Point Loma lists three charter schools in 92106, led by the High Tech High network—a tuition-free, lottery-based public charter known nationally for project-based learning—operating a high school, High Tech High International, and elementary and middle feeders on a single campus near the bay.
2855 Farragut Rd, San Diego, CA 92106
+1 619-398-4900
Verified2861 Womble Rd, San Diego, CA 92106
+1 619-243-5000
Verified3145 Rosecrans St Suite D, San Diego, CA 92110
+1 858-678-2020
VerifiedYes. High Tech High is a tuition-free public charter school open to any student in San Diego County. The school receives the same per-pupil state funding as traditional public schools and does not charge families for enrollment, textbooks, or standard instructional materials.
Because HTH is a charter rather than a district school, it operates independently of San Diego Unified and sets its own curriculum, calendar, and admission process. The free enrollment and non-selective admissions model make it accessible regardless of family income, which is why the student body draws from neighborhoods across the city rather than just Point Loma.
High Tech High admits students through a ZIP-code-weighted lottery rather than academic testing, grades, or geographic zoning. Families submit an application during the enrollment window, and the lottery assigns weight to ensure socioeconomic and geographic diversity across the student body. Point Loma residents receive no automatic priority—they enter the same lottery as families from every other San Diego neighborhood.
The application window typically opens in the fall for the following school year, and waitlist movement continues through the summer as families confirm or decline spots. Demand exceeds capacity every year, and the student body includes families from Ocean Beach, North Park, Hillcrest, and neighborhoods across the city. Families interested in HTH should apply as early as possible and consider applying to both High Tech High School and High Tech High International, which are separate schools on the same campus with separate lotteries.
Project-based learning at HTH replaces traditional lectures and textbooks with interdisciplinary projects that students design, build, and present over the course of several weeks. A single project might combine math, science, writing, and art—a biology unit could involve building a functioning aquaponics system, writing a research paper on marine ecosystems, and presenting the results at a public exhibition.
The exhibitions are a signature element: students present finished work to parents, community members, and panels of outside evaluators at the end of each project cycle. The model emphasizes depth over breadth, which means HTH students study fewer topics per year but engage with each one at a level that traditional classrooms rarely reach. Families coming from conventional schools should expect a significant adjustment in how homework, grading, and daily structure work.
High Tech High International operates as a second high school on the same Point Loma campus as the original High Tech High, using the same project-based learning model but functioning as a separate school with its own lottery, staff, and student body. HTHI was established to expand capacity after the original HTH couldn't accommodate demand.
The two schools share facilities including labs, maker spaces, and exhibition halls, and the instructional philosophy is identical. Families sometimes perceive the original HTH as the more established option, but HTHI's outcomes and student experience are comparable. Applying to both schools doubles a family's chances of securing a spot in the network.
Point Loma lists three charter school campuses, all part of or affiliated with the High Tech High network: High Tech High School, High Tech High International, and The Charter School of San Diego. The HTH campuses sit near the bay on the north side of the peninsula and serve students from across the county through their lottery process.
Outside the HTH network, The Charter School of San Diego offers a personalized learning model as an alternative to both traditional district schools and the HTH project-based approach. Families considering charters alongside the K–12 public schools on the peninsula should compare curriculum, daily schedule, and commute since charter schools don't follow neighborhood attendance zones.
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