Houston High Schoolers Opened A Real Auto Shop Where The Community Can Get An Oil Change For $20
Houston ISD's Barbara Jordan Career Center opened a student-run auto shop to the public on October 23, 2026, giving high schoolers in the Automotive Technology program the chance to work on real customers' vehicles under the supervision of their instructors. The shop sits at 5800 Eastex Freeway in northeast Houston and offers oil and filter changes, tire rotations, and multi-point inspections on Fridays by appointment, with prices ranging from $20 to $35. Customers supply their own parts and fluids, and every dollar the shop earns goes back into opportunities for automotive students. The career center serves roughly 1,200 students from 11 campuses and trains them for work in fields including construction technology, culinary arts, and automotive technology. Principal Alexis Brown said the district had been working toward the shop since the summer, after hearing from the automotive program's industry partners that students needed both soft skills and technical know-how to succeed in the field. A real customer with a real car, a real deadline, and a real conversation to have at the counter teaches both at once.
The program is equipped with the kind of gear a working garage relies on, including tire balancers, cranes, and multiple vehicle lifts. Automotive instructor Manuel Nuno, who is also an alumnus of the program, said that kind of equipment gives students a stepping stone to a much better fundamental understanding for their careers. The district expanded access to the career center last school year so freshmen and sophomores can build basic skills before beginning hands-on work as juniors and seniors, which means a student who starts in ninth grade can graduate with four years of experience on a resume. Students can also earn industry-recognized certifications before they finish high school. The auto shop is one piece of a much larger plan: Houston ISD is expanding access to 16 high-demand career programs for students from ten high schools starting this school year, and enrollment at the career center is projected to grow from roughly 900 students today to nearly 4,000 by the 2028-29 school year. For drivers in the Greater Fifth Ward neighborhood, it also means a neighborhood spot for basic maintenance at a price that is hard to find anywhere else.
