High Tech High Admissions FAQ
If I previously applied for admission at High Tech High and was admitted, is it necessary to submit an entirely new application this year?
What are the criteria for admission to High Tech High?
I won't be able to attend an information session at the HTH village where I intend to apply. Can I attend one elsewhere?
I have two kids in different grade levels, do I have to attend two information seesions?
When is the best time to apply to an HTH school?
What are my chances of getting admitted?
If my child is admitted to an HTH middle school would they be automatically admitted to one of the HTH high schools? Would I need to reenter my child in the lottery for high school?
Do you have a sibling preference?
What about twins?
I already submitted an application, but I want to change some of the information on it (preference, address, phone number, email, etc). What should I do?
How do I find out if my child was accepted?
How do I know that you received the application I submitted?
Can I apply to more than one HTH school?
Why does the HTH application ask if I currently participate in the Free or Reduced Lunch program at my school?
How do I know if I qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch program? What if my child is applying for Kindergarten and they do not have that program at their current school?
What will happen after I submit an application (either online or via mail) to HTH?
When will I know if my child is accepted to HTH?
How do I know where my child is in the waiting pool?
Is it possible to visit an HTH school to see if I am interested in my child attending?
Do you provide transportation?
If I previously applied for admission at High Tech High, is it necessary to submit an entirely new application this year?
If you previously applied for admissions to HTH and your child was accepted and is currently, attending an HTH school, you do not need to apply again.
If you have applied in the past, but your child has never been accepted to the school or your child did get accepted but does not currently attend a HTH school, you must submit a new application to HTH. The waiting pool is only valid for one school year.
What are the criteria for admission to High Tech High?
All applicants must submit an application via our website at www.hightechhigh.org during the admissions period. Other criteria for admission include California residence and successful completion of the previous grade. All applicants (students and parents(s)/caregiver) must attend an Informational Meeting and complete an application. Paper applications are also available during the admissions season and can be submitted to 2861 Womble Road, San Diego, CA 92106.
I won't be able to attend an Informational Admissions Meeting at the HTH village where I intend to apply. Can I attend one elsewhere?
The meetings are mandatory, but you may attend an Informational Admissions Meeting at ANY HTH village for admission to any of our schools. If you would like someone to come to speak to your group about High Tech High, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@hightechhigh.org.
I have two kids in different grade/school levels, do I have to attend two information seesions?
No. You only have to attend one information meeting if you have kids in differnt grade levels, however the information will be different at each session so you may want to go to both for your own information. Plese complete an attendance sheet for each applicant at the session you do choose to attend so both applicants will receive credit for attendance.
When is the best time to apply to an HTH school?
In general, the admissions cycle goes from December 1st through February 28th of each year. If you are interested in 6th grade for your child, for example, you should apply while your child is in the 5th grade. Applications are only accepted for the following school year. The applications are not accepted on a first come first served basis- anyone who applies during the admissions cycle will be entered int the lottery for admission regardless of when they applied.
What are my chances of getting admitted?
The chance of being selected in the lottery vary greatly by the grade and school to which one is applying. High Tech High uses a computerized lottery that chooses students randomly but factors in the student's zip code. Because we do not know how many students at each particular grade will apply from each zip code for each year, it is imporssible to predict odds of a particular applicant getting in. We typically receive about four times as many applications as we have available spots. If you have applied for a grade other than Kindergarten, 6th or 9th, there will be VERY LIMITED SPACES (if any) available. We will not know how many spaces we will have available until mid-June, but if there are any spaces available please keep in mind that there will be extremely few openings.
If my child were to attend a HTH middle school would they also be qualified for HTH? Would I need to reenter my child in the lottery for high school?
Once your child is admitted to an HTH middle school, he or she is guaranteed a space on one of our high schools (within the same campus).
Do you have a sibling preference?
Sibling preference varies in some cases because of the way we are required to conduct our lottery for different schools. Where siblings are given a preference, it is based on zip code and it is not a guarantee of admission. Sibling applicants are given a preference when applying to a school in the same location as their sibling. There is no sibling preference from one location to the other.
Due to the large amount of applications we receive from twins and other multiples, we are no longer able to offer guaranteed admission for both twins if one is admitted in the lottery. Twins will be treated like other siblings for admissions purposes; they are not guaranteed admission, but they are given a preference if they are a sibling of a currently enrolled student.
I already submitted an application, but I want to change some of the information on it (preference, address, phone number, email, etc). What should I do?
Please send an email to admissions@hightechhigh.org. Include the applicant’s first and last name, date of birth, and any information that needs to be changed.
How do I find out if my child was accepted?
You will be notified by the end of March/Early April via USPS of whether you were admitted into a High Tech High School or automatically placed in our Waiting Pool.
How do I know that you received the application I submitted?
An email confirmation will be sent automatically to the email address you provide.
Can I apply to more than one HTH school?
When an applicant fills out the HTH application online, they can list preferences for villages. If you are willing to attend a HTH school on any campus, then you can apply to all campuses with the same application. Students will only be accepted to one HTH school.
Why does the HTH application ask whether my student currently receive Free or Reduced Lunch?
Students who are currently participating in the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program are eligible to receive a statistical advantage in the admissions lottery. A letter from the school or district, as proof of participation, is necessary to receive this statistical advantage. Applicants must submit this letter either by fax: 619-243-5050, email: admissions@hightechhigh.org, or regular mail: 2861 Womble Rd. San Diego, CA 92106 before the admissions deadline. The purpose of this is to ensure an equal representation of students at High Tech High from across income levels.
How do I know if I qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch program? What if my child is applying for Kindergarten and they do not have that program at their current school?
Below are the USDA Eligibility Guidelines. Please use them to determine if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch.
INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES
July 1, 2011–June 30, 2012
|
Household Size |
Year |
Month |
Twice Per Month |
Every Two Weeks |
Week |
|
1* |
$ 20,147 |
$ 1,679 |
$ 840 |
$ 775 |
$ 388 |
|
2 |
27,214 |
2,268 |
1,134 |
1,047 |
524 |
|
3 |
34,281 |
2,857 |
1,429 |
1,319 |
660 |
|
4 |
41,348 |
3,446 |
1,723 |
1,591 |
796 |
|
5 |
48,415 |
4,035 |
2,018 |
1,863 |
932 |
|
6 |
55,482 |
4,624 |
2,312 |
2,134 |
1,067 |
|
7 |
62,549 |
5,213 |
2,607 |
2,406 |
1,203 |
|
8 |
69,616 |
5,802 |
2,901 |
2,678 |
1,339 |
|
For each additional family member, add: |
|||||
|
|
$ 7,067 |
$ 589 |
$ 295 |
$ 272 |
$ 136 |
What will happen after I submit an application (either online or via mail) to HTH?
Once you have submitted an application for an applicant, he or she will be entered into the lottery for admission to HTH. After the admissions deadline, we will run the lottery to determine admission to the schools and we will send notification of the results via mail by the end of March/Early April.
When will I know if my child is accepted to HTH?
HTH will send notification of the results via USPS mail by the end of March/early April.
My child was admitted to one of the schools, but I would prefer them to attend another HTH school, can they transfer?
How do I know where my child is in the waiting pool?
Is it possible to visit an HTH school to see if I am interested in my child attending?
Unfortunately, due to the number of applicants we receive, we are not able to accommodate tours for admissions purposes. Please attend one of the mandatory informational admissions meetings where you will have the opportunity to meet teachers, school directors, students, ask questions and potentially view the school buildings.
We are unable to provide transportation. Students who apply and are eligible for free or reduced lunch are provided with a free bus pass to use public transportation to and from school. Most families carpool.
Additional admissions questions may be addressed through email at admissions@hightechhigh.org or by calling (619) 796-4HTH (4484). Due to the high volume of emails and phone calls we receive, please allow a few days for us to get back to you.