Frequently Asked Questions
Admission
Visit our admissions page to review the steps required for application.
Visit our admissions page for tuition and fees for the current academic year.
Yes! We host on-site tours every month at 3pm. Visit our tour page to view upcoming tour dates, and complete the form to let us know you’re coming.
We accept applications year-round and admissions are rolling. All applications for admission will be kept on file and reconsidered for two years.
We do have a tuition assistance program. Parents can apply by filling out an application which requires budget and tax information.Â
All enrolled students are eligible.
Yes, visit our admissions page for after school rates including day drop-in costs.
After school
Alongside our after school director, teachers and paraeducators work together to supervise children thrive during our after school program.
Yes, enrolled students may join at any time during the year. We also allow for day drop-ins. For rates, visit our admissions page.
After school program teachers are always available to speak with parents and can be contacted via email. Parents may also utilize the Bloomz app for communication.
Education
HTS offers a comprehensive curriculum that integrates core academic subjects with a variety of elective courses, ensuring a well-rounded education for all students.
Yes! We are proud to say our K-12 program is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Our preschool is licensed by the State of California.
Yes, all our students have consistent PE classes. In addition, our movement breaks are part of our daily curriculum.
HTS ensures teacher effectiveness through ongoing professional development, workshops, and regular staff training meetings, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in education.
In K-8, we have a full-time teacher with a part-time paraeducator in each class. Our preschool has at least two teachers on any given day. Our class sizes range from 8-14 students.
Our ratio is approximately 60:40, varying within each classroom. The special needs of our student population may include, but are not limited to, LD, ASD, ADHD, and Down syndrome. The learning needs, including speech disorders, range from mild to moderate needs.
Parents are welcome to email and/or speak to teachers at any time. We have scheduled parent/teacher conferences in the fall and optional conferences in the spring. We also have a school-wide communication app called Bloomz which facilitates parent/teacher communication and helps parents stay up to date with all things HTS.
After graduating from HTS, our students have successfully pursued various paths, including obtaining certificates and diplomas, engaging in vocational training programs, and continuing their education at colleges and junior colleges.
At Hope Technology School, we offer a diverse range of extracurricular activities. Our athletics programs include basketball and cross country, and we also offer electives within the school day. Examples of electives include chess, guitar, cooking classes, coding, creative writing, and more. These programs enrich our students’ educational experience, foster creativity, and develop new skills outside the traditional classroom setting.
Operation
HTS runs year-round, approximately 215 days long with seven weeks off throughout the year (two in December, one in spring, one in early summer, and three weeks in August).
Preschool and K-12 school hours are 9am-2:30pm. Summer hours remain the same for preschool, while K-12 changes to 9am-1pm.
K-12 takes one 30 min break every day for lunch recess. Each class also takes two 15-minute recess breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
The ratio varies by class size, averaging 1:8 teachers to students, and 1:4 when including paraeducators.
We are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our students both inside and outside of the classroom. Here are a few example of our safety measures:
- We practice monthly safety drills at school.
- We have school-wide expectations including responsibility, respect, inclusion, and safety. We review these expectations often and reward positive examples.
- We create schoolwide positive behavior plans that include self-reflection, consequences, communication with parents, and restorative plans to ensure that students feel safe at school and understand the impact of their decisions.
- We maintain teacher-to-student ratios during recess and lunch times for supervision.
Speech therapy is available on-site for an additional fee. To receive speech-language therapy services at Hope Technology School, we generally start with an initial assessment of your child’s overall communication abilities. If therapy is recommended, the SLP will propose goals based on your child’s assessments and individual needs.
We do not have occupational therapy for students, but our OT consults with teachers to ensure that students’ sensory and movement needs are met.Â
In our classrooms, we provide a range of accommodations and modifications, including adjusted classwork and homework loads, differentiated small group instruction, brain breaks, individualized service plans (ISPs) with specific goals, sensory-sensitive classroom designs, visual schedules, desk and chart reminders, assignments broken down into manageable tasks, and additive technology, e.g. access to audiobooks.
Disciplinary process
We utilize safe school rules to handle behavior issues. All students are taught these rules:
- Be safe,
- Be respectful,
- Be responsible, and
- Include.
We use positive behavior methods to reinforce appropriate behaviors.
When behavior issues arise, we work hand in hand with parents and other professionals to develop plans to help students. We recognize that behavior issues can occur for many reasons, including when sensory needs are unmet. We work diligently to understand what is behind the behavior and do our best to meet the needs of each student.
HTS does not employ a behavioral specialist, so students who are in need of moderate behavioral support may not yet be a good fit for our inclusive model at this time.
