Equity in education generally means that each learner has access to the resources, opportunities, and supports they need to succeed, regardless of their background or personal characteristics. In the context of Career and Technical Education (CTE), equity implies that all students can access high-quality CTE programs and support at the right time in their education. Challenges derive from a legacy of tracking students from families experiencing low-income and historically marginalized communities into vocational education - CTE's historical predecessor - potentially reducing their access to higher education and higher lifetime earnings. With its emphasis on building practical skills, tracking also denied access to vocational education to students from more privileged circumstances.

With over eight million high school students enrolling in CTE courses annually, ensuring equitable access and participation is an important policy concern for policymakers and practitioners. The Career & Technical Education Policy Exchange (CTEx) used administrative data from Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, and five metro-Atlanta school districts to study patterns of CTE participation across student groups. Although participation in CTE and access to CTE may not be identical, participation offers a good proxy measure to understand how access varies across different locations.