About
In the early 1990s, Napa community leaders recognized that the world was changing rapidly and technology was becoming a critical component to our everyday lives. A group of Napa community leaders invented something very special - a different kind of school - to meet these technology demands and better prepare students to succeed in the 21st Century. Community members and leaders came together to raise money to create New Tech High School in 1996. And it's been a huge success ever since.
Shortly thereafter, the Bill Gates Foundation recognized the potential that this kind of teaching and learning could have on students throughout the country. In 1999, the New Tech Foundation was established as a non-profit organization working to achieve national education reform with schools that desired to follow in the successful path of Napa New Technology High School.
New Tech High School was created in Napa to encourage students to learn through collaboration. The core of this New Tech High educational model is Project-Based Learning. Using computers as their primary instructional tools, students interact with course content and materials, conduct research, prepare reports and presentations and work collaboratively to solve problems. Through this process, students gain the hands-on experience that they will face in the real-world.
Since the opening of New Tech High School, New Tech Foundation was formed and there are now over 40 New Tech High Schools around the country - all based on the school right here in Napa. It is the future of education.