HB2316 • 2026

middle school students; CTE courses

HB2316 - middle school students; CTE courses

Education Taxes Technology

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Cesar Aguilar, Lorena Austin, Leo Biasiucci, Seth Blattman, Selina Bliss, Neal Carter, Pamela Carter, Junelle Cavero, Brian Garcia, Matt Gress, Ralph Heap, Laurin Hendrix, Consuelo Hernandez, Aaron Márquez, Michele Peña, Mariana Sandoval, James Taylor, Betty J Villegas, Michael Way, Jeff Weninger, Justin Wilmeth, David C. Farnsworth, Sally Ann Gonzales, David Gowan, John Kavanagh, Catherine Miranda, Analise Ortiz, Kevin Payne
Last action: 2026-01-21
Official status: House second read
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text sets an automatic repeal date of December 31, 2037 (Section G), but this is significantly later than the three-year program window ending in 2029. The relationship between the end of funding/program years and the eventual statutory repeal remains a point for future legislative review.

HB2316: Middle School Career Technical Education Pilot

This bill allows Arizona middle schools to offer career technical education courses that count toward both eighth-grade promotion and high school graduation during a three-year pilot period.

What This Bill Does

Allows public middle schools in grades six through eight to offer career technical education (CTE) courses from the 2026-2027 through the 2028-2029 school years.
Requires all Arizona public high schools to accept credits earned by students who successfully complete these CTE courses toward graduation requirements.
Mandates that middle schools partner with a career technical education district, an approved vocational school, or a community college to provide the classes.
Permits funding for these student enrollments from career technical education districts without increasing property taxes or counting students in daily membership totals.
Requires school districts and charter schools to report course numbers, completion rates, and costs to the state department of education annually by July 1.

Who It Names or Affects

Students in grades six, seven, and eight attending public middle schools or charter schools.
School districts and charter school operators that choose to offer these courses.
Career technical education districts, approved vocational schools, and community colleges providing the instruction.
The Arizona Department of Education responsible for compiling reports.

Terms To Know

CTE (Career Technical Education): Courses that teach skills related to specific careers or trades, such as technology, health sciences, or business.
Intergovernmental Agreement: A formal contract between two government entities, like a middle school and a community college, to work together on providing classes.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies during the 2026-2027, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029 school years.
Schools are not required to accept credits if a student did not finish the course or earn a passing grade.

Bill History

2026-01-21 House
House second read
2026-01-20 House
House Rules: None
2026-01-20 House
House Education: None
2026-01-20 House
House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2316 - middle school students; CTE courses

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2316 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
middle school students; CTE courses

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2316

Introduced by

Representatives
Aguilar: Austin, Biasiucci, Blattman, Bliss, Carter N, Carter P, Cavero,
Garcia, Gress, Heap, Hendrix, Hernandez C, M�rquez, Pe�a, Sandoval, Taylor,
Villegas, Way, Weninger, Wilmeth;� Senators Farnsworth, Gonzales, Gowan,
Kavanagh, Miranda, Ortiz, Payne

AN
ACT

providing for career technical education
for middle school students.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Common schools; career technical education courses; funding;
reporting requirements; delayed repeal; definition

A. Notwithstanding any
other law, during the 2026-2027, 2027-2028 and 2028-2029
school years, any school that is operated by a school district or charter
school in this state and that provides instruction to middle school students
may offer career technical education courses that may be counted for both the
promotion of students from the eighth grade pursuant to section 15-701,
Arizona Revised Statutes, and the graduation of students from high school
pursuant to section 15-701.01, Arizona Revised Statutes.

B. Each public school in
this state shall accept credits earned by a student in courses offered pursuant
to subsection A of this section.� This subsection does not require a public
school to recognize credits that were not earned by a student because the
student did not either complete the course or earn a passing grade.

C. A school district or
charter school that operates a school that offers one or more career technical
education courses pursuant to subsection A of this section shall enter into an
intergovernmental agreement or contract with any of the following for the
purpose of providing the career technical education courses:

1. A career technical
education district established under title 15, chapter 3, article 6, Arizona
Revised Statutes.

2. A school that has been
approved by the state board of education to provide career technical education
and vocational education pursuant to section 15-782, Arizona Revised
Statutes.

3. A community college
district that provides career technical education courses that have been
approved by the department of education in accordance with the Carl D. Perkins
career and technical education improvement act of 2006, as amended by the
strengthening career and technical education for the 21st century act.

D. Notwithstanding section
15-393, subsection D, paragraph 4, Arizona Revised Statutes, a middle
school student who is enrolled in career technical education courses may be
funded in whole or in part with monies provided by the career technical
education district.� A career technical education district may not increase the
property tax levy to fund middle school students pursuant to this subsection.�
This subsection does not authorize a career technical education district to
include a middle school student in the career technical education district's
student count or average daily membership.

E. On or before July 1 of
each year, each school district or charter school that operates a school that
offered one or more career technical education courses pursuant to subsection A
of this section during the previous school year shall report to the department
of education all of the following for the previous school year:

1. The number of career
technical education courses offered by each school that is operated by the
school district or charter school.

2. The number of students
in each school that is operated by the school district or charter school who successfully
completed a career technical education course.

3. In a form and manner
prescribed by the office of the auditor general, an accounting of all costs
incurred pursuant to this section.

F. On or before December
31, 2029, the department of education shall compile all the reports received
pursuant to subsection E of this section and prepare a summary of the
reports. The department shall submit the compiled reports and
summary to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of
representatives and the governor and shall provide a copy of the compiled
reports and summary to the secretary of state.

G. This section is repealed
from and after December 31, 2037.

H. For the purposes of this
section, "middle school student" means a student in any of grades
six, seven or eight.