The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology

The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology, a midsized school in the old Eastern District High School building in Williamsburg, offers programs in advanced science, performing arts, computer science and hospitality and tourism. Students in the career-oriented computer and hospitality programs have an opportunity to work in settings outside the school.

The school’s music major does not require an audition and is open to students who have not performed previously. The instrumental, choral and dance classes include students from the other schools on the campus, East Williamsburg Scholar Academy and Progress High School for Professional Careers.

A summer academy for incoming 9th graders helps ease the transition to high school. Students get frequent and useful feedback on their work, through teacher evaluations, self-assessment and peer reviews, according to a Department of Education report. In discussions with a DOE reviewer, parents praised the school for its communication with them.

Teachers, on the other hand, give the school and its principal, Holgar Carrillo, fairly low marks. More than 40 percent said in a DOE survey that they would not recommend the school as a place to work or go to school. Teachers complain of problems with order and discipline.

Although it is two-thirds male, the school has a similar number of boys and girls sports teams, along with a co-ed golf team.

Special education: Most students with IEPs spend the majority of their school day in team teaching classes with a mix of general and special education students.

Admission: The Gateway (honors) program screens applicants on the basis of their academic records but takes students with fairly low averages and tests scores. The other three programs – music, computer science/networking, and business and finance, select students using the education option method which accepts students with a range of academic abilities. The school often does not fill all of its seats and some programs accept incoming 10th graders. (Gail Robinson, Department of Education reports, November 2018)