At a Glance
A small screened high school in Williamsburg where every student picks one of three career academies — automotive, software, or arts and media.
Best suited for
Teens who already lean toward a career-technical or creative-technical pathway and a family willing to navigate a screened-application process — particularly students who will thrive in a small school where every adult knows their name.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Zero suspensions across the entire school year — a striking standout in a district where the average suspension rate sits above half a percent.
- Three distinct career academies — Automotive, Software Engineering, and Arts & Media — where every student commits to one pathway on entry.
- Family trust at the very top of the district: 98% parent-principal trust and 95% parent satisfaction.
- Real technical depth beyond the basics — a robotics team, grand-master-coached chess, a bicycle repair crew, and a Pit Crew club tied to the automotive academy.
- Program richness score of 90/100 with 25-plus active extracurriculars, from SkillsUSA to a peer mediation team and a working school newspaper.
Things to consider
- Teacher-reported instruction quality sits at 81%, well below the district average of 93% — worth asking administrators directly what that gap reflects.
- With 39% of students on IEPs and an economic need index of 81.5, this is a high-support-needs population, which is a strength but also a load.
- Screened admissions mean the Arts & Media academy accepts only about 1 in 4 applicants, so entry depends on the application as much as on interest.
- Because the school's demographics differ sharply from surrounding Williamsburg, most families will be commuting in — the school is more of a district-wide draw than a true neighborhood school.
- Standardized proficiency outcomes aren't part of this snapshot, so weigh academic performance from a separate source before enrolling.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 14
Within District 14, A-Tech is one of very few screened high schools — most of the top-rated peers nearby are K-8 charters, not direct high school comparisons. As a small, pathway-focused public high school with unusually high family trust and zero suspensions, it occupies a specific niche for teens ready to commit to a technical or creative track.
Academics
A-Tech builds its academic identity around three screened career academies — Automotive Specialists, Software Engineering, and Arts & Media — backed by AP coursework, ELL support, and a Spanish language track. Offer rates of roughly 50% in the Automotive and Software tracks and around 25% in Arts & Media show that students commit to a focused pathway before they walk in the door. Standardized proficiency outcomes aren't included in this data set, so families should pair this program-led picture with the latest state test reports before drawing conclusions.
Culture
Family-side climate numbers are the strongest part of the picture: 95% parent satisfaction (above the district average of 94%), 97% parent-teacher trust, and 98% parent-principal trust — among the highest in the district. Zero suspensions for the entire year is the standout behavioral signal, against a district where suspensions are routine. The one number worth asking the school about is teacher-reported instruction quality at 81%, well below the district average of 93%, even as teacher-principal and collegial trust hold steady around 91%.
Community
A-Tech's 354 students are 56% Hispanic and 36% Black, with an economic need index of 81.5 and 39% of students classified as IEPs — among the highest support needs in the district. That profile contrasts sharply with the surrounding Williamsburg neighborhood, which skews affluent and childless, suggesting many families commute in from across Brooklyn for the technical focus. The 53% diversity index reflects a student body concentrated in two racial groups, which I'd call moderately diverse within NYC but heavily weighted toward Hispanic and Black families.
Neighborhood
Williamsburg has become one of Brooklyn's wealthiest neighborhoods, with a median household income near $129,000 and a typical home value above $1.3 million. Only about 12% of households here have children and homeownership is just 17%, signaling a population dominated by renters in their 20s and 30s. That gap between the neighborhood's demographics and A-Tech's student body is real — most families are reaching the school from somewhere else in Brooklyn.
Getting here is straightforward on the G at Nassau Av (about a 5-minute walk) or the L at Bedford Av (about 7 minutes), with the L at Lorimer St about 11 minutes on foot.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 121 families responded (29% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
This rigorous 4-year sequence requires students to complete 1000 hours of work in engine performance, electronics, brakes, and transmissions for career opportunities in the automobile repair, tuning, diagnosis, and other areas. Students engage in industry-based assessments, competitions, and Work Based Learning opportunities with our business partners. Completion of the program results in CTE Certification and ASE/NATEF entry-level certification allowing the opportunity to work upon graduation.
This Academy prepares students for cutting-edge careers in experiential design and digital media. We teach an integrated approach based on four fundamentals: design thinking, visual communication, technology, and user experience. Students in the academy are strategic thinkers, producers, and technologists poised to lead innovation on a global level.
This Academy prepares students for opportunities in programming, web design, robotics, and other areas in the expanding digital workplace. This rigorous curriculum includes computer-aided design using Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum and hands-on application culminating in prototype development. Students complete a minimum of four math courses and a three-year engineering sequence. Extracurricular opportunities include Robotics and SkillsUSA where they can continue to develop their skills.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. A-Tech High School admits through 6 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Academy of Arts and MediaEd. Opt.
- Automotive Business Technology, Computer Repair & ElectronicsEd. Opt.30 seats
- Automotive Service Center SpecialistEd. Opt.60 seats
- EngineeringLimited UnscreenedEvent priority60 seats
- Law Enforcement AcademyLimited UnscreenedEvent priority30 seats
- Mechanical EngineeringScreened30 seats
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank the 7th-grade core-course average, so last year's final grades are the ones that count.
- 3Programs marked “Event priority” put families who attended an open house, tour or information session first — sign in when you go.
- 4Educational Option programs fill in equal shares across three reading levels, half by the school's ranking and half by lottery.
- 5Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
A program here gives priority to families who attended an event — sign in when you go.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is A-Tech High School a good school?
- On Motley, A-Tech High School earns an overall rating of 69/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does A-Tech High School serve?
- A-Tech High School serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into A-Tech High School?
- A-Tech High School is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is A-Tech High School public, charter, or private?
- A-Tech High School is a public school in NYC Community School District 14.
- What neighborhood is A-Tech High School in?
- A-Tech High School is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.