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GAO finds FAA-certified schools include high schools and additional colleges or technical centers, while many uncertificated high schools offer related programs without FAA certification. Stakeholders report limited career-outcome data and barriers, including ineligibility of uncertificated-school students to take the FAA general written knowledge test. GAO concludes FAA has not completed the assessment required under the 2024 reauthorization and recommends establishing an expert stakeholder group.",{"@graph":69,"@context":127},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/high-school-aviation-maintenance-programs-faa-should-assess-expanding-access-to-the-mechanic-knowledge-test/319811/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/high-school-aviation-maintenance-programs-faa-should-assess-expanding-access-to-the-mechanic-knowledge-test/319811.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Aladdin","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",13,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119,123],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"How many FAA-certified aviation maintenance schools train high school students, according to GAO?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"GAO reports that 11 of the certificated aviation maintenance schools are high schools, and 43 are colleges, universities, or career and technical centers serving high school students.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What key barrier affects uncertificated-school students attempting to become FAA-certificated mechanics?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"Stakeholders cite that students from uncertificated schools lack required work experience or additional education, making them ineligible to take the general written knowledge test.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What does the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act require, and what has FAA done so far?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"The Act requires FAA to task the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee to establish a working group by May 2025 to assess whether qualified graduates of aviation maintenance curricula can take the general written knowledge test. GAO states FAA has not established the working group or obtained the assessment.",{"name":124,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":125},"What recommendation does GAO make to address expanding access to the mechanic knowledge test?",{"text":126,"@type":114},"GAO recommends FAA establish a group of industry stakeholders and aviation experts to assess whether students should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test after completing an aviation maintenance curriculum at an uncertificated school.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":129,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":131,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":133,"site_id":62},319811,1790214614,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":136},{"doc_id":133,"user_id":137,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":138,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":139,"file_id":140,"file_url":141,"file_type":142,"file_size":143,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":144,"language":145,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":146,"faqs":147,"seo_title":148,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":149,"read_time":150,"preview_page_count":4},2336478503145,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","United States Government Accountability Office  \nReport to Congressional Committees  \nSeptember 2026  \nHIGH SCHOOL AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS  \nFAA Should Assess Expanding Access to the Mechanic Knowledge Test  \nHighlights  \nGAO-26-108303  \nHIGH SCHOOL AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS  \nFAA Should Assess Expanding Access to the Mechanic Knowledge Test  \nSeptember 2026  \nA report to congressional committees  \nContact: Danielle T. Giese [at](at GieseD@gao.gov)[ GieseD@gao.gov](at GieseD@gao.gov)  \nWhat GAO Found  \nThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues certificates to aircraft mechanics and to the more than 200 aviation maintenance schools that train them. Eleven of these certificated schools are high schools , and 43 are colleges, universities, or career and technical centers that serve high school students. In addition, at least 43 high schools offer programs in aviation maintenance but are not certificated by FAA. The school representatives that GAO interviewed had little data on career outcomes but cited a range of pathways that graduates have pursued, including further training and enrolling in 4-year colleges.  \nFAA-Certificated Schools That Train High School Students in Aviation Maintenance  \nStakeholders identified several barriers to students becoming aircraft mechanics, especially limited awareness of the career option among students entering highschool. Stakeholders also offered options to address these barriers , such as internships with aviation industry partners to increase awareness. Some stakeholders cited as a barrier the ineligibility of students from uncertificated schools, who do not have the requisite work experience or additional education, to take the general written knowledge test—typically the first in a series of FAA tests that students must pass to become an FAA-certificated aircraft mechanic. For example, one stakeholder said that having to take courses at a certificated school can be costly after taking courses at an uncertificated school.  \nThe FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 requires FAA to task the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee to establish the Airman Knowledge Testing Working Group by May 2025, to assess whether students who have successfully completed an aviation maintenance curriculum should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test. FAA has not established this working group or obtained this assessment. FAA officials said they were unable to do so because, according to the Department of Transportation, it terminated all members of the advisory committee pursuant to an executive order, which required termination of advisory committees deemed to be unnecessary. Convening a group of industry stakeholders and aviation experts to conduct an assessment, through the advisory committee or other mechanism, could help FAA obtain a range of perspectives on the potential benefits and drawbacks of allowing graduates ofuncertificated schools to take the test. Through this assessment , FAA could also determine whether expanding access to the test could help address future workforce demand.  \nWhy GAO Did This Study  \nA sufficient supply of aircraft mechanics , who service and repair aircraft, is necessary to ensure a safe aviation system. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be about 11 ,300 open positions for aircraft mechanics annually through 2034. Oneway to meet this need is to recruit and train younger workers.  \nThe FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 includes a provision for GAO to review programs that train high school students in aviation maintenance and identify certain barriers for program graduates. This report discusses , among other things,(1) the number of such programs and the career outcomes of their graduates; and (2) barriers to students becoming aircraft mechanics through these programs , and options to address those barriers.  \nGAO analyzed FAA data and conducted a literature search to identify highschool aviation maintenance programs, including t","cbCaik3hDXoLMmiJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik3hDXoLMmiJ","pdf",2792687,43,"English","# Background\n## Almost 100 Aviation Maintenance Programs Train High School Students, but Data on Career Outcomes Is Limited\n## Stakeholders Said FAA Generally Engaged Effectively with Schools on Their Certification\n## Stakeholders Identified Barriers That Students of High School Aviation Maintenance Programs Face and Options to Address Them\n## Conclusions\n## Recommendation for Executive Action\n## Agency Comments\n# Appendices\n## Certificated Aviation Maintenance Schools That Train High School Students\n## Uncertificated High Schools or School Districts that Offer Aviation Maintenance Programs\n## Comments from the Department of Transportation\n## GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments","[{\"question\":\"How many FAA-certified aviation maintenance schools train high school students, according to GAO?\",\"answer\":\"GAO reports that 11 of the certificated aviation maintenance schools are high schools, and 43 are colleges, universities, or career and technical centers serving high school students.\"},{\"question\":\"What key barrier affects uncertificated-school students attempting to become FAA-certificated mechanics?\",\"answer\":\"Stakeholders cite that students from uncertificated schools lack required work experience or additional education, making them ineligible to take the general written knowledge test.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act require, and what has FAA done so far?\",\"answer\":\"The Act requires FAA to task the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee to establish a working group by May 2025 to assess whether qualified graduates of aviation maintenance curricula can take the general written knowledge test. GAO states FAA has not established the working group or obtained the assessment.\"},{\"question\":\"What recommendation does GAO make to address expanding access to the mechanic knowledge test?\",\"answer\":\"GAO recommends FAA establish a group of industry stakeholders and aviation experts to assess whether students should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test after completing an aviation maintenance curriculum at an uncertificated school.\"}]","HIGH SCHOOL AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS - FAA Should Assess Expanding Access to the Mechanic Knowledge Test | PDF",1789947216,108]