Formerly known as Career Institute South, the Dallas ISD’s Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute reopened recently in South Dallas after a nearly $35 million renovation and expansion. 

The magnet school provides hands-on workforce training in 17 career fields, including architecture, cybersecurity, industrial robotics, automotive technology, and health sciences. 

The institute—one of three career institute magnet schools in the city—serves 10 high schools across the southern Dallas Independent School District, including Adamson HS, Carter HS, Kimball HS, Molina HS, Pinkston HS, Roosevelt HS, Seagoville HS, South Oak Cliff HS, Sunset HS, and Wilmer-Hutchins HS. 

Rendering of the newly redesigned and expanded Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute. [Image: Kirksey Architects]

Expansion designed by Kirksey Architecture

Houston-based Kirksey Architecture designed the expansion and renovation, with 44,000 square feet of new construction growing the school to 170,500 square feet. The project included 58,000 square feet of renovations, upgraded labs, a new automotive center, collaborative learning spaces, and a 17,000-square-foot tornado shelter integrated into the design, Kirksey said.

The school features a new entry that leads to a light-filled lobby area highlighted by a palette of glass, steel, and concrete. Kirksey said it intentionallly revealed elements of the schools’ design and construction to enable the building to be used as “a teaching tool” for the architecture, construction, and carpentry programs.

Rendering of the new automotive center at the newly redesigned and expanded Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute. [Image: Kirksey Architects]

Collaborative spaces and outdoor learning and dining areas aim to create a multipurpose, functional design, while maximizing both the footprint and the budget, Kirksey added.

A new automotive center gives students to work on vehicles in an environment that mirrors real-world working conditions. Additional classrooms, a technology room, a new cafeteria, and a modern test kitchen have further expanded the campus, allowing more students to take advantage of the institute’s offerings.

Rendering of the newly redesigned and expanded Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute. [Image: Kirksey Architects]

Oswaldo Alvarenga, deputy chief of strategic initiatives at Dallas ISD, said the institute’s expansion “is more than a construction project; it’s a promise kept to our students in Southern Dallas.”

”By doubling our capacity for hands-on learning in construction, health sciences, and automotive technology, we’re ensuring that ‘form meets purpose,'” Alvarenga added in a statement. “This facility provides our scholars with the industry-standard tools they need to bridge the gap between high school and high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers in the Dallas area, creating a direct path to financial equity and leadership in our community.”

Namesakes honored at grand opening event

Rendering of the newly redesigned and expanded Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute. [Image: Kirksey Architects]

A grand opening and dedication event was held on May 19 for the renovated campus, which is located at 4949 Village Fair Drive. 

Both namesakes, Dr. Charmaine and Robert Price, as well as County Commissioner John Wiley Price and District 6 Trustee Joyce Foreman, took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. At age 98 and 103, Charmaine and Robert Price are pillars of the South Dallas community, where Dr. Price was also an educator, and long-time advocates for Dallas students and public education.

Additional speakers at the event included DISD Chief Construction Officer Operations Officer Brent Alfred and Career Institute South Director and Principal Adrienne Jones.

Labs upgraded and expanded

The school’s construction and health science labs received “significant expansions and upgrades” to create modern and accessible learning environments for hands-on training, Kirksey said. The construction lab was doubled in size, with a new meeting room and advanced technology added. The renovated health science classrooms and labs received similar upgrades.

Nicola Springer, partner & managing director of the PK-12 practice at Kirksey, lauded how the project “brings together so many career pathways in one place.”

“The building itself is a teaching tool that is designed to serve multiple disciplines simultaneously,” she added in a statement. “Our team crafted a solution that emphasizes form and function—prioritizing safety while also adding a sculptural quality of the project.”

With offices in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, Kirksey serves commercial, collegiate, community, PK-12, government, healthcare, hospitality, science & technology and multifamily residential markets.

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