Design Tech High School
- Public, Charter
- REDWOOD CITY, CA
Charter School
Design Tech High School
- grade A minusOverall Grade
- Public, Charter
- 9-12
- REDWOOD CITY, CA
- Rating 3.27 out of 5 85 reviews
Report Card
- Academicsgrade A minus
- Diversitygrade A
- Teachersgrade B
- College Prepgrade A
- Clubs & Activitiesgrade C minus
- Administrationgrade D+
- Sportsgrade C minus
- Foodgrade C+
- Resources & Facilitiesgrade B minus
editorial
About
Design Tech High School Rankings
Niche ranks nearly 100,000 schools and districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents.
Academics
Percent Proficient - Reading
67%
Percent Proficient - Math
47%
Average Graduation Rate
87%
Average SAT
1310
167 responses
Average ACT
30
42 responses
AP Enrollment
No data available
Popular Colleges
Niche users from this school are most interested in the following colleges.
loading indicator
Map
Map
Map is loading
Home Listings
- Cost of Livinggrade unavailable
- Good for Familiesgrade unavailable
- Housinggrade unavailable
Median Household Income
$190,787
National
$69,021Median Rent
$3,272
National
$1,163Median Home Value
$1,275,684
National
$244,900Culture & Safety
Poll
71%
of students agree that they feel safe at their school. 21 responsesPoll
52%
of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there. 21 responsesStudents
Diversity
grade A
Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.
Students
557
Free or Reduced Lunch
7%
14%
of students and parents agree that students at this school are competitive. 21 responses86%
of students and parents agree that students at this school are creative and artsy. 21 responses10%
of students and parents agree that students at this school are athletic. 21 responsesTeachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
28:1
National
17:1Average Teacher Salary
$99,154
Teachers in First/Second Year
No data available
38%
of students and parents agree that the teachers give engaging lessons. 21 responses67%
of students and parents agree that the teachers genuinely care about the students. 21 responses43%
of students and parents agree that the teachers adequately lead and control the classroom. 21 responsesClubs & Activities
Clubs & Activities
grade C minus
Based on student and parent reviews of clubs and activities.
Girls Athletic Participation
No data available
Boys Athletic Participation
No data available
Expenses Per Student
$23,005 / year
National
$12,23962%
of students and parents agree that there are plenty of clubs and organizations for students to get involved in. 21 responses14%
of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need. 21 responses57%
of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations. 21 responsesSimilar Schools
Schools like Design Tech High School
- grade A minusEverest Public High School
- Public School
- REDWOOD CITY, CA
- 9-12
- Rating 3.52 out of 5 182 reviews
- grade A minusNea Community Learning Center
- Public School
- ALAMEDA, CA
- PK, K-12
- Rating 3.73 out of 5 44 reviews
Design Tech High School Reviews
Rating 3.27 out of 5 85 reviews
Dtech has some aspects that are good, and some that need work.
The good: flexibility, vision, a beautiful facility, and academics that are not overly stressful. My kids have learned how to use a number of tools, there is a very large variety of intersession options, and in some classes in particular, they are challenged to think critically.
Things that need work: the culture has really fallen apart this year. Student experience seems to have been de-prioritized, which is of course strange given that it's a school. The administration often comes across as defensive and/or combative. Some of the academics are quite weak. The advisories likely depend on the advisor, but are not consistently strong or substantive, which is really a missed opportunity. Teacher turnover seems high.
Hopefully dtech will get it together soon and move closer to its vision and mission statement.
The good: flexibility, vision, a beautiful facility, and academics that are not overly stressful. My kids have learned how to use a number of tools, there is a very large variety of intersession options, and in some classes in particular, they are challenged to think critically.
Things that need work: the culture has really fallen apart this year. Student experience seems to have been de-prioritized, which is of course strange given that it's a school. The administration often comes across as defensive and/or combative. Some of the academics are quite weak. The advisories likely depend on the advisor, but are not consistently strong or substantive, which is really a missed opportunity. Teacher turnover seems high.
Hopefully dtech will get it together soon and move closer to its vision and mission statement.
Design Tech is very focused on students creating a better world, though this mission is often disregarded in many classes. The idea behind the school, to use design thinking to solve world problems, is certainly present in our design lab classes. However, this idea is often forced in a way that gives students too broad of a problem to try and solve for. As high school students, the expectation that we should be solving world problems is unrealistic and it puts unnecessary pressure on students. Furthermore, like many schools, Design Tech administration and students are often clashing with ideas for the direction the school needs to take. The main issue with this is that D.Tech continues to say it values the input it receives from students, all while actively ignoring us.
My experience has been really good with d.tech. It gives you the space to achieve what you want to and start your own projects/pursue your own interests. However, if you aren't self-directed, d.tech may not be for you because you can just as easily not do anything with the opportunity and waste your time. If you decide not to do anything, a normal high school may be better for you because then at least you will have super hard classes. The classes at d.tech don't have a ton of homework, but everyone is involved in at least 1 community college class, weighted as an AP, a club or two, sports or extracurriculars, and a project of some sort. Because we don't have as much homework, we have the time to pursue other things.