Hillbrook School

300 Marchmont Drive

Los Gatos, CA 95032

34 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 27, 2024

As a mother of a student with dyslexia, finding the right school was a challenge—until we discovered Hillbrook Upper School. From the start, we were welcomed into a community that truly understands the needs of students with learning differences. The academic program is rigorous yet adaptable, offering the ideal mix of challenge and support, allowing my child to excel in ways we hadn’t imagined.Hillbrook’s learning support systems are exceptional. They provide personalized, hands-on guidance that builds both confidence and skills. The teachers are knowledgeable and offer individualized support, whether through one-on-one sessions or small groups.Beyond academics, Hillbrook fosters an inclusive environment. My child has grown both academically and emotionally, feeling understood and valued. Hillbrook has been a life-changing experience for our family, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking strong academics with exceptional learning support.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2021

I can’t say enough amazing things to say about Hillbrook. Our oldest daughter started in Kindergarten and graduated three years ago. I currently have twins graduating this year! We have been with Hillbrook for 12 years and it was the best decision we ever made for our children. Our children are smart, kind and confident children. Thank you to the most amazing Headmaster, administration and educators.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2020

Hillbrook is one of the best JK-8 independent schools in the area! They have responded to the pandemic responsibly and been able to create a flexible schedule that allows for on-campus and distance learning. They have created additional outdoor spaces to protect the health and safety of the community, and all of the teachers have worked doubly hard to ensure their excellent programs are still delivered. I have four kids at Hillbrook (one graduated last year) and it has been a great experience for us. All of them are different types of learners and they have thrived. My oldest, who graduated last year, is excelling in high school due to the critical thinking and self-reflection skills they "drilled" into the middle schoolers. One course in particular, Reach Beyond, helped him build confidence and taught him skills (on top of the traditional schools - Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic) that will be so useful in the ever-increasing complexity of the the future. I remember my son's first day of school in sixth grade. Their first assignment in Design class (an elective) was to make a fidget spinner. He loved the project, learned how to use new tools in the maker space, applied math, and made new friends. He then tried to mass produce fidget spinners to make pocket change. He failed at that goal - but overall, what a deep and meaningful way to tie so many things together in a fun and collaborative way. He had so many take-aways from this project, and I feel the most important one was he learned what excites him and to this day, that excitement is still burning strong. Overall, this is a great school for you if you want something more than just academics for your child (though they deliver on that in spades!). This is a school for you if you want your child to be confident, curious and resilient.
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2020

As a parent and employee of the school, I couldn't be happier. The kindergarten experience my son had was magical, and I'm so grateful that he's growing up in an educational environment where he is so deeply known and loved by the teachers with whom he spends his days.
Submitted by other on May 18, 2020

Hillbrook is an incredible school and we love being part of this community. Not only is the academic education top of the line, Hillbrook cares deeply about each individual child and helping every learner find their path and be confident learners and leaders.
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2020

We have had two children at Hillbrook School for over 7 years. One of our children started in Kindergarten and the younger one started in JK. During our first morning on campus we were walking towards the Kindergarten classroom, not knowing anyone else at Hillbrook. A teacher we had never met, that was not even going to be our child's primary teacher, smiled at us and without hesitation, greeted our child by their first name! It was one of those moments that makes you pause and realize that you found a special place where your child is going to be known and appreciated. This small interaction set the tone for our years at Hillbrook.Our children are very different but both have been supported and nurtured at Hillbrook and given room to grow. Our first child is academically strong and started out shy and reserved. She has been challenged academically and given lots of opportunities to grow out of her shell. Our second child makes friends easily, is very active but needs more instruction and coaching in academic areas. Hillbrook was the right fit for this child as well. There is plenty of outside time and the small class size gives him the opportunity to get the attention he needs to grow academically. Hillbrook provides a truly complete educational experience. Academic rigor is strong, without sacrificing a well-rounded education. There are complete programs in art, music, foreign language, PE, library, and science. Additionally, programs include ceramics, painting, woodshop, photography, 3D printing, lasercutting, podcasts and more.Although there have naturally been a few ups and downs over the years - a friendship that went sideways for awhile, a confusing or missed assignment, a teacher we loved that moved away - we know that our kids are supported in every way possible at Hillbrook. The senior administration is recognized in their field nationally. And for good reason - the school prides itself on being at the forefront of educational innovation whether it’s academics, social entrepreneurship, or diversity and inclusion work.Just like the thousands of Hillbrook grads before them, our kids will be extremely well prepared for success in high school, college and beyond.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2020

I think this school is the best in the Bay Area.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2020

My daughter transferred from her public elementary school, Loma Prieta/CT English, to Hillbrook for 7th and 8th grade. Hillbrook is academically competitive but has 45 students per grade, small class size, etc. It afforded her an exceptional educational experience, working closely with faculty in small class settings wherein students were encouraged to experiment, "reach beyond," and not fear failure. Her experience at her large private high school with 500 students per grade and upwards of 25 per class has been the opposite. She’s still eager to learn but yearns to do so in an environment where faces are familiar and faculty is organically invested in the student’s growth and experience.
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2019

We love the campus. The prettiest school grounds in this area. However when we were looking for schools for our children our expectations were well beyond just a pretty campus. We were looking for well rounded education.Through the short time when our children were at Hillbrook we noticed how different they were from the majority of the students. We were not aware that Hillbrook is a school for students with special needs. When parents spoke openly about their children's challenges we started to make sense of the large percentage of students who have formal diagnoses. Only then we were able to understand why the curriculum was so weak and not challenging for an average student. This also explained the abnormal behaviors we observed at school events or field trips. The sad part is how deceiving the school administration is about this point. We were never told our children will be held back and will not be pushed to their abilities.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2019

Lovely environment for kids to feel safe and supported. Does not individuate learning.
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2019

Our family recently relocated back to Hillbrook after spending 2.5 years abroad in the United Kingdom. The school in the UK loved how our daughters would ask questions, engage with the students & teachers and genuinely loved to learn. They both earned distinguished awards for school values and for effort. Both were top of their grades returning to the USA. Hillbrook sets your children up for success.
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2017

Its a great school based on our experiences there for a year. The teachers are experienced, easy to approach, and create an environment that is joyful. Our kids definitely enjoy being at Hillbrook. It reminds me of an episode we show in one of the Michale Moore's movie, Where to Invade Next. Even if you don't subscribe to Moore's political views, definately worth to watch the school segment about the schools in Finland, and how the Finish are providing their kids a joyful learning experience. Hillbrook is as close to Finiland School experiences as you can find in Bay area. There are plenty of private schools in Bay Area but if you value creative thinking, joyful learning, and a close community of teachers, parents and administration, Hillbrook is the place to be.
Submitted by principal on March 09, 2017

Since 1935, Hillbrook has provided an extraordinary educational experience for students in junior kindergarten-8th grade. At Hillbrook, corridors give way to rustic trails and students cross a rustic bridge and a bubbling creek to travel from foreign languages to state-of-the-art science labs. With a 1:7 teacher-to-student ratio, our world-renowned teachers and passionate resident teachers know and value each student, providing individualized learning opportunities, and fostering a community in which each child is known and valued. Through project-based learning experiences, intertwined with a robust social-emotional learning curriculum that span the entire Hillbrook experience, our students are inspired everyday to reach their highest individual potential and reach beyond themselves and make a difference in the world. Our graduates are well-prepared for a future we cannot yet imagine and are valued members of top high school and university communities across the country and around the world.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2017

This is our second year for our daughter. She transitioned in from the local public school which was a good experience. But Hillbrook has been an exceptional experience. The teachers are super-caring, the curriculum is strong and the environment is very warm and kind. We are so happy that our daughter was accepted as admission is competitive. The kids were all very accepting of transfer students and we have not had the slightest problem with cliques or bullying. Our daughter is a strong student and she is being appropriately challenged - including math and science (a key focus for us).
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2017

Bullying is prevalent through the school & is ignored by most teachers & the administration. This seems to go hand-in-hand with the troubled students who attend this school. Students that require aides because their behavior is so out of control.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2016

I can’t say enough good things about Hillbrook. This is our eighth year at the school and we have two children, one in the lower school and one in the middle school. Both are very different children - different learners and with different interests and motivations - and yet Hillbrook knows them, encourages them, and is getting the very best out of them. My kids are known and valued by every teacher and student, stretched academically and taught to take risks - they are getting a very solid foundation to their education. The teaching staff at Hillbrook is second to none, and I’m very impressed by how well rounded the education is: not just the core academics but music, arts and languages. I know they will be very well prepared for what follows Hillbrook, as they transition into high school. We as a family feel a very strong connection to this community and would highly recommend Hillbrook.
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2016

Our family absolutely loves Hillbrook. We have two young children, grades JK and 1st, who are very different children and very different learners. Yet, our school ensures that both are known and valued for the strengths and quirks they bring to the table. Each child's learning style is observed early on and they are encouraged to thrive in this environment. There is also an incredibly sense of community at Hillbrook where the adults in our family are also known and valued. We couldn't feel more welcome or connected to this incredible school.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2015

My children are receiving a first-rate education at a school that feels like home. Hillbrook is that magical combination of challenging and nurturing. My kids are known and valued by every teacher and student. They're also stretched academically and taught to take risks, fail, and learn! Hillbrook is about hands-on learning. Kids are taught to tinker and create at a very young age. Students at Hillbrook get all the traditional skills from algebra to Mandarin and English Lit., but also a unique introduction to design thinking. My 3rd grader recently worked on a project where he turned a chair and a bicycle tire into a musical instrument. He also simultaneously was learning about sound waves in science and sound and color associations in art. The unit culminated with a concert where students "played" their musical chairs with sound compositions they created themselves. Creative, yes! Scientific, definitely! Joyful, you bet! More interesting than studying music, sound and colors in a text book? Definitely! In true Hillbrook fashion, teachers worked together to create learning opportunities that stretched from science, to music, to art class.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2015

The way the 8th grade teachers recently decided to end the reading of To Kill a Mockingbird with their students is a great example of why I value a Hillbrook education. All the elements planned for this wrap up : a conference (where students attend sessions of their choice on a variety of topics including, courage and the 1960 Student Sit-In s, writing the childhood narrative, and black codes), the connections between the past and the current, how the novel's impact on readers changes over time, the student reflective writing, and the writing tutorial videos students will develop to teach 7th graders, are such a rich and interconnected way of studying and understanding that it can only challenge and help students grow. Whenever I have doubts if my son will be ready for high school, I just have to think about the type of education he has received in 7th and 8th grade to alleviate my doubts. My son's teachers have been thoughtful, engaging, provocative, and demanding. I am sure my son is ready for a top high school.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2014

We are very happy with Hillbrook school for our Kindergarten and Second Grade children. The school is warm and inviting, has a fabulous campus and facilities, and amazing teachers and staff. They focus on the whole child and do a great job of giving children a well rounded education. The Kindergarten has a 1:8 teacher student ratio. Teachers implement a co-teaching model to teach and meet the needs of their students in a learning space spanning 3 physical classrooms. The students are not only learning academics but there is a strong emphasis on social emotional learning, which provides a solid foundation for children to succeed in the classroom and beyond. We find the community of parents to be quite diverse and welcoming. There are parents with all different backgrounds, experiences, and careers. This is one of the things that as I parent I love about our school. No school is perfect in every way, but Hillbrook is the right fit for our children and our family and we are so lucky to be a part of its wonderful community.