Career and technical education (CTE) is revolutionizing the United States education system. These modern programs are being created across the country, and there is a need to ensure they are designed in a way that leads to students successfully graduating high school. The problem was a lower rate of students graduating from secondary education in the United States compared to other countries around the world. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of CTE administrators regarding CTE programs, courses, project-based learning, and work-based learning and how all these things affect high school graduation rates. Four research questions explored CTE administrators and their perceptions regarding CTE program design and implementation and the effect on high school graduation rates. Cognitive constructivism and developmental theory were the two theories that served as the theoretical foundation of this study. The 15 participants in the study were CTE administrators from across the United States. Data instrumentation included a questionnaire and a focus group/interview where respondents' open-ended responses were collected digitally. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo software. Research findings discovered that CTE administrators highlight four key elements leading to higher graduation rates in students who participate in CTE programs: the overall CTE program, CTE courses, work-based learning, and project-based learning. Future research could include student perceptions of engagement, graduation rates, and their involvement with CTE programs or a mixed-methods study on CTE administrators' perceptions. [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.]