Assessment in Core Growth Areas (Setting Description)
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16 Setting Description The City High Tech High Chula Vista resides in the South Bay region of San Diego. The South Bay is bordered by greater San Diego in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the west, the US-Mexico border in the south, and coastal mountains in the east. Due to its vicinity to the border, South Bay has a relatively large immigrant population and is home to about a quarter of San Diego’s Latino population. Chula Vista is the largest community within the South Bay region. It has a wide variety of socioeconomic groups, but suffers from an unfortunate “other side of the tracks” situation. Neighborhoods west of the I-805 freeway tend to be poorer and heavily Hispanic. Neighborhoods east of the I-805, such as Eastlake and Otay Ranch, tend to be more affluent and inundated with new developments and model homes. The school itself is located in Otay Ranch in a currently developing community. Table 1 shows the demographics of our school compared to the nearest public high school. The numbers are significantly different with respect to the Latino population, socioeconomically disadvantaged and English learner students. This demonstrates how HTHCV represents the less affluent South Bay community more than the local Eastlake community. Table 1.School vs. local demographics HTHCV Nearest Public High School Black or African American 7% 6% American Indian or Alaska Native 1% 1% Asian 3% 4% Filipino 9% 20% Hispanic or Latino 66% 57% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0% 1% White 12% 12% Two or More Races 0% 0% Socioecon omically Disadvantaged 40% 14% English Learner 30% 15% Students with Disabilities 9% 9% The School High Tech High Chula Vista (HTHCV) is one of two schools created under the California Statewide Benefit Charter, the other being High Tech High North County. The school welcomed its first class of freshman in the fall of 2007. At the time, the school had yet to be constructed, so classes were held at the nearby Mater Dei High School. The now completed school is broken into four wings, one for each grade level, with outdoor spaces integrated into all but the senior wing. In 2011, a High Tech K-8 was built next door, completing the El Pueblo campus. The El Pueblo buildings are highly regarded as a model of sustainability and “green” design, reflecting the environmental focus of the schools. Other than the school design, there is little else at the school to build upon the environmental focus. The
