Hillcrest Elementary School

The school has dramatically declined over the last few years. There's been teacher turnover the last year but it was needed. Unfortunately, the tenured teachers remain and they are not going to change their teaching practices to benefit the students. The test scores at this school reflect the eagerness of the child not the teaching the student has received. The teachers fail to teach at a level the students are ready for and want. It's not the quality school we had hoped for.

This is a really good school. The academics are very good - and the principal has made sure there has been a lot of professional development to ensure teachers are prepared for the switch to Common Core. The PTA makes up for funding gaps from OUSD to provide Art, Music, Computer, Spanish, PE and Library. It is amazing how hard some parents work for this school, and how much the PTA provides us. The school is also more diverse than I would have expected. As another reviewer has mentioned, the art teacher last year was not good and her complaint about working for the PTA is strange, as there would be no Art at the school without the PTA! Good news is the Art Teacher this year is fantastic! The principal works very hard, but may not be the best communicator to parents. She cares very much for the kids and does her best for the school. Teacher quality does vary. All in all, not a perfect school, but a very good one that we love.

My child is in kindergarten, so we're new to the school. I find it too academic for kids that age sometimes (very focused on learning to read, etc.) but I'm pretty sure all the CA public schools are this way right now and the kids also get to do a lot of fun activities. I'm not sure why there have been some complaints about the principal in reviews here, she seems great so far and I haven't heard anything negative about her from actual parents. The school is also more diverse than one might expect from its reputation.

1. Learning happens. It is not unusual for grades to complete their curriculum for the school year in advance. Test scores for most are very high and students are generally quite prepared for middle school or high school. External support plays a major role, but Hillcrest delivers the goods. 2. The principal provides budget and programming for faculty professional development. 3. Some of the teachers are exceptional. All of the teachers work hard. 4. The parent community adds incredible value. They drive for field trips, assist in classrooms/library/computer lab, produce academic and extracurricular programming, upgrade and maintain the gardens and facilities, purchase and implement technology, organize the community service program, recognize and reward teachers and staff, and... raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. 5. The K-8 student body is small, around 300 children. With smaller numbers in each grade, it sometimes means not every child finds a good fit socially. 6. In our time at the school sports participation was a big part of the culture. Social standing among boys especially was connected with sports.