Hoboken Sends the Lowest Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free or Reduced Lunch to Prestigious High Tech HS in Hudson County...why?

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High Tech High School is a school for ALL students of Hudson County, NJ. It is a full-time public magnet high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Secaucus, Hudson County, New Jersey operating as part of the Hudson County Schools of Technology. Since its establishment in 1991, High Tech High School has been named a Top Ten High School, a Governor's School of Excellence, a New Jersey Star School (twice) and has been cited by New Jersey Monthly magazine as one of the state's great public high schools. 

Hoboken is a city in Hudson County which sends students to High Tech High School. According to the 2010 Census, about 9.6% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.

So, in a city where over 1 in 5 students is below the poverty line, why are only 6% attending one of the best high schools in Hudson County? Especially in a district where around 50% of the students qualify as free or reduced lunch? 

Has High Tech HS become an option for a certain demographic of Hoboken but not for other demographics? How does this impact the low performing Hoboken High School? 

Are students of color and poverty being discouraged from applying to High Tech High School? 

Is information and support for applying to High Tech High School being shared among only a privileged few?

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