Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High Charter School, often referred to as High Tech High (HTH), is a public

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

high school in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. The school is now one of several schools operated under the

High Tech High charter schools High Tech High is a San Diego, California-based school-development organization that includes a network of charter schools, a teacher certification program, and a graduate school of education. Students are admitted to the public elementary, mi ...

umbrella organization.

History

Beginning in 1998, forty public and corporate partners, led by current board chair Gary Jacobs, began meeting to discuss the current state of education in San Diego. Faced with a shortage of workers for the locally strong high tech and biotech industries, the group wondered why the local school system was not better able to produce more qualified workers. Having given money to the school district in the past and questioning the return on that investment, these local entrepreneurs decided to open a new high school and christened it High Tech High. Soon thereafter, longtime educator Larry Rosenstock was asked to present to this group about different possible governance structures for the school. He then became the founding principal of the school, and is now the C.E.O. of the network of schools. The school was founded in September 2000 with 200 students and currently educates 527 students. High Tech High occupies a building on the former Navy Training Center in the Point Loma area, which is now known as

Liberty Station Liberty Station is a mixed-use development in San Diego, California, on the site of the former Naval Training Center San Diego. It is located in the Point Loma community of San Diego. It has a waterfront location, on a boat channel off of San Diego ...

. The school is organized that on a

project-based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students le ...

model (most learning comes from multi-subject projects, rather than the more traditional approach, where teachers talk and students listen), real-world connection, personalization, and having a common intellectual mission (no ability grouping). Together with several of the other HTH schools, the school is called the " High Tech High Village", which most students simply call "The Village".

Methodology

At the High Tech High schools, the method of teaching is based on "

", in which students are given a project which involves working independently or in groups and doing research to complete it. Some classes have projects where grades from different subjects will be all part of the same project. Projects the students have worked on include designing a human-powered submarine, genetic manipulation, designing a water treatment plant, writing a book on the Harlem Renaissance, creating a sitcom and building a robot out of old computer parts. All students complete internships in the junior year. These internships are currently a three-week immersion experience working full-time at various places such as website companies, biotech firms, non profits, and other schools.

Financing

The schools are primarily publicly funded. The

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...

contributed a one-time gift of $1000 per student when the school opened, and has pledged millions of dollars to build more schools following the model over the next four years. Some are already in operation. Financial support to develop the original HTH also came from Gary Jacobs, son of

Qualcomm Qualcomm () is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4 ...

founder Irwin Jacobs. Jacobs also donated almost 9 million dollars in building space for three of the schools in the village.

FIRST Robotics (The Holy Cows)

The school is home to one of thirty

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

teams in San Diego County. The school's team, named

The Holy Cows The Holy Cows, FRC team 1538, is a FIRST Robotics Competition team that was founded in 2005, and is a school-based team from High Tech High in San Diego California. Recognition Chairmans Award The Holy Cows received the highest award of th ...

, is nationally recognized.

Athletics

Cross Country/Track & Field

The High Tech High cross country team, known as the Storm, competes in San Diego CIF sanctioned meets and invitationals. They are 2007-2016 reigning Frontier League champions. During the summer and fall seasons, the team practices long distance training for the cross country season, and in the winter and spring months they shift focus to track & field. The team qualified for the CIF State Cross Country Meet in 2014 and 2016.

Water polo

Although the school has minimal funding for athletics, a water polo team was started in 2009. The team includes both female and male athletes, although it is predominantly male.

Women's basketball

A women's basketball team competes and has both a junior varsity and varsity team.

Men's basketball

A men's basketball team competes and has both a junior varsity and varsity team.

Women's rugby

Begun in 2010, a women's rugby team competes and has both a junior varsity and varsity team.

Men's rugby

Started in 2010, a men's rugby team competes and has both a junior varsity and varsity team.

Women's soccer

High Tech High's women's soccer program was founded in 2008. Since its start, the women's team has won the Frontier League 2008, 2010, and 2011, competing in the CIF playoffs 2010 and 2012. In 2012, after becoming runner-up in the Frontier League, the team was awarded a seed in the CIF playoffs and made it past the first round after a dramatic victory over High Tech High Chula Vista.

Men's soccer

Men's soccer is one of High Tech High's most decorated sports, competing in the Frontier League and winning this league in 2008, 2009, 2010, and making appearances in CIF playoffs all three years.

Women's tennis

A women's tennis team competes in the Frontier League as well as CIF matches.

Men's tennis

A men's tennis team competes in the Frontier League as well as CIF matches.

Results

The school has had over 600 visitors, including US state Governors Gray Davis (California),

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. ...

(Pennsylvania), Bill Owens (Colorado), and Senator

Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

, in its first year alone. Other visitors include

Peter Yarrow Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is an American singer and songwriter who found fame for being in the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote (with Leonard Lipton) one of the group's best known hits, " Puff, the Magic Dragon". H ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend (born July 4, 1951) is an American attorney who was the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Maryland in 2002. She was the first female lieutenant ...

Eli Broad Eli Broad ( ; June 6, 1933April 30, 2021) was an American businessman and philanthropist. In June 2019, ''Forbes'' ranked him as the 233rd-wealthiest person in the world and the 78th-wealthiest in the United States, with an estimated net worth of ...

, Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, and

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...

, and Jesus Rubalcaba. On February 15, 2006,

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

made an appearance on their education tour. The central High Tech High Learning organization (with support from the

) has since opened several middle schools and high schools using the original HTH model: *

High Tech High International High Tech High International, often referred to as HTHI, is a public charter high school in San Diego, California, United States. It has 391 students and 22 teachers. It is the third school in a program that attempts to change the way most student ...

, San Diego *

High Tech High Media Arts High Tech High Media Arts (HTHMA), is a public charter high school in San Diego, California, United States. Description The school uses project-based learning to teach students. HTHMA teaches grades 9-12 and has approximately 400 students. It is ...

, San Diego *

High Tech High North County High Tech High North County, also known as HTHNC, is a charter school located in San Marcos, California. It is a part of the High Tech High organization. Opening in 2007, with its initial class consisting of only 150 freshmen, the school has sin ...

San Marcos, California San Marcos ( ; Spanish for " St. Mark") is a city in the North County region of San Diego County, California. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,833. It is the site of California State University San Marcos. The city is borde ...

High Tech Los Angeles High Tech Los Angeles, or HTLA is an American charter high school located in Lake Balboa, CA, in the San Fernando Valley. It is located on the site of Birmingham High School, but it has its own separate buildings. History High Tech LA was concei ...

, Los Angeles * High Tech Middle, San Diego *

High Tech Middle Media Arts High Tech Middle Media Arts, often abbreviated to HTMMA, is a public charter middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage wh ...

, San Diego * City High School,

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Explorer Elementary Charter School High Tech High is a San Diego, California-based school-development organization that includes a network of charter schools, a teacher certification program, and a graduate school of education. Students are admitted to the public elementary, mi ...

, San Diego * Mirta Ramirez Computer Science Charter School,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

* New Bedford Global Learning Charter School,

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

* New Urban High School,

Clackamas, Oregon Clackamas is an unincorporated community and former census-designated place (CDP) in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, and is a suburb of Portland. The population was approximately 7,000 . Clackamas is home to Camp Withycombe, which is a ...

Formerly there was also a High Tech High Bayshore, in Redwood City.

References

External links

High Tech High FIRST Robotics Team
* ttp://www.hightechhigh.org/ High Tech High websitebr>High Tech High MUN website
{{authority control High Tech High charter schools Coalition of Essential Schools High schools in San Diego Charter high schools in California 2000 establishments in California