Brandi Cannizzaro, the school's principal, gave a tour of the non-traditional classrooms, including one that was staged as a courtroom.

"This pathway really is for students looking into law enforcement and working for the CIA or FBI, or potentially becoming a paralegal or a lawyer in the future," Cannizzaro said.

Cyber security is another subject of high interest for many students. Through this pathway students are taught ways to protect sensitive data, prevent hacking and computer viruses. 

Down the hall, inside one of the healthcare classrooms, you’ll find an ambulance. The mechatronics department is home to the 3D printer and other nifty gadgets. As for the aerospace wing - it’s like an aviation amusement park, complete with drones, flight simulators, and other high-tech toys - all of it being used in a classroom setting to prepare local teenagers for the workforce.

"This school is probably one of the best decisions that I've made in my school career," Kutagulla said. "The amount of friends that you make here and they're really true, and the amount of pathway experience that you get. It's not just academic-based, it's like actual social and learning skills which is great to tie in together."

Alliance Academy just opened in August with roughly 500 students, all of them 9th and 10th graders. Each year, for the next couple years, they will add 300 or so 9th grade students. At capacity, Alliance will have 1,200 students grades 9 through 12.