Hilltop Elementary School

301 Robert Bryson Smith Parkway

School District

Houston County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for Houston County School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 14, 2023

Hilltop Elementary to me in a terrible environment. The school and teachers expect the children to be silent and learn on their own with no engagement. The system they use which is class dojo have the children on edge, every single move the child makes is recorded on class dojo and the children have to defend why they crossed their legs in class when the teacher didn't say so. It is not effective or productive especially not with children with learning disabilities or ADHD. The school also favors certain students and family and in my opinion is very racist although the Principle is African American. Children with behavior problems are constantly picked on and harrassed by the teachers instead of possibly getting a referral to the counselor for a conversation or evaluation. THese are PK-5th graders and the expectation is beyond ridiculous, my son would come home crying everyday that the teacher is accusing him of things although it was another student. Unfortunately in this town you cannot even switch your child to another school , so basically you deal with the horrible staff and teachers or home school.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2023

The front office, the principle and assistant principle sent all my incoming calls to her phone, instead of the front office. In addition, will not answer my cellular calls unless I put in star 67. This happened because I got upset, because it's an ongoing situation where they don't return calls, don't' update phone numbers in the system, loose paperwork when turning it in. Yet, they expect me not get irritated with this and not say anything. My son was born with a heart defect along with asthma. At those times it was a non-emergency, but what if I need to get a hold of the nurse with the upcoming season of winter, along with his asthma flare ups, which I had to call his nurse last year for treatments during the day. Keep in my mind I can't take my cell phone into a secure building; therefore, I'd have to go to my car for communication on class dojo. I have reported this issue to the school district. The teachers are great, but the office staff and principles are heartless.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2017

Great! I have two kids at opposite ends of the personality spectrum and both have done well at Hilltop.
Submitted by other on May 15, 2017

Hilltop Elementary creates an environment for all students to be successful!
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2016

We love Hilltop! The faculty and staff have been amazing and the teachers are genuinely concerned about the children learning the curriculum. I have two children that attend Hilltop and both teachers communicated how well they were doing as well as all of the upcoming activities. We are looking to move soon and will definitely be staying in the Hilltop school zone.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2014

When my family moved to the area in 2011, we loved this school, the office staff, and the principal, but over the last year my opinion has definitely changed. I must add, it has nothing to do with the principal or teachers.....esp Ms. Peters, she is TOP NOTCH and the new principal really seems to be involved with the students. The problem is the office staff. They are the rudest 2 women I have ever met. They are the first people you encounter when you enter the school and they definitely should not be representing Hilltop. On several occasions I have walked in the office and been totally ignored. Other times, when they do acknowledge me, they act as if they do not have time to "deal" with me. On one occasion, one of them answered her personal cell phone while there were several parents waiting to be assisted. It really makes the school look bad and it's definitely time for some fresh, friendly faces in the office! I based my star rating on the school in general, not the office staff.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2014

My Daughter has been at Hilltop for three years. The school is absolutely wonderful. The teachers have been really great all three years and really stay involved with every aspect of teaching. I will say that some of the front office folks can be a bit snobby for my taste but that has nothing to do with the quality of education my daughter receives. I've read a few bad reviews lately but really think some individuals are a bit harder to please and expect the world. Not saying we all shouldn't want the very best education for our youth but not every teacher or program is expected to be perfect. Hope this review helps any future people thinking of Hilltop elementary. School is beautifully maintained and has top notch staff!
Submitted by parent on July 04, 2014

Our son has attended Hilltop for 2 years now. My husband and I have been very pleased with the school and staff. He was involved with a couple of clubs/groups, student council and drum club, and truly enjoyed them. There were numerous other clubs that the children could be apart of, not limited to just the upper grades. The PTO does multiple fun activities throughout the school year for the kids. These 2 things combined help the kids to feel like school/learning is a safe, fun place to be! When we had a concern/question the administration and teachers were always willing to meet with us to discuss it. Our son was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD while attending Hilltop, the staff was more than willing to work with us to make sure his needs were met. The administration does follow-up calls to ensure we were happy with the outcome. Overall, beyond pleased with the school!
Submitted by parent on June 30, 2014

My son has attended Hilltop Elementary School for several years now, and it has been a great experience thus far. The teachers have created a great learning environment. The clubs/organizations that the children can become involved in supplement their education well and provide great motivation to excel. Additionally, the new principal maintains an open line of communication and quickly addresses any issues.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2014

My child just finished her kindergarten year at Hilltop. There were so many fund raisers, I felt like my child was being used as a salesman. In addition, her teacher was terrible. There were spelling errors on all of her bulletin boards--a person who doesn't know the difference between "you're" and "your" shouldn't be teaching. It was clear that she had a select group of students she cared for and everyone else was ignored. My child was reprimanded several times for hugging her classmates, but when she reported being bullied she was labeled as a tattletale. She went hungry a few days because one little bully continually threw her lunch on the floor but was never caught/punished. I wish we could move from this school zone for next year!
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2014

Hilltop Elementary School....UGH...my daughter was in the special Ed program there and she has autism and is non verbal. Not only did the teacher's underestimate my child's abilities on a regular basis. I got stonewalled in the IEP meeting. Therefore we had to move her to get her a proper education. They said I could not move her that year and had to wait a whole year to remove her from the school. UNACCEPTABLE all the way around for me.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2014

Don't be fooled by the good reviews. My children attended this school for 4 years and I was very involved with the school. My kids had an ok experience with the school but a lot goes on behind closed doors most parents don't get to see. It was very casually ran and one parent in particular caused a lot of trouble for many parents and staff and was allowed to do so for two years before finally being banned from entering the school. The teachers are ok but a handful of them are clearly there just for a pay check. This school puts more emphasis on the yearly CRCT test than the children's grading. They have a new Principal and Assistant principal this year and from what I have seen so far it will definitely not improve the school.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2013

Overall excellent! My family moved to the area about a year ago and we were so worried about our children going to a new school, but they fit right in and have loved it ever since. The teachers are so caring and the principal is WONDERFUL! No complaints at all!
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2013

We have had three children attend Hilltop (since the day it opened in 2007). We have nothing but praises and good things to say about it. We love the principal (he is great and very involved), haven't had a teacher we didn't love and love the location. Everyone truly cares about the students and about learning. We will soon be moving out of state and I am nervous about finding a school as good as Hilltop. We are used to "excellence" and hope we have a good experience in years to come. We highly recommend this school and are grateful for the many hours the teachers put into teaching our kids. It has been a wonderful experience for our kids!
Submitted by parent on July 29, 2012

Our daughter attended Hilltop for her first year last year, and her teacher was amazing. The counselor and principal care so much about the children. Our daughter told me she wished for a specific teacher, and when I received a call from that teacher who was so excited to be teaching her, it made me so happy! The teacher was just as excited as our daughter was, and that is a great feeling!! The school is also tucked away in a very rural area, away from traffic. We love it!
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2011

We attended Hilltop for 3 years. we absolutely loved every minute of it. we moved away a year ago and we miss the school so much. My kids are always asking to go back. Amazing teachers and staff. office personell are awesome. highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on February 10, 2011

Very impressed! The teachers are great and I'm very proud of this school! The principal is wonderful. He is down to earth, easy to talk to and always seems to make time for the parents.