High Tech Los Angeles Explained

High Tech Los Angeles
Location:Lake Balboa, CA, on the site of Birmingham High School
Country:USA
Established:2002
Type:Charter school
District:LAUSD
Grades:9–12 (high school)
Superintendent:Austin Beutner
Principal:Colleen Molina
Enrollment:390 (2015-16)[1]
Website:ht-la.org

High Tech Los Angeles, or HTLA is an American charter high school located in Lake Balboa, CA, in the San Fernando Valley. It is located on the site of Birmingham High School, but it has its own separate buildings.

History

High Tech LA was conceived in 2002 by entrepreneur Roberta Weintraub as a school to prepare students for the 21st century. It was modeled after the successful chain of High Tech High schools, being formerly called High Tech High Los Angeles. It opened in 2002 and became the nation's first charter high school operating from the campus of another public school, Birmingham High. By 2004 more permanent buildings had been built. The school was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and it 2007 was named a California Distinguished High School.

In 2013, it was named the best charter high school in all of California by the USC School Performance Dashboard.[2] In December 2017, High Tech LA's charter was renewed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board for another five years.[3] It received a second California Distinguished High School designation in 2019.[4]

Education

The school is small with nearly 400 students enrolled as of the 2016-2017 school year.[5] The school targets low income families, with 50% of students on the Federal Free/Reduced lunch program. 53% of students who go to college from HTLA will be first in their families to attend college. Latinos make up 33% of the population.[6]

The HTLA curriculum is based around getting into college. All students will complete the University of California/California State University "A-G" requirements to apply to one of the colleges in those college systems. All students must take one semester of internship with a professional.

Technology is also central at the school, with each student getting their own personal school laptop/netbook.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: High Tech LA. National Center for Education Statistics. December 17, 2018.
  2. Web site: Jones. Barbara. L.A. schools top lists of California’s best charters. Los Angeles Daily News. 23 January 2014.
  3. Web site: LAUSD agrees to more consistency when tacking on additional requirements to charter renewals LA School Report. laschoolreport.com. en-US. 2018-02-27.
  4. Web site: California Distinguished Schools Awardees 2019 - California Distinguished Schools Program (CA Dept of Education). www.cde.ca.gov. 2019-03-08. 2019-02-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20190205001256/https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/yr19distschools.asp. dead.
  5. Web site: HighTech LA. 2018-02-27. 2018-02-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20180227153604/http://ht-la.org/sites/default/files/HTLA%20Profile%202017-2018%20Final.pdf. dead.
  6. Web site: High Tech LA School Profile 2013-14 . 23 January 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140201235146/http://ht-la.org/sites/default/files/HTLA_Profile_2013-14_FINAL.pdf . 1 February 2014 .