The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of completing career and technical education classes (CTE) during high school. In particular, the study sought to determine whether there were differences in academic scores of students who took CTE classes and those who took traditional high school classes. More specifically, the goals of the study were to determine if there were statistically significant differences in mean scores on the English II exam, Algebra I exam, ACT assessment, and college-going rates between those students who participated in CTE classes and those who took traditional high school classes. A quantitative research design was selected for conducting the research study. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used as the primary statistical computation for the data analysis. The ANOVA results for differences in mean scores of the ACT assessment for students who took CTE classes and students who took traditional classes were not found statistically significant. The ANOVA results for differences in mean scores of the Algebra I exam and English II exam for students who took CTE classes and students who took traditional classes were found statistically significant. The students who took CTE classes scored slightly higher on the Algebra I and English II exams than students who took traditional classes. A Chi-squared test of independence was utilized to examine the college-going rate of students who took CTE classes and students who took traditional classes. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores for students who took CTE classes and traditional classes and students who took traditional classes in terms of participation in college after high school. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]