This Peninsula Public School Opened At Oracle's Headquarters

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- Design Tech High School in Redwood City is not like any other school. Sure, it has the typical school environment filled with ambitious students and overwhelmed teachers, but it's also backed by a multinational computer technology corporation.

In fact, Design Tech High is housed at the headquarters of Oracle, a multi-billion-dollar company that's home to some of the greatest minds in technology, software and engineering.

The public charter school, which opened in 2014, moved its campus to Oracle this year. The school currently has an enrollment of 550 students, who are not only taught the core subjects but are given first-hand experience from national experts in the field of technology.

To build the campus, "it took $43 million, which Oracle covered, and many hours of meetings and environmental review, given the location adjacent to wetlands. It also took patience, with construction delayed until the Sept. 1, 2016, end of nesting season for the Ridgway’s rail, a chicken-sized endangered bird," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Calling its curriculum d.tech education, students learn problem-solving strategies, given technological tools and explore in what's called d.labs. Much of what they learn meets or exceeds University of California standards, the school's website said.

This year, the school will also celebrate its first graduating class.

The school is supported by Silicon Schools Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

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