East Ridge High School in Lake County, Florida, has incorporated drone aviation into its career and technical education (CTE) curriculum to prepare secondary students for broader careers in flight. The school explored the pathway with instructor and retired U.S. Navy captain Mark Day, who previously taught engineering at the institution.

While Day initially questioned whether high school students possessed the maturity required for general aviation training, the program leverages the substantial technical crossover between unmanned and manned flight. According to Day, as much as 70 percent of drone ground school coursework directly mirrors the core concepts taught in traditional pilot ground school.

The integration reflects an increasingly practical approach to aerospace education, enabling schools to deliver foundational aviation principles and technical ground training through unmanned aerial systems without requiring immediate access to full-scale aircraft.