AOPA Foundation to add maintenance, manufacturing curriculum
Free program currently used in 1,500-plus schools nationwide
The AOPA Foundation will add a maintenance and manufacturing pathway to its High School Aviation STEM Curriculum as early as 2028.
The high school program is a free, nationally recognized program that has reached more than 130,000 students since its launch in 2016.
"Like a lot of AOPA members, I've experienced the mechanic shortage firsthand," said AOPA acting Co-President Katie Pribyl. "Between long waits at shops that are booked out for months and annual inspections that stretch on for weeks—not to mention the void that's left when a trusted A&P retires—the mechanic shortage has a real impact on our members every day."
The AOPA Foundation will also form an advisory board consisting of industry leaders and educators to ensure the curriculum will prepare students for a career in aviation maintenance and manufacturing while also working within the constraints of a typical high school environment.
In a 2023 congressional hearing, the FAA said that the number of mechanic certificates issued "has remained relatively flat over the past two decades" and that "by 2031, two out of every five current mechanics—more than 90,000 certificated mechanics in total—will reach retirement age."
In that same hearing, the Aviation Technician Education Council estimated that while 79,000 mechanics are expected to enter the industry by the early 2030s, there will be a need for 90,000 mechanics.
A 2023 Government Accountability Office report interviewed aviation industry stakeholders and said, "support mechanisms for promoting aviation maintenance professions—such as engagement with high schools and maintenance schools, promotional marketing, and recruitment—are not as well developed as those supporting and promoting the airline pilot profession."
"Every student in this course represents dozens of aircraft that can keep flying," said Pribyl. "That's why the addition of this maintenance and manufacturing curriculum isn't just good for students—it's good for our members who depend on a healthy maintenance workforce to keep flying."
In the 2025-2026 school year, the AOPA high school program served more than 32,000 students at more than 1,500 high schools. For the first time, the AOPA curriculum was taught in all 50 states, in addition to Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Since its inception, the AOPA curriculum has prepared a diverse group of students—half of whom are students of color, and almost 25 percent of whom are female—for careers in aviation. The curriculum is STEM.org reviewed, and offered free to schools, districts, nonprofits, and homeschool co-ops.
"We're proud of the success the AOPA high school program has had," said AOPA Foundation Programs Vice President Dan Justman. "We continue to see strong year-over-year growth—and we hear from graduates every day about how this program changed their lives and set them on the path toward successful careers in the aviation industry. With this new pathway, we can open that same door for students who want to build and maintain aircraft, and the industry is waiting for every one of them."
Developing the curriculum is expected to take two to three years, with a field test expected as early as 2028. Prior to release, the AOPA Foundation will identify certifications and skills students need to enter the workforce, design hands-on learning experiences, and equip teachers with resources and training to deliver it effectively.
"This curriculum is one more way that the AOPA Foundation is supporting and growing the entire aviation ecosystem," said AOPA Foundation Senior Vice President Elizabeth Tennyson. "From supporting future aviators—and soon, mechanics—before graduation, to providing scholarships for them to become a pilot or mechanic, to helping them fly at lower cost through flying clubs, and easing pilots back into flying if they ever step away for a bit, we have programs serving aviators at every stage."
The AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is funded by donations that support programs to enhance safety and grow the pilot (and mechanic) population. To be a part of the solution, visit www.aopafoundation.org/donate.
