BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
Cherry Creek Innovation Campus (CCIC), located at 8000 S. Chambers Road in Centennial, opened in 2019 as the first “stand-alone college and career preparedness facility accessible for high school students in the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD). With curriculum rooted in real-world skills and trade certifications ranging from the computer sciences to aviation to health sciences, this facility offers students a new kind of bridge to college and viable, successful careers.”
CCIC is designed to serve students, usually juniors and seniors, who plan to go directly to work after high school, as well as those who plan to go to college, the military, or other career training programs. Students attend CCIC for one-half of the regular school day, spending the other half on traditional high school subjects. There is no cost for attending CCIC.
Currently, CCIC offers pathways in:
- Aerospace Manufacturing
- Business Services
- Criminal Justice
- Health & Wellness
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Infrastructure Engineering
- IT & STEAM
- Transportation
- Future Educator
One of the significant components of the $950 million CCSD bond issue approved by voters in November 2024 was the expansion of CCIC.
Two months after the voters approved the bond, construction began to “nearly double the footprint of the existing building,” which will allow CCIC to expand the number of students it can accommodate by 70%. It will also add evening and weekend hours. Current enrollment is 1,818 students.
The new pathways that will be added are:
- Aerospace Technician
- Welding
- Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Veterinary Assistant
- Baking & Pastry
- Film
- Motion Design
- Expanded Auto Mechanics and Aerospace Manufacturing
Construction is planned to be completed at CCIC so that students can start their studies in the nine new pathways beginning in the next school year, starting in August 2026.