High Tech Middle School

I think its a great school. Honestly I think they do push kids and reading the comments from a few years back they seem to have made some adjustments from what I see. My daughter has always been an upper level student and very proactive in her classes and this school so far has given her the right challenges. Her match teacher recognized that she is advanced beyond the rest of the class and does push her with more advanced work after she completes and shows her knowledge for the standard lesson. I do agree this school probably isn't for everyone but I feel it is a great school for my daughter and will be getting my 2 younger ones in there for middle school. The school also offers softball in which my daughter is a travel ball player so that also is a positive that there is great academics as well as sports. For the people complaining about no football at the high school for their son..I believe if a sport isn't offered you can attend a different school for that sport? At least in high school we had a kid on my basketball team play who came from a charter school.
--Submitted by a parent

We found the teachers really cared about how the kids did, how they grew and matured and whether they were happy there. The director (MsGriswold) was fantastic. Our kid learned some valuable lessons on how to talk to others, plan projects, meet deadlines and present information during a meeting. Made good friends and did not get exposed to some of the nastier bits of middle school. However, I do not feel the work was rigorous. It required very little effort to get As and too much time during projects painting and hotglueing stuff. Also because the school draws from all over San Diego the students enter the school with very varying abilities so my kid spent many math classes staring out of the window or teaching other kids. We decided to move to a regular public high school. It was a shock to the system to get plenty of homework and a much more rigorous schedule. My student is less bored in class now and has to work much harder to get good grades. I don't much care for the public school system but our kid is learning to work there. If you have a motivated student they will do well, but school does not push kids who don't push themselves.
--Submitted by a parent

Regarding the comment below...I'm sorry your child was expelled from High Tech. My child is now in his 2nd year of attendance at High Tech Middle. I am a very involved parent and I have not seen nor heard any of the unfortunate events you describe. My child had good test scores, not perfect, and no one at the school seemed focused on that. In fact, HTM does not believe that students should be ranked by a standardized test, nor should one student be given praise for scoring high while other students are looked down on for scoring low. HTM's project-based learning meets every child where they are; it challenges those who are ahead academically, and strengthens those who need extra help. Also, my child was hit by another student and HTM immediately did an investigation. The child's parents were called and the child received a 1-day suspension. I find it hard to believe your child was harassed. this way and HTM knew about it. HTM does not have any police presence, no officer who roams the halls keeping order. The school stays safe because of their strict policies regarding behavior. Most public schools cannot boast of such order without security presence.
--Submitted by a parent

I m a parent of an 8th grader who attends HTMCV. This is a beautiful new building sitting in the outskirts of Chula overlooking big open spaces of the Otay Valley. All young, beautiful and enthusiastic teachers, safe environment for the kids but that s where the positive ends. I ended up pulling my 5th grader out of the HT elementary. He was having a hard time adjusting to the no text books, no homework and no real math mentality. He hated the school & didn t understand why at their age they had to sit around the carpet and have the teacher read & act out third grade reading level books to them. Not much really changes with the upper grades. HT Staff does not discuss academic performance; my questions to them have gone unanswered. Town hall meetings are about the beautiful school & how lucky we are to have our kids there rather than school performance. Most parents will not question the school because they get caught up in the hype. The ones who are finding out the many faults of the HT schools system are the ones paying attention, questioning their kids and doing quite a bit of research. I ll be pulling out my 8th grader next year as well.
--Submitted by a parent

An amazing school with a modern perspective on education. Young energetic staff and faculty with an emphasis on real world project based learning. Two primary elements to consider: 99% of HTH students who apply to and are admitted to college after graduation 100% of HTH students complete the A-G Requirements for entrance into the CSU and UC systems, something only 34% of all CA high school students accomplish. These are the "gatekeeper' courses that, once completed, give students an opportunity for a quality, public college education. In closing, this educational institution not only boasts and unmatched success rate for prepairing our youth for College, but more importantly has developed a system that has made the elementary to middle school transition seamless and free of the "typical" pit-falls found in this most critical stage of childhood development. I am very impressed with what we have been so lucky to be a part of!
--Submitted by a parent

I feel honored and privledged to have my daughter at HTM. She is doing wonderful in this unique environment. The teachers have the cool factor which seems to keep the kids more focused and more eager to learn. I do see some kids who fool around and are disruptive - makes me sick when you see all the bright young children who would LOVE an opportunity to go here. All in all we are very very happy!
--Submitted by a parent

My child has learned so much from attending this school. How to stand up in front of peers, teachers and parents and run a meeting, plan resources, answer questions, practice leadership roles, how to plan a project from start to finish. The projects are interesting and generally engage the students. You can tell that all the staff really care about the kids. This is evident in how willing they are to meet with parents and work with 1-on-1 with kids. The small school model really helps kids get to know one another and not get lost in the crowd. It also means that they tend to get along better. I do not think the academics are strong. In part because of the wonderfully diverse student population that has come from all different elementary schools. My kid has been able to complete the work and get good grades without much effort
--Submitted by a parent

I wanted to put my son into HTM and did some extensive research, took tours and talked to staff. I asked if they had any programs for gifted children at the elementary level. I was told no, all of their students are smart (!) and most of the teachers were GATE certified. A few yrs ago I noticed a lot of them were but when checking out the Middle School I was suprised to find that many teachers do not even possess a credential! Maybe this is why their math program is so poor. I also noticed the test scores have consistently gone down. I think this school was once great but now just average.
--Submitted by a parent

We now have two children working their way through the HTH, HTM system and both really enjoy school. Teacher's keep it challenging and interesting. Project based learning makes the kids own their work more than standardized text books. I have never seen a friendlier environment for all students. Kids all appear to get along. Administration doesn't allow troublemaker's to stay so learning environment is enhanced. We have a third child heading their way in two years. Good job HTH, HTM. Chuck Fortin
--Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent w/4 yrs at HTM. I agree with 1/9/07. My kids learned how to get more out of their education by focusing on areas that interested them, but they had to be nudged into this. If your student is less interested in working, and won't do anything unless parents force them, you might be frustrated with this model but your kid will end up more independent after spending time in this school. Not working isn't an option, your kid won't be forgotten or seen as a lost cause. All of the kids I have known like going to school here. There isn't academic competition so the kids don't know who is #1 in grades. Teachers are not middle aged, most are under 35, but they are enthusiastic, dedicated & hard working.
--Submitted by a parent