William G Enloe High School

My son is a freshman this year and so far so good he has met a great group of kids my son is in mostly honors classes. He does have about 2 to 3 hours of homework most nights and on weekends . If my son were not in honor or AG classes this is not the school to be in I think the kids that are in base classes get lost in the shuffle. He also loves the elective classes,clubs and sports which are many to choose from. The diversity is something I think the kids are lucky to be exposed to and to be able to view kids from all back grounds.
—Submitted by a parent

I am and always have been very impressed with our students at Enloe. The diversity and desire to learn contributes to a healthy exciting classroom environment. We continue to work at weaknesses and push our strengths forward. Enloe is the top school in the area!
—Submitted by a teacher

I really wouldn't recommend Enloe for a majority of high schoolers. It was a good school a few years ago, but has been going steadily downhill and is currently underfunded and crowded. While it still has a prestigious reputation, I doubt it will exist in a few years. What few resources that the school does posses rarely make it to students effectively and I don't believe teachers are encouraged to be creative. The largest problem with the school is the administration. Administrators often see Enloe as a stepping stone to another job and focus more on test scores than learning. As a student, I regularly feel that students (and often teachers) are pitted against administrators and that many rules put into place are mainly part of a much larger power struggle rather than a means to make the school a better learning environment. That being said, Enloe has many talented teachers and (generally) a friendly student body. Most teachers genuinely do care. Enloe is also pretty diverse, not just demographically, but also in that students from different backgrounds and cliques socialize a great deal. Enloe is little worse than most public schools, but falls severely short of its reputation.
—Submitted by a student

Enloe High School is a perfect model of how not to educate students. This school is a machine that processes and produces hundreds of students each year, understanding their intellectual growth on the most basic terms: test scores and grades. With massive class sizes and few resources, the school can not provide a personal education to your child and will often allow a disinterested student to float through having learned or grown in no way so long as they can pass their tests. A great myth about an Enloe education is that is challenging. Are you forced to complete hours of homework assignments a night? Yes. However, the actual amount of healthy critical thinking performed in these monotonous tasks is non existent. Enloe provides you with a meaningless fact based education and thus does not challenge your mind in any way. What is most tragic about the Enloe mentality is because an Enloe student has never experienced an education which challenges them to go beyond what they learn and measures education in experience rather than product, they are in a perpetual belief that because they do more they learn more. This is absolutely false. Please don't send your child to Enloe.
—Submitted by a student

Our son is a freshman at Enloe and we were very apprehensive about whether the school would live up to its reputation as we had been very disapointed by Martin Middle School (which also had a great reputation). I am happy to report that Enloe has not disapointed! It truly has a unique and diverse student body that respects and appreciates people who are have different backgrounds. Our son seems happier than we've seen him in years and he is just blossoming in this multi-cultural environment. As for the academics: there are many great electives offered such as foreign languages and many others, but, the core classes just seem mediocre like they were cut from the same cookie cutters as the rest of Wake County core classes. On the positive side, one can attain a higher level than at other local high schools given the large number of AP/IB courses available. In short, we are happy with the school as a whole but, feel that the academics for the AG students could be taught in a more stimulating format given the large number of high achievers.
—Submitted by a parent

This school should be at the top of the list...Raleigh Charter's faculty has roots from Enloe. Leesville Principal was first trained and worked at Enloe...the list goes on! Sanderson's former principal that made it a better school came from Enloe.
—Submitted by a teacher

Excellent teachers, diverse student body, something for everyone... OPEN to everyone - you don't have to live in a certain area to get into this school like the other schools in Wake. Academics are tough - a lot of students can't cut it so know your child before sending them here!
—Submitted by a parent

The school had a great offering of honors and AP coursework available to students. What I thought was always interesting was that the school often felt like it was of two worlds: the honors students and the "regular" students. It would be nice if there was a way to create a more cohesive feel of the school.

I believe that Enloe is resting on its laurels. When considering high schools for our son, now a sophomore, our first choice was Enloe because of its great reputation for arts and academics. While I believe the arts reputation is well deserved, overall I believe the school does not meet the needs of its students. If your child is not academically motivated, but performs well enough, most of the teachers will not do much to motivate him or her. One of my son's teachers this year was absent about forty percent of the time, but no regular substitute was in place. When you go to your first open house and the biology teacher says 'I teach to the test because that's all I have to do' it's evident something is wrong. I'm sorry to say I have been resoundingly underwhelmed by this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm proud to say I go to Enloe
—Submitted by a student

This school is great. I am a current student there and i am proud to tell people i go to Enloe. The school has high marks in academics and the people there are mostly all easy to get along with if you get to know them
—Submitted by a student

Enloe was #53 in the nation just a few years back and as much as I still love the shool's diversity and wide range of extra curriculars changes in administration are causing a loss of great teachers combined with a general dislike of the changes by the student body is causing a decrease in school pride and even academic standard!
—Submitted by a student

I have been deeply impressed by MOST of the teachers at this school. They are dedicated and way above any standards that I have encountered in the US school system. overal. It is a drag to experience those teachers who don't have their attitudes or personal lives together so that they cannot show up for our kids. But, so goes the human race. Every time I have a Teacher meeting I learn something. I learn how to be a better mentor for my child. I am ever grateful to those teachers who have cared for my child, showing up for her in ways I cannot, sometimes.
—Submitted by a parent

great school. had fun and learned a lot
—Submitted by a student

Currently an Enloe student and being very aware of the other high schools in North Carolina and the United States, i can honestly speak the truth about Enloe. Enloe however is very people friendly. Enloe has some of the most helpful and loyal staff of any highschool i have ever seen! Yes the course are strenuous and difficult, and no when you go to the teachers, they are not going to just give you the answers, they make you think and find the answers yourself. Acadimiclly, Enloe is one of the most rigorous schools in the nation. Grades are not handed out, but well earned. However yes i can see how people say there is too much emphisis on grades and GPA, but it is the best motovation i have found!
—Submitted by a student

There'schoices in academics at Enloe, some good, some poor quality. Lots of AP's, but I have been dissapointed with the teachers! This is a huge school, it should not accept more students at this point in time. There are safety issues related to chaos and size, and there is much disorder. My kids are happy, butas a parent I am concerned that overall academics are not keeping high standards and that my kids may not be as safe as they should be at a school.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended and graduated from Enloe, and we thought it was absolutely outstanding--on every level. Smart and caring teachers who challenge their students, and quality programs abound, including honors and AP courses, serious science, and an array of foreign languages; lots of wonderful extracurriculars are available, from dance to drama to tv production to music/orchestras, sports, and newspaper. Enloe boasts a geographically (pulling from all across the county) and ethnically diverse and welcoming/open student body--a fine example of Wake County's magnet system. My child LOVED it and absolutely thrived there. The teachers and administration, most especially Principal Lloyd Gardner, were all very supportive and maintained a real interest in the students and in Enloe. Academically, Enloe truly prepares its students for higher education. And parents have the opportunity to get involved on many levels, and do. We cannot have imagined a better high school curriculum and environment for our child.
—Submitted by a parent

Parent involvement is stiflingly high. Strong but pressuring academics. Particularly strong in the arts.
—Submitted by a parent

The academics are very rigorous, and yet serve the upmost important purpose of preparing high school kids for the challenges they will face in college. Yes there are some bad apples at Enloe, student or teacher. Every school will have its own share of troublesome people. The student body here is very diverse not only in terms of ethnicity, but also in religion and moral values. There seems to be an extreme sense of tolerance among the students despite such differences and the result of it is a very competitive yet friendly/unique environment. Many teachers here also dedicate much of their time making sure students succeed in their classes. They genuinely care for their students. Enloe also has countless extracurricular activities that see so much involvement from both the students and parents alike. Honestly, I can't think of anything distinctively negative to say about this school.
—Submitted by a student

The academics at this school are great. Kids have a variety of choices for core and elective classes. Some of these include high level physics, chemistry, mathematics, Russian (4 years), Japanese (4 years), art, dance, and drama.
—Submitted by a former student