RioTECH graduates first class, all 20 earn industry credentials

All 20 seniors in RioTECH’s first graduating class left with industry-recognized credentials, and one student finished high school with a CNM associate degree in Computer Information Systems. For Rio Rancho families and employers, the key question is no longer whether the campus can promise a pathway, but whether it can keep producing graduates ready for higher-skill work close to home.

RioTECH opened its doors on April 23, 2025, after years of planning, construction and renovation through a partnership between Rio Rancho Public Schools and Central New Mexico Community College. Built at 7001 Zenith Ct NE in Rio Rancho, the school was designed to serve up to 250 RRPS students in grades 10 through 12 and offers tuition-free dual-credit career and technical education classes that can lead to credentials, certificates and even associate degrees.

The campus was built around training labs for welding, plumbing, carpentry, HVAC and electrical trades, along with information technology programs in computer science, cybersecurity and digital media. CNM also says the facility and programs are open to adult learners, widening the school’s reach beyond the traditional high school pipeline and into the county’s broader workforce needs.

That structure is now producing its first measurable results. The graduating class, which leaves this week, includes students trained as welders and students certified in computer information systems. Every senior has a plan in place for what comes next, whether that means military service, first-response work, college or another job and training step.

Franz Guintaran stands out as the first RioTECH student to earn a CNM associate degree while still in high school. He completed an associate degree in Computer Information Systems and plans to attend New Mexico Tech in Socorro, where he hopes to study mechanical engineering and business. Guintaran also has his sights set on an internship at Sandia National Laboratories or Los Alamos National Laboratory, a path that shows how the school is connecting classroom training to college and eventually to regional employers.

The broader argument for RioTECH is economic as much as educational. Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jerry Schalow has said the school helps address both a workforce shortage and an aging workforce in New Mexico. The project, which KRQE reported had been in development since 2017, carries a $55 million price tag. That makes the first class small, but it also makes the outcome concrete: a local school is already sending out graduates with credentials, college credit and clear next steps into the labor market.