Frequently Asked Questions

The SchoolMint system only accepts CA addresses when submitting an application. If you don’t yet know where you will live, you may consider using an address of a local friend or relative and updating it if your child is offered admission. Otherwise, you would be ineligible to apply.

All CA residents can apply to High Tech High schools. Applicants outside of California are not eligible to apply.
What is the criteria for admission to High Tech High?

Applicants will need a San Diego County address to participate in our zip code lottery and must have successfully completed the previous grade. They must also submit their application during our admissions period which typically begins in October and ends at the beginning of February. You may visit our website for important dates and additional information. All applications are completed online. We would be happy to provide assistance with your online application via phone or in person.

High Tech High does not require mandatory parent volunteer hours as a criterion for admission.

High Tech High does not discriminate against a pupil on the basis of disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 422.55 of the Penal Code, including immigration status, equal rights, and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state.

We do offer admissions tours led by current HTH students and introduce prospective families to the student experience of Project Based Learning at High Tech High. Please note that elementary school tours are for parents ONLY.

To learn more about HTH schools we encourage prospective families to attend one of the Open Houses where you will have the opportunity to learn more about HTH, meet school staff and current students, and ask questions.

Please note: Tours are only offered during our admissions period which is why families are strongly encouraged to attend. Tours will not be provided once the admissions period closes.

Initial admissions decisions are conditional. In order to reserve the position prior to registration, admitted applicants must take further action. You will need to login here and accept your space within 72 hours after the offer has been sent in order to reserve your space. Applicants who do not accept by the deadline will forfeit their admission.

Applicants may only complete ONE application per student. The application allows applicants to rank the campuses by preference. Your application will only be considered for the lottery pool of your campus of preference (first choice). However, you will be considered for your second choice campus if and only if the waiting pool for your second choice campus has been exhausted.

HTH Admissions Policy allows acceptance of students who have a J-1 visa issued by an exchange program with which their family has entered into an agreement. HTH Admissions Policy accepts students only from a program that is listed on the California Attorney General’s Registry of International Student Exchange Visitor Placement Organizations (ISEVPO).

Please note HTH is not responsible for coordinating travel or finding a host family. In addition, HTH does not award diplomas to international exchange students.

For more information, contact HTH Admissions at admissions@hightechhigh.org or (619) 796-4484.

The best years to apply to an HTH school are grades Kindergarten, 6th and 9th.

All other grades are non-transitional years, which means that there will be VERY LIMITED SPACES (if any) available. We will not know how many spaces we will have available until late in the school year or even the fall, but if there are any spaces available please keep in mind that there will be extremely few openings.

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 impossible 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 possibly until mid-June, but if there are any spaces available please keep in mind that there will be extremely few openings.

Yes. If you have applied in the past, but your child was not accepted to the school or your child did get accepted but does not currently attend an HTH school, you must submit a new application. The waiting pool is only valid for one school year.

We do require currently enrolled HTH students in the 5th and 8th grade to complete a re-enrollment form, but once they complete it, he or she is guaranteed a space in one of the middle or high schools (within the same campus).

Admission to one school with the intention to transfer to another school later is not permitted. Please only accept an offer at a school you wish to attend.

Transfers are not permitted between HTH schools in the first year of enrollment and then, only in extenuating circumstances. Please apply for the campus you wish to attend. If you wish to contact HTH about a transfer visit this page. There you may submit a written request to transfer schools outlining the reason for the change.

When an offer is accepted by your student, whether it’s at the campus of your first choice or last choice, your student will automatically be removed from the waitlists at any other campuses you may have applied to. There is no option to remain on the waitlist at other campuses after accepting an offer. If you wish to wait for an opening at a different campus, you will need to decline the offer you received; you will then be removed from the waitlist at the campus that generated the offer, and you will forfeit your place in line for that campus. There is no guarantee you will receive an offer from other campuses and there is a risk of not being offered enrollment in the future.

It is a common misconception that HTH schools are very difficult to get into. In fact, many many families apply and DO get in. The odds of admission depend greatly on when a family applies.

The best grades to apply are kindergarten, 6th and 9th. Those are the only grades in which we admit a large number of applicants. For all other grades, we adit very few (if any) students. We encourage families to apply for kindergarten, 6th and 9th grades whenever possible as this will increase the chances of admission.

The admissions cycle goes begins in October and ends the first week of February, 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 into the lottery for admission regardless of when they applied.

No, you will not be penalized in the future for previously declining an admissions offer from one of our HTH schools.

Due to the high volume of emails and phone calls we receive, please understand a delay in response. We appreciate your interest in High Tech High schools!

Colleges evaluate applicants based on the course offerings and the context of the high school which the student attends. Admission offices understand that rigor is demonstrated in various different ways and curriculum rigor will differ from high school to high school. An applicant is assessed within that context of the rigor that is available to them at their high school. For example, honors options within the HTH schools demonstrate the highest level of academic rigor. Thus, HTH students who want to be competitive for highly selective institutions will opt into honors options for a majority of their 11th and 12th grade courses.