teacher

education specialist

high school teacher

english teacher

elementary school teacher

HIGH TECH HIGH

This job was WAY too much work for way too little pay. I took the $10,000 pay cut to be part of a PBL school but found myself screwed over multiple times, with zero support, and most people stayed after, some not leaving until 5 hours after school ended. Work life balance is non-existent. 

Management was horrible and didn't want to deal with anything. They pushed all problems onto their employees as if planning projects and curriculum every day wasn't enough. 

PD was often useless, not engaging, and repetitive.

We never got any real time to plan with our teaching partner so projects often had gaps in them or teachers weren't on the same page if sharing a project.

You don't actually get any days off, you just take days as needed but there's also no subs so you leave your partner with double the amount of students for the entire day. Some people also take advantage of this and are 'sick' far more often than other people.

The students are also extremely far behind in academics. I am not teaching anywhere near the grade level I am placed in. This spans across all subjects, skill levels are extremely low, often students don't know basic skills. The school doesn't seem to really care if students learn valuable skills as long as they are having fun and loving school, yet they won't release data on how these students do in college and beyond into the working world. IMHO, there's no coincidence there. 

Discipline is also non-existent. Expect your kids to act out, you'll attempt to discipline but the students know they can't actually get in trouble so they won't care. A student brought marijuana to school and administration gave him a stern talking to, but no disciplinary action.

There is also no nurse, so if parents don't want to pick kids up, they get sent back to class with fevers and coughs. I have gotten more sick than ever this school year because students are simply sent back to class. We don't get notice when there is lice, or whopping cough, or any other contagions. You have to find out through the grapevine and pray you don't catch whatever it is.

Overall, this job was too stressful, too unsupported, and the school only cares about "producing beautiful work." They don't care who they have to step on or what they have to sacrifice to do that.

High Tech High is a frustrating place to work.  On the one hand, it is an amazing environment, filled with passionate, extremely dedicated and competent teachers and administrators.  They have a very well defined culture and expect a lot from their employees.  In return, they give teachers the respect and freedom to design a curriculum that they feel is most effective.  This is extremely rare in education, and is an amazing feature of these schools.

Unfortunately, due in part to some of the design features of the school, they struggle with some very critical components of an outstanding workplace.  First, by allowing each teacher to design their own curriculum and classroom policies, the school as a whole becomes excessively disjointed and school wide policies are murky at best.  This creates a large discipline problem, hurts the chances for a strong school identity/culture and results in cliques and factions amongst politically similar teachers and administrators.  

Second, a lack of standardization between grade levels and teachers results in hugely inconsistent education for students.  It is very possible for students to learn the same material multiple times throughout their careers and for them to emerge from high school without having learned the vital foundational tools they need for success in college.

Third, due in part to their insistence that all students deserve good teachers, teachers are only ever able to receive one year contracts and those can be broken mid-year if necessary.  Essentially, you are constantly required to perform above a threshold level or you will be dismissed.  While aspects of this make sense and are reasonable, job security is very low at High Tech High.

Instructing on probability, quadratic functions, equations, geometry, trigonometry and algebra in an interdisciplinary, innovative charter school with an average of four math classes per semester and 25 students in each class in the 10th grade

Designing and developing all related homework, tests and projects to support learning

Implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) curriculum, a combination of common core standards and innovative, solution-oriented, project work in collaborative groups

Creating Socratic Seminars to stimulate original questions, engagement and thought-provoking discussions

Overseeing students’ completion of projects and evaluating students’ understanding through multiple forms of assessment

Monitoring the performance of students in class, providing encouragement and after school support to students requiring additional help

Meeting regulatory guidelines consistently by tracking students’ overall performance, attendance, and grades

Mentoring 15-18 advisees for the duration of their high school years

Coordinating and implementing travel to universities throughout California for the purpose of bringing students to attend campus tours and drop-in lectures

Organizing various off-site activities including hikes and camping trips with students

Organized students to produce a local music performance; included all marketing activities such as print and radio advertising

Co-designed and implemented an annual, week-long program for over 100 sophomore students to explore colleges and career opportunities; this included over 40 presentations by local professionals, national college representatives and leaders of resume and interview workshops

Working here gave me a lot of freedom to be creative in my teaching. The emphasis on project-based learning allowed for engaging, meaningful experiences that students genuinely enjoyed, and educators had flexibility to design curriculum in ways that fit their classrooms.

Unfortunately, the workplace culture made it difficult to sustain long term. It often felt cliquey, and there was an expectation that teachers would regularly work well beyond contracted hours. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance was challenging. Basic needs, such as reliable opportunities for bathroom breaks or uninterrupted planning time, were not always prioritized.

One of the biggest concerns was the lack of consistent administrative support when significant student behavioral issues arose. Teachers were sometimes left to manage unsafe or highly stressful situations with limited assistance, which impacted both staff well-being and the learning environment for students.

If you thrive in an innovative, fast-paced environment and are comfortable with blurred boundaries between work and personal time, this may be a good fit. However, stronger systems of support for teachers and a healthier workplace culture would greatly improve the experience.

The school site I worked at was wonderful. They were the reason I stayed for so long. However, the organization as a whole is failing the schools. Their solution to most things is to have individual schools or teachers figure out their own solutions in the name of school/teacher autonomy. However, when they have schools begging for support, they still don't provide it. They preach inclusivity, diversity, and equity but don't have the ability to fully implement those ideals. Their schools are understaffed. Students are not getting the support they need. Teachers are under-appreciated and underpaid compared to other schools. New teachers receive minimal support and if they do, it is often unhelpful. Their core philosophies are now failing the schools. I will say, they are a product of a failing education system in general. While I am leaving being a classroom teacher at this school, I am also leaving being a classroom teacher in general because of the state of education. 

High Tech just doesn't feel sustainable as a company any more. 

If you want to be underpaid with no job security and disservice children of vulnerable populations go right ahead. you have no job security and will be dropped the second it becomes convenient by management. Management turns over every couple years so good luck. You will be HEAVILY pressured to give Bs or hight to every student, reguardless of whether they did nothing all semester, because the ultimate goal is to smuggle underrepresented populations into college REGUARDLESS of the fact that the school's college retention rates are terrible! The students have never been challenged and most of them flunk out after a year or two. and if you try to challenge them in any way you get put on notice or even let go spontaneously. The school desperately needs a union and transparency of its standardized test scores. oh and you'll be expected to answer the phone/ emails way after work hours with no work life balance 

You cannot and I mean cannot challenge or set rules for the kids at this school. Even making them remember a 4 to 5 digit pin for lunch is just too much on their brains I guess. Directors and students do not take accountability here, it’s nonexistent. The students on the middle and high school side are rude (which is typical for this age) but you cannot discipline them. They will tell and exaggerate their experience because they know they have the power and they know they’ll never get in trouble. Having any type of “structure” to help kids deal with the real world is again, nonexistent. If you don’t want to be talked down to or getting constant lip service for students then I would not work here. They kids run the school, remember that. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
This is a great place for excited, new teachers to cut their teeth. You will work hard, but you will have lots of inspiring professional development, and the kids love going to school.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There is no end to the work. Staff are bare bones, so you will do everything around campus, before, during, and after school.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Collaborative, high energy, exhausting, inspiring

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
There are no typical days, but you will have moments of joy and moments of stress every day

One of the biggest positives is the autonomy given to teachers in the classroom—there’s room to be creative with curriculum and tailor lessons to student needs. The staff is also generally friendly and supportive, which helps build a positive daily work environment.

However, there are some areas that need improvement. There’s a noticeable lack of structure and accountability, which can make it challenging to maintain consistency or set clear expectations. Additionally, there seems to be a disconnect between administration and staff, leading to issues with communication and overall cohesiveness.

Teaching at High Tech Elementary Chula Vista was tough. The Director & Dean were unsupportive and lacked follow through. As a teacher new to project based learning, I really needed support and guidance and I didn't receive anything despite my calls for help. I consistently felt attacked & belittled by my "mentor" teacher and I feel like I had nowhere to turn. 

On a positive note, High Tech does have some awesome Professional Development opportunities & some awesome teachers to learn from. I wish that I was able to take advantage of this more during my time at HTH.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 6 salaries reported	$64,567 per year
Education specialist 4 salaries reported	$59,000 per year
High school teacher 3 salaries reported	$57,333 per year
English teacher 3 salaries reported	$59,365 per year
Elementary school teacher 3 salaries reported	$60,567 per year

Working at HIGH TECH HIGH: Company Overview and Reviews

HIGH TECH HIGH

HIGH TECH HIGH Ratings

Popular jobs at HIGH TECH HIGH

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected