Hamilton County Schools announces expansion of the Future Ready Center program

Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson discussing Future Ready expansion plans (Photo by Hamilton County Schools)

Four years ago, Hamilton County Schools (HCS) opened the Harrison Bay Future Ready Center as part of a unique program for college and career training.

More than 200 students from Ooltewah High and Central High currently spend half of each school day at the center, with ninth and tenth-grade students attending in the mornings and upperclassmen taking part in the center’s architecture and engineering, coding, and architecture and construction programs in the afternoon. 

District leaders say the program has been such a success they’re now eyeing two expansions, beginning with the new North River Future Ready Center set to open at the current location of Sequoyah High School in the 2025-26 school year.

According to a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly, students currently enrolled at Sequoyah High School will remain Sequoyah students until they graduate and beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, the ‘Sequoyah High School’ portion of the building will close, and the North River Future Ready Center will open.

“I am thrilled for this expansion of the district’s Future Ready Center Network, particularly the increased access to opportunities it will provide to students in my district and all over the county,” said District 1 School Board Member Steve Slater. “Sequoyah High School has built an incredibly strong foundation of real-world learning in our community, and I know that the North River Future Ready Center will continue to build on this legacy.”

The new North River Future Ready Center will receive students from Red Bank High School, Hixson High School, Soddy Daisy High School, and Sale Creek Middle High School beginning in their freshman year. The district says 175 students have already enrolled in the program for next school year.

"Future Ready Centers represent the power of partnerships,” said Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson. “We are grateful to Mayor Weston Wamp and the County Commission for the investment they’ve made that allowed us to physically expand the Harrison Bay Future Ready Center and make a clear pathway to opening two more Future Ready Center locations. Working alongside the County and our local business partners is what makes it possible for Hamilton County Schools to continue designing opportunities for our students to explore their future through engaging learning experiences aligned to their interests and the evolving industry needs of our community.”

The district is additionally planning a third Future Ready Center to be located at the Gateway site in downtown Chattanooga. The Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center is currently planned to open in the 2026-2027 school year and it will serve students from the Howard School, Brainerd High School, and Signal Mountain Middle High, with additional schools still under consideration.

The Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center will honor two historic Chattanoogans who made a significant impact on public education including the city’s first African American elected official John P. Franklin, Sr., and the first County Executive Dalton Roberts.

"The Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center is an important step towards restoring vocational education in the City of Chattanooga, offering students valuable skills that will lead to good jobs and business ownership," said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. "It's fitting that this prominent Downtown campus will bear the names of two iconic leaders in education and local government, John P. Franklin and Dalton Roberts."

The Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center proposal is expected to go before the Hamilton County Board of Education in May.