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Swan Falls High gives boost to students interested in trades, technical careers

Kuna's newest high school offers paths including automobile mechanics, construction trades, and health professions.

KUNA, Idaho — A high school in Kuna is helping its students prepare for the future by offering classes that give teens a chance to explore technical and trade fields.

Swan Falls High School was born after voters in Kuna backed a $40 million bond to build it in 2017. 

Now, after years of construction and planning, the school is finished and has facilities built to support career and technical education courses.

Kuna School District spokeswoman Allison Westfall said the focus on technical fields was an intentional choice.

“Way back a few years ago, we had a community committee come together and looked at what we wanted to provide our students so they would be future-ready, and so we looked at the areas in career and technical education where our community felt we should grow in our schools,” she said.

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That committee paved the way for Swan Falls High School, which opened on Nov. 2. The school offers paths including automobile mechanics, construction trades, and health professions.

“We were able to add a dental assistant strand to that in addition to EMT and certified nursing,” Westfall said. “When you go into the diesel engines lab you’ll see brand new tools, engines, all sorts of state-of-the-art tools and equipment for the students to use.”

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Swan Falls' construction trades program has also partnered with CBH Homes in order to give students hands-on experience and activities. 

For now, the new high school is operating as a satellite campus, but the school district is hoping to pass additional levies in the future to fund sports fields and more classrooms.

Westfall said Swan Falls High represents a big step forward for the town as well as and increased opportunities for Kuna students.

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“We are a growing community, and in some of these programs our students needed to travel to Boise or West Ada to be able to access careers that they’re interested in,". We’ve been growing and we’ve been able to do that so students can stay at home and we can offer the high-quality programs within our district.”

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