Guam's Career Tech seeks charter renewal, eyes enrollment growth
- Admin
- Aug 9
- 4 min read
By Jayvee Vallejera
Career Tech High Academy Charter School has received broad community support for its bid to continue its operations, with plans to further grow its student enrollment.
Located in Agat, Career Tech currently has 200 students, hitting the enrollment ceiling set by law.
Wil Castro, the charter school's principal, said Career Tech is petitioning the Guam Academy Charter Schools Council to raise the cap to 300.
At Thursday’s public hearing at the Agat campus, Career Tech received ringing endorsements of its charter-renewal application.
Malesso Mayor Franklin J. Champaco said Career Tech has become a valuable educational institution on Guam.
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First chartered in October 2020 under the Guam Academy Charter Schools Act, Career Tech offers high school education that combines career and technical education, indigenous education and college preparation. Its charter will expire on Oct. 5.
Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate independently from the local public school system and use flexible educational models.
A charter may be renewed an unlimited number of times, each time for a six-year period.
Since school year 2020-2021, Career Tech has grown from an initial class of just 24 students to about 200 students this school year. It boasts a graduation rate of 93 percent.
Like all charter schools in Guam, Career Tech receives a per capita allotment of $7,800 per student from the Guam government, according to Castro.
“Keep in mind that this is much less than the estimated per capita for a Guam Department of Education student, which is approximately $14,000. And that is a conservative estimate,” he added.
Castro said the charter school has secured more than $300,000 in grants, awards and partnerships, which have subsidized the funds from the government.
The Guam Academy Charter School Act of 2009 paved the way for the establishment of charter schools on island.
Career Tech is one of six charter schools on Guam.
Unlike public schools under the Guam Department of Education’s orbit, charter schools operate with some autonomy under a contract with the Guam Academy Charter Schools Council.
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In his testimony, Champaco said he has witnessed firsthand the positive impact Career Tech has had on Guam’s youth, including many students from his village.
“Career Tech has provided these students with the opportunities to succeed academically while preparing them with practical career and technical skills,” said Champaco.
The Guam Academy Charter Schools Council will meet on Sept. 10 to decide on Career Tech’s charter renewal application, according to David Camacho, who presided over the hearing.
He said Career Tech’s emphasis on career readiness, character development and community service aligns with the values Guam leaders strive to instill in Guam’s villages.
“Career Tech High has become an important partner in preparing Guam's future workforce and developing responsible young leaders,” he added.
Helen Nishihira, chief operating officer of iLearn Academy Charter School, said her presence demonstrates solidarity among Guam charter schools.
She said her regular visits to Career Tech’s campus have shown her the school’s remarkable progress and growth and its consistent vision to develop Guam's future workforce and leaders while preserving and respecting traditions.
Linda Perez, whose grandson attends Career Tech, said the school’s small class sizes enable teachers to give individual attention to the students.
She also sees more family participation in school activities. “I myself love to come here, volunteer and do whatever is needed,” Perez added.
Perez is pleased that Career Tech also has an Individualized Education Program for special needs students.
Castro said Career Tech has fully complied with the Special Education mandate since 2025.
Regan Indalecio, a sophomore at Career Tech, said the school’s supportive environment empowers students to grow into greater, more confident individuals ready to make a real impact on the world ahead of them.
Through Career Tech, she said, she was able to explore other areas of interest like sports and paddling, which she never used to do.
In 2024, Career Tech received a full six-year accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts and education service providers.
Castro takes great pride in Career Tech’s recent launch of a duduli canoe in Hågat Bay, which he said was a first in over 500 years.
The canoe is a traditional seafaring vessel handcrafted by descendants of the late Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug, who revitalized wayfinding, the traditional way of navigating vast oceans using the stars as guides.
Castro said the school’s compounded growth rate per year “communicates one thing very clearly to me—that the people of Guam see value in Career Tech.”
He also projects the school to be current in its annual audits by next year. He said three fiscal year audits are now done, and they are busy getting the next two off their table.
“We should be current by next June at the absolute latest, and that's my commitment,” he added.
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