High Tech High

Posted: July 15, 2026

Our family had a deeply disappointing experience with this school, and I believe other parents deserve to be aware of it.

My son sustained an injury during the school day, on school grounds, while completing a school assignment. This was not a field trip or any other off campus activity. It occurred during normal school hours under the school's supervision.

Rather than calling a parent, the school had my son text me himself. Before that, the dean at the Point Loma campus gave him a Band Aid and sent him back to class.

When I arrived, I immediately took him to the UC San Diego Emergency Department because I was not comfortable with how the situation had been handled. The physicians there told us that immediate treatment was important for the type of injury he had sustained. The injury required ongoing medication and multiple follow up visits.

Both the emergency department and our health insurance company (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) advised us that injuries occurring under these circumstances are typically covered by a school's insurance. Despite this, the school denied any responsibility. The only response we received was an email thanking us for the update on his treatment plan, with no acknowledgment of how the incident had been handled and no discussion of insurance coverage. As a result, our family incurred approximately $1,500 in medical expenses that we were advised should have been covered by the school's insurance.

Our concerns extend beyond this incident. Both of our children attended the Point Loma campus for two years, and the academic experience was consistently underwhelming. Neither child was appropriately challenged. Our daughter became genuinely concerned that her math skills were regressing and worried she would be behind when she started college if she stayed in the school.

Every family's priorities are different, but I encourage prospective parents to carefully consider the judgment of those responsible for student safety and well being, as well as the quality of the academic program. Based on our experience, we had serious concerns about both and would not recommend this school to anyone.

Posted: July 15, 2026

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Posted: August 30, 2025

Posted: August 30, 2025

High Tech High is mostly hype. The project based learning, which sounds so cool on paper, is underwhelming in reality.

I have three kids. Two went to traditional public schools. One we sent to High Tech. She was an artsy, creative, think-outside-the box type. She seemed like a perfect fit for the school. And the tours made the school seem awesome. We heard about things like the "rocket project," building robots, working in cancer labs.

Well it is four years later, and she didn't get to do any of the stuff that we heard about in the tours. She had one pretty interesting science class, her junior year, where she got to work with some real lab equipment. Everything else was a dud. In art class, she made a clay teacup. In English, she "wrote a letter to her future self." In science class, she made a butter dish (yes, this was a real project! And it took up an entire semester!). The teachers were nice. But with one or two exceptions, they didn't seem that inspiring. A lot of them were kids just out their credential program, struggling to make it through the year.

The kicker is that her brother -- at Kearney High School -- actually did get to do a lot of cool stuff. He really did get to work on a robot. He got to take coding classes and work with a professional graphic designer.

If I had it to do again, I'd have done my homework better and found a better option. Our daughter is smart and curious. But there were little at HTH to engage her.

Posted: August 30, 2025

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Posted: June 14, 2025

High Tech High did not deliver what it promised.

Judging by the name, and by the promotional materials, I thought that High Tech would emphasize science and technology. I thought it would give my son a pathway into a STEM career. But High Tech did none of these things. Looking back now, I would say it did completely the opposite.

High Tech High had no classes in any technical field – not even elective courses. You simply could not take a class there in robotics, or electronics, or engineering, or computer science, or computer aided design, or any such field. Instead, the school offered...the same mix of courses that you would find in any high school. Biology, History, English, etc.

The science and math courses, which I expected to be the strongest, are actually the weakest. The school culture prioritizes projects over traditional education methods. Hardly any teachers give tests, or homework, or worksheets, or anything like that. Sounds like a great idea, right? But then you realize that a lot of the core skills you need for a career in STEM can only really be developed through continuous practice and memorization. You just can’t be an engineer if you aren’t great at math. And the only way to be great at math is to practice it over and over and over.

The teachers were a mixed bag too. Most of them were opposed to the idea of doing real work and they often built the classes around their personal interests. A math teacher was fired for giving students homework. My son’s "English" teacher ran the class as a woodshop course. A few months ago, when my son was struggling in his college English class, he confessed to me that he never read a book in high school, or wrote a real paper.

My son spent four years at High Tech – earned As in all his classes, took the Honors levels that they offered. But now he is failing out of his engineering program in college, because he never learned the basic skills that he was supposed to learn in high school. Even after hiring private tutors, he just couldn’t catch up. Not only had he failed to learn the content, he failed to learn how to study (because he never had a test!). He doesn’t know how to process a textbook, take notes, listen to a lecture, etc. He got to play with some cool toys in high school (one of his classrooms had a 3d printer, I remember). But he barely learned anything, especially not in the STEM fields where we were expecting to get the strongest education.

Posted: June 14, 2025

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Posted: September 23, 2024

Posted: September 23, 2024

I'm a current student at HTH, I'm in my 10th year and I have been in the system since 8th grade. This is by far the worst school I have been to. There is a major bullying problem which the admins refuse to fix even when I talk to them about is yet nothing happens. The students are either highly motivated or not motivated at all. The students that are highly motivated are by far the worst people you will ever meet they are snobby and make rude comments. While the unmotivated students are stupid and only care about looks and popularity. The teachers are nice but they don't help me with my work at all the amount of times I have been told to tough it out and I'll figure it out is insane. If you want your student to fall behind go here because I was in math class and we were talking about probability of 3 green marbles being in a bag of 11 marbles and we were like 3/11 chance of getting the green then the teacher talked about how if you pull one green marble out what's the new chance it took 10 whole minutes of a 10th grade high school class to figure out it was 2/10. I genuinely feel like I'm in the sped class even if its the "smart" class.
I can no longer sit in a class for more than 10 minutes without moving, I do not feel at all even ready for collage and I 100% do not know how to learn or read books anymore. My habit now is just get in sit around do whatever and get a A+. I don't see the point in paying attention to my class because either way I learn nothing and I just opt to go to math, science, history, and English tutoring 7 days a week. I take my own courses online just so I can still learn for collage and be ready.

Posted: September 23, 2024

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Posted: June 15, 2024

High Tech High School in Point Loma is an absolutely incredible, project based school that fosters a collaborative learning environment. Its teachers and staff tirelessly design innovative and authentic educational projects that interweave and require core standardized skills that students must master in order to remain competitive in this rapidly changing world. At HTH, diversity is embraced and valued as a powerful force with life changing potential. Many times throughout my son’s four years at this school he told me bullying doesn’t exist at HTH. He doesn’t sugarcoat, and he went into detail to describe the supportive learning environment he benefited from at HTH. Students are encouraged to not just work hard and achieve, but to determine how they will make an impact and positive difference in their world. Students begin to see their unique potential and feel a responsibility to create meaningful, positive change. I will paraphrase my son’s response when I asked him to name two of the most meaningful projects that he worked on during his time at HTH. 1. Students learn about the criminal justice system by analyzing actual cases brought to them by the California Innocence Project. Working on this was valuable because he felt he was making a real difference for someone by working directly on his case. 2. On a sophomore year project, my son collaborated with two other students and transformed an old jumpsuit and jacket into a battle jacket and patch pants inspired by punk scene history and culture. He learned critical background and history of punk that helped shape his political understanding to this day. It was a project where he and his classmates could explore and express their own politics unapologetically. As a parent, one project I found inspiring was when he and his group in science class presented detailed cancer research to an audience that included local biotech engineers. My son set goals for his own personal development and social growth while attending HTH. Setting goals for personal growth was an idea introduced, encouraged, and followed up by the teachers and staff at HTH for all students. My child reached his potential at HTH, and was genuinely excited about going to school. He spoke with us regularly about the concepts and ideas teachers at HTH were teaching.

Posted: June 15, 2024

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Posted: June 16, 2023

Today was the last day of the 3rd grade for my grandson at High Tech High Elementary Explorer. It's been a very rocky and seemingly unjust 4 years since kindergarten.

It all started with the HTH enrollment package. I have a BA in Spanish, my grandson is half Latino and I claimed Spanish as a first language in our home. But, that was a mistake because he was equally and more so an English speaker. My grandson went to preschool for two years before kindergarten learning to speak, read, and write English.

HTH's faulty language survey caused my grandson to become stuck in a legally bound requirement for him to be pulled from class repeatedly for ESL tutoring and candy.

I started asking the school to please stop taking him out of class and help me get him reclassified as an English speaker.

They told me I was legally bound and continued to pull him out of class against both mine and his father's repeated request to please stop. They went as far as taking him out of class during state exam test preparation to play ESL bingo and eat candy instead. It was beyond insulting.

I continued to ask the principal and staff for help to get him reclassified. I was denied by the principal twice, but would not accept no for an answer. She told me that if I didn't comply she would report me to her boss and I said please do it! From there it was another series of miscommunications, I was now being excluded from communications and apparently so was the teacher. The principal's boss couldn't resolve the issue so it got kicked all the way up to the CEO, I meet with him and he resolved the issue overnight. My grandson was reclassified an English speaker.

But the story continues...four out of the six teachers my grandson had at HTH either quit or were fired. We went through two principals.

Another very difficult challenge at HTH.... I am a plant-based foods educator and I think and eat differently. I shared my thoughts on food and the need for consumer education. I provided school menu evaluations and encouraged faculty and administrators to engage students in becoming change leaders. No one wanted to hear it, I was rejected and marginalized. I asked the CEO for a student forum in his Center for Love & Justice to talk about food's place in the world today. Instead of agreeing I was treated very poorly, not taken seriously at all, I was silenced, and pushed out. So we're moving on and I can only hope to see them evolve some day. We look forward to the SDUSD!!!

Posted: June 16, 2023

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Posted: March 7, 2022

I wouldn’t recommend this school to anyone. If you want your child to fall behind in academics, this is the school to do so. Far as bullying, we have experience
many incidents that NEVER got resolved. I brought up the issue to so many people and yet it was always swept under the rug.

Posted: March 7, 2022

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Posted: November 23, 2021

This is a review of admin only: I do not/have not had a student there. I was offered a PT office job. I paid to have my TB test done. It was clear but due to my expressing concerns about the way the hiring process was mishandled, the offer was rescinded. I was told I would receive reimbursement in the mail for my out of pocket TB test. Months later I have not and my contact at the school will not return my emails, so I’m out $60. Highly dishonest practices.

Posted: November 23, 2021

Posted: October 18, 2021

I started both of my kids at High Tech in 2020. The 6th grader at HTMM and the K at HTeM. I figured with a name like "high tech" and their claim of not relying on textbooks, they would have a strong online game. I knew 2020 would be a year of Zoom for both of my kids and I wanted teachers who could handle internet-based learning. I was dismayed to learn that the school is all about SEL (social-emotional learning), equity, and social justice. Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Grammar, and pretty much any other subject you would think were fundamental to teaching/learning technology and dealing with the real-world catastrophes our children will be faced with in their lifetimes (ie: climate change) are not a priority. This school is all about "consciousness-raising" and promoting positive feelings about subjects without bothering to actually teach the subject. Both children were continually tasked with expressing how they FELT about themselves as mathematicians, scientists, readers, writers, activists, etc... Guess this school thinks their job is to turn out people who will stand on the corner with misspelled cardboard signs urging other people that "we need to fix X, Y, or Z" and that this will somehow benefit society more than people who can apply science, technology, or math to identify and solve the actual problems.

On the other hand, if you have a kid who needs a teacher to be their new best friend and celebrate their inherent qualities then this is the school for your kid. Your kid will be encouraged to think that whatever they were born with and whatever they have happened to accidentally pick up along the way in the course of existing is fantastic and praiseworthy. If "you are good enough, you are smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like you... but you don't know jack" you probably went to High Tech.

Posted: October 18, 2021

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Posted: November 6, 2017

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Posted: November 6, 2017

I graduated from HTH in 2015 and I now attend a top UC school. People often criticize HTH because of its unique approach to education. I have attended public and charter schools and I can honestly say it probably made little difference to my college trajectory. During high school, I often felt like I missing out because HTH did not offer AP classes or any kind of accelerated path. Once I started college, the constant feeling of being behind my peers only increased. I started UC with zero units, compared to my friends that entered with sophomore standing. I felt left out and tricked into the legend of HTH. I thought I needed AP units to graduate on time. I also thought I needed the rigorous classes offered at other high schools to be competitive in college. I thought that I would not know how to "sit in a lecture", "take notes", or "read a textbook". My high school friends and I still joke around about how little work we did in school.

Well, here I am a 3rd year with a 3.7 GPA graduating early. Even with a semester spent abroad.

High Tech High is not for everyone. Just like traditional high school is not for everyone. I learned more about Karl Marx, the Adobe Suite, local ocean bacterial levels, JFK conspiracy theories, and neurological learning processes in high school than anyone else I've met. But what? I didn't memorize facts about the French Revolution! Oh god, I'm going to fail that pop quiz later in life about the origins of Napoleon Bonaparte. No, I learned about the Iranian Revolution instead and now appear knowledgeable about world affairs in my professor's office hours. (You should re-think eurocentric education, it's great.)

I learned a lot of stuff other people don't know and I also don't know a lot of stuff other people do. So you take the extra 5-minutes to read the Wikipedia page. You're going to be reading a lot more in college.

Posted: November 6, 2017

Posted: April 26, 2017

Posted: April 26, 2017

does not really apply because there was literally no bullying

Posted: April 26, 2017

Going to Harvard...shall I say more? haha

Posted: April 26, 2017

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Posted: December 15, 2016

This school is a disaster and it angers me so that other schools are trying to be like them. In "leaving no child behind" you actually get "every child is left behind". At least this is how it was at HTH. They teach to the lowest denominator and we are all as dumb as the most unmotivated student wants to be. But the thing that kills me the most is HTH's reputation. I contributed to it. I used to be an ambassador (people who tour teachers around our schools and preach about PBL) and I would tell teachers, "At High Tech High we may not cover as many topics, but what we cover, we cover in depth." and "High Tech High teaches you how to learn." I felt guilty saying this because I would end my tour, then go work on my Geometry class through another high school, then leave school and get private math tutoring, and then go home and work on my biology course through the same online hs. And then, when I finally switched schools, I found out the hard way, HTH does not teach you how to learn. I could not take notes, or sit through a 20 min lecture. I did not know how to study or what the difference between a test and a quiz was. I took chemistry and did not know that pH had ANYTHING to do with the H and OH concentrations. I had to retake all of my science classes. Now, 1/2 through my junior year, I am at a HUGE disadvantage because I went to HTH. And this school is the model? High Tech High is one flashy circus with unmotivated kids, stressed teachers, and lazy admin. I saw my principal's son at my math tutoring center, learning all of the concepts that they did not cover in class. That is disgraceful. I have been hurt so badly by this school that I have to debunk any myths when I come across them. Please, examine this educational model carefully before flaunting it around.

Posted: December 15, 2016

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Posted: February 9, 2015

High Tech High is a project based learning school. Textbooks are instruments used by traditional school, to get students to memorize the material, then take a test on it, but it doesn't prepare student for the whole other side of education. Here, the goal as a school is to teach concepts in ways where we can figure how we got to their resolutions, and to be able to structure our education by ourselves. Students have a big role in the High Tech High school, and greatly impact the curriculum for the classes as well. Whether in Student Led Conferences with parents and teachers, or in POL's (Presentation Of Learning), student always have the floor when it comes to talking about their process in their education. High Tech High not only aim's to hear from the student in their process, but also to hear them reflecting on what their different works in the school have brought out in them, and what they have gained from it. High Tech High is truly, an amazing school.

Posted: January 23, 2015

Hey! I'm a 16 year old guy, attending HTH. I switched from PLHS, to Grossmont high in 9th grade, then in 10th grade I moved to HTH, I am now a senior. As many reviews say, this school is not for everyone. At first, I wasn't feeling the school, most homework was projects, unlike papers and math problems, etc. But after a month of two, I loved it! The homework (mostly projects) are interesting unlike just piles of paper. You get a more one on one experience with the teacher. Here at HTH we use less textbooks and more real primary and secondary sources, as you well in college. HTH really prepares you for college! If you are debating between Point Loma High School, Grossmont High, or High Tech High, go with High Tech 100%.

Posted: June 20, 2014

The humanities classes are excellent. Biology is excellent. Support in getting kids into college is excellent. Art integration is good. The project-based learning and constructivist educational methods support good critical thinking and healthy collaboration skills. Use of primary sources (versus lousy district textbooks) is wonderful. The math instruction is poor. My daughter had a 4.0 and was accepted to top tier universities, but did not develop solid math skills in any of her math classes at HTHI. Language instruction is also poor. Worst of all is the draconian and uninformed drug policy. Like most schools, there is a drug problem at HTHI, as well as HTH. The administration thinks that zero tolerance expulsion and "just say no" is going to address the problem. Best-practice alternatives grounded in sound behavioral and educational theory and research have been presented to them, but they have thus far chosen to disregard. The result is ongoing drug use AND alienation of the few kids who they happen to catch, and none of the kids end up getting the support and guidance that a conscientious school community could provide.

Posted: March 16, 2014

Warning! If you are a Conservative and/or Christian, you WILL get highly offend when going to this school. Usually bias is out of education, not at High Tech High. Liberal Agendas run from, income equality (they want it equal) in Math, if God exists (they say not) in Physics, and in Humanities, how horrible the church was in the time of discovering America, not to mention, in my case my teacher made an offensive joke about the church. If you don't want propaganda infused in your education STAY AWAY from High Tech High.

Posted: November 19, 2013

high tech high is probably one of the worst school i ve ever expirienced in my life, the school is set up to seem abstract and progressive to visitors but the classes and content are very seirously lacking. the way that teachers and staff treat students is subjective, if they like you then the teachers are good but if they dont, they make it their personal mission to make your high school expireince a living hell. stay FAR away from high tech high

Posted: September 20, 2013

This school has been incredible for my son. The teachers go beyond mere academics and get to know their students as people. The students all have an advisor for 4 years and develop a strong bond. If I had to name one weak area it would be math but having had other children attend different schools Math seems to be a problem everywhere. My son is not afraid to speak to his teachers, knows when to ask for help, is able to work with people of all sorts of backgrounds and is curious and interested in the world around him. The college advisor is beyond great and all the kids are helped to get into a college that is the right fit for them. In an earlier review it was stated that sometimes the students have to take remedial classes when they get to college, again I have experienced that with my kids that attended other schools as well. That is a common problem that all the colleges talk about when discussing their incoming students. The fact is my son is happy to go to school, has met amazing students and teachers. I absolutely love this school and the way they teach. The teachers at HTH are excited to teach and their students go deep instead of just checking of state standards.

Posted: September 16, 2013

This school is not for everyone. Many of the negative reviews on this site are comming from parents who chose the wrong kind of school for their kid. High Tech High puts the learning into the hands of the student- it's a collaberation between the students and the teachers. Your student will get as much out of the education that he or she puts in. I have attended this school throughout High School and it's flexible curriculum and focus on following your own interests has allowed me to focus on research at UCSD, intern at a web develepment firm, and intern with Quallcomm Labs.

Posted: October 27, 2012

The HTH system is compiled of teachers who teach nothing and assign enormous amounts of completely meaningless work despite promises of a low homework load at orientations. You will most likely find yourself learning next to nothing in a sub-standard curriculum and having to take basic courses in college to make up for it. The "less structured approach" somehow also includes no choice in classes and a rigid dress code. I urge you not to even attempt sending your child to this school because if they do switch out after you find these shortcomings they will find themselves hopelessly behind the level they should be at due to the lack of history, science, language and possibly math received from HTH.

Posted: May 26, 2012

Our first student has now graduated from HTHI and is experiencing success at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. With acceptance letters from both public and private colleges across the country, she ultimately decided to stay close to home in CA. That said, she is a very astute, self-motivated and competitive student. She was able to navigate the many challenges (organizationally and socially) at HTHI with grace and an eye toward college. HTH schools perform a refreshing approach to school. Teachers are relatable to students and create challenging projects in every subject. HTH teachers are able to help students discover their personal interests in part due to smaller class sizes. These schools are not for every student however. If your student needs a regimented, impersonal, traditional school to graduate, than this is not the place for your student. Students here are learning not only about language arts, math, and science, they are also learning that money, looks, and social status are not always prerequisites for success. Anyone can achieve academic success at HTH Village schools if they are willing to apply themselves.

Posted: May 25, 2012

Our son graduated from HTHCV 2011 and was accepted on full academic scholarship to a very expensive private school back east - 100% of his friends were accepted into college and are attending college to some degree to this day. This school is NOT for every child. Forget the hype and focus on your own child and find a specific school that fits your child's needs. Our son was self-motivated, self-disciplined, and flourished at HTHCV because he didn't require 24/7 supervision to do his work. He was allowed to speak and be heard and very much needed the small class size to succeed. He loved the projects he worked on. He loved his teachers. He'd stay at school 10 hours a day if we let him. At the same time, we saw many students around him fail and leave HTHCV over the 4 years - why? They couldn't keep up with the course work and the requirements, they blamed the teachers and their parents blamed the teachers - none of these kids accepted responsibility for their own failures and none that I'm aware of ended up going to college. HTHCV has its flaws but for the right student it is truly the best program out there!