Butler Tech
William Sprankles, Butler Tech’s superintendent CEO, highlighted
recent expansions, including adding 200 more seats in aviation due to a new aviation center in Middletown, 300 more seats in engineering because it opened the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce and Innovation Hub in partnership with Miami University, and 350 in healthcare because it is doubling its bioscience center in West Chester Twp.
Sprankles said Butler Tech is relaunching a new Teacher Academy in partnership with Miami University, allowing students to complete one year of college coursework in high school “and matriculate right to Miami University’s Teacher Academy program.”
“What’s going to be groundbreaking about this program is it’s a three-year program, not a two-year program, and during students’ ... senior year, they’re going to be student teaching, which is what college students would typically do with our local middle schools,” he said. “That’s pretty unheard of.”
In addition, the school’s “massive” electrical program is being brought back due to high demand in the local industry.
A new partnership with Miami University will create a “One‑Plus‑Three” nursing pathway, letting students complete their first year of college while still in high school. After graduation, they’ll need only three more years at Miami University to earn a bachelor of science in nursing.
Butler Tech also is also adding about two dozen new job‑focused credentials at Hamilton’s new Advanced Manufacturing Workforce and Innovation, or AM HUB, and other sites to provide customized workforce training for adults seeking in‑demand skills.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Marshall High School Hamilton
More than 800 students have enrolled at Marshall High School on Ohio 4 in Hamilton since it opened in fall 2023 with around 300 enrolled this school year, according to David Goodwin, assistant director of Academics at Marshall High School Hamilton.
The school, which is a satellite school of Marshall High School in Middletown, offers two pathways toward a diploma, one via its academic pathway and the other through Career and Technical Education programs. It offers five CTE programs: advanced manufacturing, business & entrepreneurship, construction, culinary and health care.
Two new CTE programs are planned: automotive and nail technician.
Since it opened, the school has awarded 146 diplomas. “This year we’re on track to have about 60,” Goodwin said. “We hope it will continue to go upward.
Its youngest graduates have been 17 years old, and some are already pursuing nursing programs or other post-secondary paths, he said.
The school met standards in its first state report card and exceeded expectations the following year, Goodwin said.
Students come from Butler, Hamilton, Montgomery, Preble and Warren counties, Goodwin said. The school also has students whose families have relocated from across the country, including Indiana, Kentucky, Florida and Texas, he said, plus students whose families have relocated from Central America, Mexico and Spain.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Hamilton City Schools
Hamilton City Schools Superintendent Andrea Blevins said the district is expanding career‑tech pathways and increasing pre‑apprenticeships with local employers and participation in College Credit Plus.
“We have 223 students taking advantage of at least one CCP course on campus and our 10th-12th-grade students on track to earn 4,993 college credits by the end of this school year,” Blevins said.
She acknowledged financial challenges facing the district, but said “it’s important to note that we are not standing still.”
“Our district is responding with long-term financial planning and responsible forecasting,” Blevins said. “In addition, we are advocating at the state level for fair and sustainable school funding and we are continuing to focus on what we do best, and that’s high-quality instruction and student support.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Miami University
Liza Skyryzhevska, senior associate dean of Miami Regionals, said Miami University’s Hamilton campus is moving ahead with its shift to a Polytechnic education model, which involves two major features: applied learning and partnership with industries.
“It employs pedagogical practices that allow students to engage in real-world activities and be ready for real-world jobs on Day One after graduation,” she said.
The first phase launches in fall 2026, with the second following in fall 2027, Skyryzhevska said.
A key part of the transition is the newly opened AM HUB in Hamilton.
Miami University also is updating its academics based on employer feedback. The university has proposed to the state and the Higher Learning Commission two new three‑year bachelor’s degrees, one in small business management and the other in information technology, and has “completely revamped” engineering technology majors for this fall.
In addition, a long‑term master plan is underway to guide future Hamilton campus expansion as the Polytechnic model grows, Skyryzhevska said.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Badin High School
Badin High School will offer 34 credit hours of College Credit Plus courses to students next school year, according to Badin President Brian Pendergest.
“All of those courses at Badin High School are taught by Badin faculty and staff based on their credentials and criteria approved by Sinclair College,” Pendergest said. “Last school year, for the 2024-2025 school year, Badin had 188 students receive a total of 1,305 credit hours heading off to college.”
The school also offered 12 AP courses that allow students to receive college credit while at Badin, in addition to the CCP.
For the 2024-2025 school year, Badin students took 317 AP tests, Pendergest said. Of those students,73% received a three or higher on that test, which resulted in the school earning the AP School Honor Roll Silver distinction, he said.
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