There are undeniable benefits of living in the Carmel Clay School (CCS) district, and one of them is you have the opportunity to wrap up your formal education like a neat little bow. The sheer amount of classes offered here grant graduates a clear plan for their future to streamlined success in the workforce. 

Every student here knows this is a massive school, and we’re reminded of that reality every passing period. In fact, the official student count for the 24-25 school year stands at 5,242, all accommodated within the 1.1 million square feet under roof. Our school is the same size as a small college and like a college, it offers a plethora of classes ranging from criminal justice to advanced interior design. 

This school’s diversity in available courses allows students to explore an area of interest in a more detailed way than the basic state requirements can provide. Students considering nursing as a profession can take the certified nursing assistant (CNA) class and log working hours at a retirement home. That opportunity could either confirm their interest or help them realize the reality of the job is different from what they had hoped; either way that student walks away with clarity on what they want their future to look like. This holds true for the countless areas of study which include: communications, engineering, consumer science, performing arts etc.

The reason why we as a student body have all these choices is largely due to the career pathways program; a pathway is a four-year sequence including at least one principles course, two advanced ones and a culminating capstone class. This school has a total of 27 career pathways in a variety of fields including culinary arts, finance and construction trades. It’s common for career pathway programs to solely be for automotive and construction, but this school has a plethora of fields categorized under all different collar colors.

On top of that, the option for work-based learning holds significant weight for students’ ability to practice job skills and understand the day-to-day of a field. Students are matched with internship opportunities they are interested in and spend two blocks working offsite for the business, students get experience, businesses get interns, it’s a win-win. 

Apart from the variety of courses, they’re fairly specialized within each branch as well. There aren’t just four or five math classes total, instead it’s four or five available each grade level. Students aren’t limited to one cut and dry path; they can take college level math classes or different types of math such as statistics. This is so important because every student has a different trajectory for their learning. Having the ability to pick and choose within a core subject such as math, science and english prevents disengagement from those who would otherwise feel underchallenged and those who would feel overwhelmed. 

While the amount and scope of course offerings benefit all students at this school, it’s worth mentioning many of these classes uncommon in other schools, such as fashion and textiles or film photography, are often unweighted classes and could stand to lower gpa of students who are taking at least a couple weighted classes. But overall, we commend CCS for the variety of course options at this school.