By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper.
All 20 seniors at RioTECH are graduating this week — every one of them holding an industry-recognized credential, and some leaving with an associate’s degree before finishing high school. It is the school’s first graduating class.
RioTECH — an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub — opened in fall 2025 on a 23-acre campus at 7001 Zenith Court in Rio Rancho. The 70,000-square-foot facility serves students in grades 10-12 who are pursuing skilled trades and technology careers, offering eight pathways: Automotive Technology, Computer Information Systems, Digital Media, Plumbing and Gas Fitting, Residential Carpentry, Residential HVAC, Residential Wiring, and Welding. Through a dual credit partnership with Central New Mexico Community College, students can earn certificates or associate degrees by graduation — tuition free.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten joined Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Dodd and Rio Rancho School Employees Union President Billie Helean on May 18 for a tour of the school, taking stock of what its first year delivered. The visit highlighted 132 students enrolled and a 100% senior graduation rate.
Weingarten, whose union represents 1.8 million members nationally, said the visit reinforced what’s possible when labor and school leadership align.
“Glad to be back in Rio Rancho to see RioTECH one year after it opened its doors and witness what’s possible when educators, unions and school leaders work together to create real opportunities for students,” Weingarten said.
She singled out Superintendent Dodd’s vision for every graduate. “I was especially encouraged to hear new Superintendent Dr. Robby Dodd talk about wanting every student to graduate with three things: confidence, a plan and a credential.”
Weingarten also pressed on what research shows CTE schools need to thrive. “High school kids want their school to be their school — they want extracurriculars, they want a mascot, they want it to be their school. They need enough of a critical mass.”
She said 90 students is a threshold, and RioTECH, at 132, has cleared it.
Principal Dr. Kristopher Johnson said the school moved fast to build that identity. In its first 10 months, RioTECH launched a student body government, spirit weeks, a yearbook, a video program and a student ambassador team. The mascot fittingly is the Trailblazers.
“The kids have really shaped that to what they want,” Johnson said. “We did all this in 10 months. We’re excited to see where it goes next.”
A school built in the trades
Johnson led the tour through welding, carpentry, HVAC, electrical, and residential wiring labs, where students build functional projects — from framing walls to wiring live training panels — and collaborate across trades the way they would on a real job site.
“When you get into a job site, you’re going to have multiple trades on one site,” Johnson said. “We want our students to talk to each other.”
Carpentry students built the residential wiring training frames used in the electrical lab. Welding students fabricated the ladder hooks and steel components used across multiple classrooms. Students receive tool kits — some valued at $1,600 — and sign contracts accepting responsibility for them.
Students finding their path
For Bobby Garcia, a 10th-grade HVAC student, RioTECH offered something his previous schools hadn’t.
“It’s increased my confidence a lot in my education,” Garcia said. “I have teachers that actually care about me and support me — they know that no matter what I go into in the future, that I’ll do it.”
Garcia said he chose HVAC practically: summers in New Mexico are hot, opportunity in the region is strong, and his father’s concern about their home HVAC system gave him a reason to learn.
First-year results and what’s ahead
Five RioTECH students will compete at the national Skills USA competition in Atlanta in June after placing at the state level in customer service, individual welding, team flat welding, and computer networking — all in the school’s first year of competition.
“We took 30 students and had over seven kids place at state,” Johnson said. “It was phenomenal.”
Looking ahead:
- A CNM automotive facility covering automotive, electric vehicle, and light diesel programs opens in August 2026, serving 60 students.
- The school plans to add fire science, EMT, and law enforcement pathways.
- Enrollment is targeted to grow to 300 students, including adult learners.
- A solar lab is under development, with panels currently being installed on campus.
- A ninth-grade exploration program will rotate incoming students through technology and trades pathways, with upperclassmen serving as instructors.
- Johnson’s five-year vision includes partnering with the Home Builders Association and Habitat for Humanity to have students build and sell tiny homes as capstone projects.
Learn more about RioTECH:
Website: rrps.net/o/riotech
Address: 7001 Zenith Ct NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144