Our History
Where our students come first; where dreams are achieved
The history of Alamo Academies
In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission closed Kelly Air Force Base and a portion of the workload was outsourced to defense contractor companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Lockheed Martin was trying to replace the retiring workforce with young workers who were prepared to take their jobs.
This inspired the inception of the Alamo Academies in 1999 as it demonstrated the critical need for college-educated employees in STEM in the San Antonio region and beyond. Today, we are committed to giving high school students the opportunity to explore various STEM pathways at absolutely no cost so that they can determine the ideal post-high school career or educational plan for them.
In 2012, Alamo Colleges purchased a 40,000 sq/ft state of the art facility and 30 acres from Port San Antonio to house the Academies for $5.2 million. Believe it or not, no cash was exchanged in this transaction. Instead, the purchase price is being paid by meeting the needs of aerospace employers over the life of the loan: $10,000 for Academies new hires, $2,500 for certifications, and 20% for grants generated.
Over 1,001 graduates; 95% of graduates continued higher education or obtained jobs in target industries. 
Alamo College provides facilities, equipment and instruction while high school distributes cover textbooks and round-trip bus transportation. Employers pay student salaries, cities take care of operating costs.
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"Success stories at Alamo Academies…! Good hi-tech jobs await the students.” - United States Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis |
Read what leaders are saying about Alamo Academies
- In addition, the Automotive Manufacturing Training and Education Consortium selected the Academies as 1 of 5 exemplary career pathway programs in the nation. They stated, “The Alamo Academies model is the best program…seen worldwide executing all major characteristics of a pathway model."
- U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez visited the Alamo Academies as well in 2014, telling students, “This is America's 21st century manufacturing, and it’s cool!”
- The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas recognized the Academies on their website as "an industry-driven workforce development model that is helping solve the broken school-to-work pipeline is sustainable and supports companies’ global competitiveness."