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Education and Human Development opened CAST Teach High School, San Antonio’s first school dedicated to careers in education. Students at CAST Teach will explore multiple careers in education, including teaching and training, early learning, and interdisciplinary learning, in addition to tackling real-world, real-classroom needs through project-based learning, field experiences, and innovating in the classroom and beyond. College coursework and industry-recognized certifications are embedded within the high school program at CAST Teach and supported by employer partnerships. CAST Teach is open to students from the greater Bexar County region, with no admission requirements.
Higher Education Partners
The CAST network partners with higher education institutions to develop the next generation of teachers and principals. Over time, we will support full-time teacher and principal residencies and dedicated faculty housed at each of our schools to create learning laboratory environments. The network also looks to deepen the relationship with higher education through research partnerships, mentoring, dual credit, summer classes, and more.
San Antonio College
At CAST Tech, our core higher education partners are the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and San Antonio College. UTSA is embedding its next generation of teachers along CAST Tech master teachers, offering education methods classes within the CAST Tech building and undertaking research of CAST Tech’s unique approach. CAST Tech students also benefit from the strong relationship with higher education faculty in computer science, business, and engineering.
CAST Tech has developed a three-way partnership with San Antonio College to give CAST Tech students access to college-level dual credit courses at both campuses and to ensure maximum transferability of those higher-level courses. CAST Tech students have participated in summer opportunities at both SAC and UTSA, and those relationships continue to grow.
Palo Alto College
At CAST STEM, our core higher education partners are Texas A&M-San Antonio (TAMUSA) and Palo Alto College. Prospective teachers at TAMUSA will spend two years working alongside CAST STEM master teachers.
San Antonio College
CAST STEM has developed a partnership with Palo Alto College to give CAST STEM students access to college-level dual credit courses in advanced manufacturing, logistics, and energy, with some of those courses taking place on the college campus itself.
CAST Med High School
CAST Med is designed to begin preparing young people for a variety of medical professions with pathways in healthcare and biomedical sciences and gain a significant advantage by earning industry-recognized certifications such as Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician, Biotechnician Assistant, and more, setting them apart in their chosen fields. Students can earn college credits at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and receive mentorship support from medical students from the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. Students also have the opportunity to experience learning at Universidad de las America Puebla.
Help Shape the Future of San Antonio
CAST Schools are partnership schools, co-created by industry, civic leaders, and other external partners, who participate in decisions about curriculum, budget and school governance. In addition to their critical role in the school design, our partners provide mentorship, real-world work experiences, internships, and job opportunities, shaping the career readiness of students and helping them seamlessly transition into college or the workforce while nurturing a homegrown and committed source of talent.
Youth Leadership sponsors
Lab Research School
CAST Network schools are in a research partnership with UTSA’s Urban Education Institute. The partnership enhances our schools’ ability to act as laboratories for innovation and continuous improvement. The Urban Education Institute’s Lab Research Schools are modeled after the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s Networked Improvement Communities, or NICs.
Because CAST Schools are partnership schools with multiple public school districts, our partner districts have an opportunity to test ideas and replicate or scale them.