The $12.7 million expansion of the visually striking school will bring more advanced learning and training to Butler County high school and adult learners, said Butler Tech officials, helping health care providers throughout southwest Ohio.
“This expansion is a bold investment in both our students and the health care needs of Butler County and the entire region,” said Abbie Cook, principal of the Bioscience Center.
“With the additional 25,000 square feet, we are not only increasing student capacity, but also reimagining how we prepare future health care professionals,” said Cook.
The project, which began in October, is on schedule with a projected opening in January 2026 and will add capacity for 200 additional high school and adult students.
While the new wing may currently appear as a standalone structure, the expansion is being constructed as a seamless addition to the existing Bioscience Center, Butler Tech officials said.
“This phased approach minimizes disruption to current students and operations for as long as possible during the construction process,” officials said.
Butler Tech is one of the largest and fastest growing county-wide, public career school systems in Ohio, serving 11 school districts in Butler County and northern Hamilton County with an enrollment of more than 18,000 high school and adult learners.
The West Chester Twp. expansion is one of three prominent additions being constructed by Butler Tech, along with a new aviation school at the Middletown Regional Airport and a new manufacturing learning facility in Hamilton.
A larger Bioscience Center will expand capacity and access to high-demand health care programs in southwest Ohio, launch new career pathways in health care and address critical workforce shortages in the region, said school officials.
“The new sophomore entry point provides students with earlier access to health care pathways, while our expanded adult education programming — including Butler Tech’s OTC+ and LPN programs — and facilitates seamless transitions into high-demand careers,” said Cook.
Through their partnership with Miami University, students can complete their first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing while still in high school and complete their degree within three years, she said.
“These innovative pathways directly address the critical health care workforce shortages we are seeing across Ohio, providing local health care providers with a highly skilled, locally trained pipeline of professionals who are ready to meet the needs of our community,” Cook said.
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