Hamilton County Schools and the County Mayor’s Office have announced the continued expansion of HCS Future Ready Centers with the addition of a new site at Sequoyah High School, set to open for the 2025-26 school year.
The new North River Future Ready Center will serve as an innovative hub for college and career training, modeled after the successful Harrison Bay Future Ready Center.
Future Ready Centers provide opportunities for students across multiple high schools to engage in future ready pathways of their choice through half-day attendance while maintaining enrollment at their zoned school. These centers align with the district’s strategic plan, Opportunity 2030, by expanding access to real-world learning and career pathways that prepare students to thrive in life.
HCS has already begun enrolling half-day students in the North River Future Ready Center for the upcoming school year. Students currently enrolled at Sequoyah High School will remain Sequoyah students until they graduate. 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 only be utilized as a half day program location under the same model currently functioning at the Harrison Bay Future Ready Center.
“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 School Board Member Steve Slater who represents District 1. “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 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 starting in their freshman year. The new half-day program is in high demand for the 25-26 school year, with an unprecedented 175 9th grade students already enrolled. Harrison Bay Future Ready Center, which will receive students from Ooltewah High, Central High, and East Hamilton High for the 25-26 school year, already has 286 students enrolled for the next school year, up from its current enrollment of 222.
"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.”
Looking ahead, HCS also unveiled their proposal for the name of the third HCS Future Ready Center in the network, which will be located at the Gateway site in downtown Chattanooga: The Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center. This location is currently expected to open in the 2026-2027 school year, pending ongoing discussions about funding, building renovations, and pathway offerings. Students from several high schools will be able to attend, including The Howard School, Brainerd High School, and Signal Mountain Middle High, with additional schools still being identified.
The name Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center would honor two historic Chattanoogans who made a significant impact on public education in our community. John P. Franklin, Sr. (1922-2018) – Chattanooga’s first African American elected official – not only worked as both a teacher and a principal during his storied career, but also served as a city commissioner, vice mayor, and chairman of the city school board, where he worked to improve education and opportunities for all students.
Dalton Roberts (1933-2015) was instrumental in shaping Hamilton County’s economic development as the first County Executive (now County Mayor) serving from 1978-1994. A lifelong advocate for education, Roberts was a special education teacher and administrator before entering public office. His belief in workforce development and economic growth aligns with the mission of the Future Ready Center.
These two great Chattanoogans dedicated their careers to both public service and our community’s children, making them ideal namesakes for the third HCS Future Ready Center. This proposal is expected to go before the Hamilton County Board of Education in May.
"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."