It is one of the toughest tickets in town, but tens of thousands of high school students have scored seats to "Hamilton" on Broadway. And many say it's the best history lesson they've ever learned. NY1 Education Reporter Lindsey Christ has the story.

1,300 students poured into the Richard Rogers Theater on Wednesday.

"Why am I excited? Because it's Hamilton," one student said.

Seats to the hit musical still sell for hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars.

But every few weeks, a performance is reserved for juniors in city public high schools studying American history.

"I've heard this great reputation for it," another excited student said.

20,000 students from schools in high-poverty communities have seen "Hamilton" in the last year. Another 20,000 are to attend in next 12 months.

"It makes me look at U.S. a whole different way," said Diavian Superville, a Queens Collegiate High School student. "I'm actually learning something by watching something I love."

There is a special six-week curriculum leading up to the performance, and students must write essays, poems, or songs to attend. A few even get to read, sing, or rap their work on stage before the play.

There's also a question-and-answer session with actors before the performance. Wednesday, there was frank talk about race, immigration, and Donald Trump.

"He's the worst president of all time," said Jevon McFerrin, who plays Alexander Hamilton in the show. "I think we can all agree on that, absolutely."

The play famously casts black and Hispanic actors as the Founding Fathers.

"It's important to see the story of the beginning of this country by the people who live in this country right now," said Bryan Terrell Clarke, who plays George Washington in "Hamilton."

It's something many students say really resonated with them.

"It's inspiring to see, like, a lot of people…who look like me on stage," said Padma Mahabir, who attends Queens Collegiate High School. "People aren't playing their color, you know. George Washington is black."

The cast members encouraged the students to be an active audience, and the teenagers happily complied. They gasped and cheered and laughed throughout the performance. 

"It's a gift for us to perform for them," Clarke said.

The "Hamilton" producers charge $70 a seat for these shows, but students only pay $10. Donations cover the rest.

Google picked up the tab this week, though most performances are sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, which pledged $7.5 million so 100,000 students can see the play.