Colleagues,
We are pleased to share this piece and extend our congratulations, as Brockton High School “Chapter 74 Vocational Technical Programs now have a “Waitlist” for admissions.
The demand for high quality vocational technical education has never been higher, receiving 447 applicants from next year’s freshman class for around 300 spots.
The high school is aiming to add two new programs, multimedia broadcasting and electrical, for next school year, to further increase the enrollment.
Our good friend and MAVA colleague Kevin McCaskill is Principal at Brockton HS.
David
Brockton High’s vocational programs have a waitlist for the first time
Jacob Posner, The Enterprise Sun, May 10, 2026 at 5:05 AM EDT
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<![endif]>BROCKTON — Brockton High School’s career technical education (CTE), also known as vocational programs have generated a waitlist for the first time in recent memory.
Schools that specialize in CTE, like Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in Easton, have seen big demand and growing waitlists in recent years. Southeastern, which takes kids from Brockton and other nearby communities, could only admit around a third of applicants to its freshman class last year.
Now Brockton High has to get selective, receiving 447 applicants from next year’s freshman class for around 300 spots. It will admit students by lottery – a new state requirement – on May 27.
The numbers show almost half the entire freshman class wants to be involved in CTE, Catherine Rickert, Brockton High’s CTE director, pointed out during a May 5 school committee meeting. "They’re so excited," she said. "They really are."
Brockton High expanding CTE offerings
The high school is aiming to add two new programs, multimedia broadcasting and electrical, for next school year. If approved by the state, they will join 10 existing programs, according to the school website, which range from automotive, carpentry and culinary arts, to clean energy, health assisting and biotechnical engineering.
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<![endif]>School leadership is seeking to enhance the existing programs as well, including adding an electric vehicle component to the automotive technology program, Principal Kevin McCaskill said during the May 5 meeting.
Willmer Lopes, automotive student at Brockton High School, begins a brake inspection on a Chevrolet truck in class on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
Rickert said the high school is also trying to add college courses to all the CTE programs.
Committee member Ana Oliver said this push will help convince more kids to go to Brockton High over Southeastern. "We’re … saying you belong with us, because we have the programs – and they stay home, it’s closer, and they also stay with their friends," she said.
Chapter 74 Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education
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David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
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