d.tech FAQ’s

'DESIGN' - refers to d.tech's design thinking program. It offers applied practice in a problem-solving method developed at the Stanford Design School and shared through their K-12 Lab program. When applied to real-world challenges, this develops self-efficacy, collaborative confidence, and emotional intelligence. Students learn to adopt feedback as useful and actionable information, and embrace the idea that effort is needed to push through anticipated setbacks.

'TECH' - refers to students learning to handle new technology comfortably. At d.tech, students become accustomed to 3-D printers, laser cutters, and design software as potential tools to express and realize their ideas. Over time, they gain confidence in applying the tools needed to accomplish their academic and design goals. This confidence and open-mindedness remains with them, even as the resources around them evolve.

A charter school is a tuition-free, publicly-funded, independently-run school that operates under a specific charter or contract. Although Design Tech High School is part of the San Mateo Union High School District, it operates with more flexibility in its curriculum, staffing, and operations than a traditional public school. In exchange for this independence, charter schools are held to a high standard and must meet specific goals outlined in their charter. 

Admission to Design Tech High School is capped at 550 students and enrollment occurs via a lottery held in February of each year. For more information about enrollment, please visit our Enroll page. 

Design Tech High School seeks to provide its students with the most well-rounded education possible. To do this, d.tech relies on support from state funding, its parents, and the greater community. 

As a California public school, d.tech receives approximately 80% of its funding from the state. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a complicated algorithm the state uses to calculate school funding, is based on student daily attendance. With this in mind, it is important that students attend school daily for learning purposes, but also because absences negatively impact the school’s state funding.

To provide additional funding, d.tech relies on parent and community support via our Koi Pond Annual Fund. The Koi Pond Fund was established as a single way for d.tech to receive funds that go directly to our students and our teachers. Various fundraisers and community events raise these funds throughout the year. Read more about the Koi Pond Annual Fund by clicking here.

Other funding sources for d.tech include employee matching, special grants, and the Oracle Foundation, which provides funding for our intersession program and the student shuttle.