Location: Chula Vista, CA
Are you a student or parent at High Tech High Chula Vista? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to HTHCV available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe HTHCV is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by HTHCV students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at HTHCV
- Every sports team you can join at HTHCV
Let's get started!
Basic Information
High Tech High Chula Vista is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Chula Vista, CA in San Diego County.
Based on its location, HTHCV is classified as a school in a rural fringe area, near an urbanized area. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
High Tech High Chula Vista2861 Womble Rd. San Diego, CA 92106-6025
Phone number: 6192435014
High Tech High Chula Vista homepage: http://www.hightechhigh.org/schools/HTHCV/
Principal: Lillian HsuEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at High Tech High Chula Vista is 608 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, HTHCV strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is High Tech High Chula Vista growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at HTHCV has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 86 | 84 | 170 |
| 10th grade | 77 | 82 | 159 |
| 11th grade | 65 | 74 | 139 |
| 12th grade | 60 | 80 | 140 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 30 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Chula Vista could be growing in population, thus sending more students into HTHCV. Alternatively, HTHCV could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at High Tech High Chula Vista?
From our statistics, HTHCV has a 48:52 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
HTHCV has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in San Diego County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that HTHCV doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at High Tech High Chula Vista? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, HTHCV has a homogenous student body, with the overwhelming majority of students identifying as one ethnicity. Only a third of California schools show as little diversity as HTHCV does. When attending class, most students will be of the same ethnicity, with some variation.
The majority of students at HTHCV are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and HTHCV fits within this category.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.8% | 5 |
| Asian | 10.8% | 66 |
| Hispanic | 71.0% | 432 |
| Black | 4.1% | 25 |
| White | 9.3% | 57 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.6% | 4 |
| Two or more races | 3.1% | 19 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Chula Vista. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of HTHCV Families
What are the family incomes of students at High Tech High Chula Vista? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At HTHCV, 20.3% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 29.7% qualify for free lunches.
This means HTHCV has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, HTHCV is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Chula Vista is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 124 | 20.3% |
| Free lunches | 181 | 29.7% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 303 | 49.8% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Chula Vista and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
HTHCV is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. HTHCV is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that HTHCV doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is High Tech High Chula Vista to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at HTHCV: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other HTHCV students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 615 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Sbc - High Tech High School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Tech High North County | 2 | 0 | 537 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at High Tech High Chula Vista? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about HTHCV's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for High Tech High Chula Vista students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
SAT Scores
As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.
We did in-depth research and found the average High Tech High Chula Vista SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1370 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 209 at HTHCV take the SAT.
This is a below-average SAT score, putting High Tech High Chula Vista in the bottom 50% of all California schools. Only 28% of students here score the national average or higher. Because the SAT measures academic achievement, this suggests that HTHCV may offer a somewhat lacking high school education, compared to schools with higher SAT averages.
Note, however, that an average is just an average - top performers will still be able to impress. If you work hard and get an SAT score well above HTHCV's average, you'll have a great shot at entering a good college.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTHCV | 466 | 453 | 459 | 1370 |
| California | 498 | 510 | 496 | 1504 |
| United States | 495 | 511 | 484 | 1490 |
Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.
To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.
How good is 1370 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1370 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1370 or any other SAT score!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
ACT Scores
In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare High Tech High Chula Vista ACT scores with the rest of the country.
At HTHCV, the average ACT composite score was 19, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 46 out of 608 total students take the ACT.
This is below average performance, putting HTHCV in the bottom 50% of California high schools. Most students who take the ACT are below the national average.
Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, this is a pretty strong indicator that you'll get an average or below average education at HTHCV.
Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for HTHCV compared to California and the US:
Average ACT Scores
| Source | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTHCV | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
| California | 21.8 | 22.8 | 22.3 | 21.7 |
| UnitedStates | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 |
Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.
Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.
Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending High Tech High Chula Vista must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If HTHCV students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at HTHCV.
English/Language Arts
At High Tech High Chula Vista, 68% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered good and puts HTHCV in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most HTHCV students pass or exceed state standards, though there is also a sizable portion of students who fail to meet state standards.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At High Tech High Chula Vista, 36% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts HTHCV in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of HTHCV students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at High Tech High Chula Vista. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at HTHCV.
By the way, the High Tech High Chula Vista mascot is the Bruins. Go Bruins!
High Tech High Chula Vista fields 7 teams for girls' sports. This is a low number that puts HTHCV in the bottom 25% of California schools that offer girls' sports. This is understandable - sports teams are expensive to support, and many schools would rather support other programs with their limited resources. If you play a sport that HTHCV doesn't field a team for, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
And now for the boys: High Tech High Chula Vista fields 13 teams for boys' sports. This relatively number puts HTHCV in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Sports teams are expensive to support, and HTHCV may not be able to offer the full range of options. If you participate in a sport that HTHCV doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
| Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
|---|---|
| Lacrosse
Var
|
|
| Basketball
Var
Fr
|
Basketball
Var
|
| Golf
Var
|
|
| Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
| Wrestling
Var
|
|
| Volleyball
Var
|
Volleyball
Var
|
| Baseball
Var
JV
|
|
| Softball
Var
|
|
| Trackfield
Var
|
|
| Crosscountry
Var
|
Crosscountry
Var
|
| Soccer
Var
JV
|
Soccer
Var
JV
|
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- IBO.org