The Hill School

PO BOX 65

Middleburg, VA 20118

23 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 02, 2020

The Hill School has been an extraordinary experience for both of my kids. It’s a community that focuses on the growth of each child as an individual. The school provides an extremely safe and secure base from which kids can dare to take risks and find themselves. The curriculum is well designed and at the forefront of modern K-8 curriculum. In our experience all of the teachers have been thoughtful, caring and deeply committed to the success of each of our kids. It’s also a beautiful place to learn with a great campus and a philosophy that supports inclusion and diversity in the student population. If you are looking for a place where your kids will be happy going to school and to grow in ways that will amaze you, it’s a great school. If you want high stress academic competition or an elite school that is only accessible to a privileged few, look elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on July 21, 2018

We love Hill School! Our experience with them has been far beyond what we expected. They give each child the attention they deserve and encourage them to grow, learn, explore and gain confidence. It’s a wonderful environment!
Submitted by other on June 21, 2018

As an Alum of the School I can vouch for its commitment to children and to community. These commitments allow children to develop into thoughtful and compassionate adults.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2017

Excellent experience for both of my kids who have very different learning styles
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2017

The Hill School helped to make our kids who they are today. What a huge responsibility that is! As parents, we wanted a partner, and that's what we got. We'll forever be grateful for our years there!
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2017

I have had 5 children at Hill over a more than 10 year period. It is a wonderful school that has prepared my children for highly competitive high schools. I believe this is the best JK-8 school in the country. When you combine a focus on placed based education, with a group of teachers who love kids amazing things can happen.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2017

I have had three children that have graduated from Hill School. Each one of them unique and extremely well-prepared for High School and placed in advanced classes. The community of Hill School from the interaction among the students from Junior Kindergarten through 8th grade, to that with the faculty, and staff, is one of kindness and respect. The opportunity for every student to participate in everything from the arts, to athletics, to outdoor place-based education, as well as the core academic program allows children to try new things and challenges them to stretch themselves as students, and as individuals in a safe environment. Hill School students develop a strong sense of self and go on to High School to be their own advocates, leaders, and strong community members in their school communities. I have found this with my own children, and with many other students that have attended and graduated from Hill. You will know a Hill School student when you meet them because they will look you in the eye, have a conversation with you, and be willing to extend themselves--whether it is a Junior Kindergartner, an eighth grader, or a young adult who has graduated from this school.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2017

The Hill School not only challenges my children academically, but they help develop their social emotional skills as well. They are all well adjusted, hard working, respectful and motivated children. We have a home school partnership which is the best for the children!
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2017

Both of my children had wonderful childhoods at Hill School where they were surrounded by kind adults who enriched their lives and challenged them in many ways to grow and thrive in the larger world. My children graduated to high school and now college where they are doing extremely well and carry with them the values of community and compassion, a love of learning, and deep well of resilience that they learned at Hill School.
Submitted by other on August 30, 2017

I had an amazing experience at Hill. My time there set me up for success in high school and college.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2017

We are just completing our first year and are very happy with our choice to send our children to Hill. The teachers, administrators and staff are caring and treat the children with respect. They are just as invested in your child's well being as their academic success. Hill truly is a community and one we are grateful for our children to be a part of.
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2017

The Hill School has been a wonderful environment for our boys. As a parent what I love most is their way of making your child feel confident about themselves. The kids at Hill are encouraged to advocate for themselves. They are pushed to try things out of there comfort zone. I cannot imaging a place where the teachers, administration, and the entire student are more invested in the success of each child than at Hill School.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2017

We've been at Hill for 2 years and it's been absolutely magical. As a product of the public school system (all the way up through college at UVA), I was a skeptic about the value of attending an independent school. Hill made me a believer with its focus on experiential, place-based education. My son learns about pollinators while he is out planting flowers with Mr. Dornin. He was able to help build and play inside a traditional Native American Weetu in Kindergarten. They focus on a different country every year for a three-day Cultural Study (last year Peru, this year Democratic Republic of Congo) and completely immerse the entire school in it - from a special school wide lunch to breaking out in multi-grade groups led by older students for hands-on activities. So very cool. I like to say that my son is "on fire for learning" and it's true. I also love that Hill integrates public speaking throughout it's educational continuum from JK - 8th grade...it's all very intentional. Starting them out with show and tell, etc. and moving to more and more extemporaneous speaking opportunities. I could go on and on. It's just a very special place, right down to the after school program which is pretty much the best play date ever. You can feel good knowing that there is a community beyond your immediate family that cares about their happiness (yes, not just academics, but their happiness too!) and overall success.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2016

We are more than midway though our first year at Hill and we love it. Our daughter is in first grade and is really thriving. I think the emphasis on arts and community is a welcome departure from the ridiculous amounts of homework often assigned to kids under 10 years old. If you teach to a test they will memorize it, only to regurgitate it on a test. This is NOT learning. I like Hill because it encourages students to explore their surroundings and themselves through art, music, sport, community involvement, theater, etc... They also have a very nice mentoring program that matches younger students with older ones that may share their interests. My daughter really enjoys the attention from her "older and wiser" mentor. The faculty, staff, and parents are some of the most dedicated I've encountered and truly make The Hill School a special place. In fact, many of the teachers volunteered to help shovel the school out after the recent snowstorm that left 3 feet of snow. We drive about 50 miles round trip everyday to take our daughter to the Hill School and it is so worth it!I have no doubt there are many schools with much more rigorous academics and if that is what you're looking for, perhaps this isn't the school for you, but if you value art, culture, humanism, sport, community, and a warm and nurturing environment. This is the place for your child!
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2015

I knew I wanted my children to attend The Hill School even before they entered preschool. I had heard about Hill s attention to the whole child through academics, art, sports and music. I had heard that it is their mission to help each child find at least one thing in which they feel a sense of competence. Children who feel they are good at something are typically successful in life. And now, many years later, my oldest son has graduated from Hill and by all reports has been more than adequately prepared to meet the academic challenges of high school. At Hill, my children have thrived in an environment that values community, compassion for others, and putting forth one s personal best at whatever you set out to do. Their investment in character development, not only academics, has more than adequately prepared my children to meet the challenges of life. My second son continues at Hill. An entirely different child than his older brother with his own approach to learning, Hill appreciates these differences and meets the educational needs of each individual child. Hill has lived up to everything I had heard; I am very grateful for all they have given to my children.
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2015

When searching for schools for my two children I wanted a place with a deep sense of community and a strong program. The Hill School has offered my children both of these - a loving, nurturing community with teachers and staff who truly care about them and their school experience. A strong academic program and a rich co-curricular program that includes music, art, drama, and athletics. The strong sense of partnership with school administrators and teachers as well as other parents has been invaluable.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2014

My daughter was bullied daily at The Hill School. After many desperate attempts to stop the relentless abuse, I removed her mid-year from the school. I was later told by one of her former teachers at Hill that I was smart to remove her when I did because the bullying has not only continued but exponentially worsened. " Girls will be girls " is what I was told. I disagree. Mean girls will be mean girls only as long as that behavior is tolerated by adults.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

As a parent of two recent graduates from The Hill School, I couldn't be happier with the overall experience at the school. Our children were challenged academically, learned to support their classmates, had opportunities to engage in sports, chorus, drama performances, and in mentoring lower school students. The program is designed to build confident students that love to learn and that is exactly what we see in our children. Both are recognized leaders in their out of school activities and received academic merit based scholarships to leading private secondary schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Hill School invites parents to partner in their child's education experience. Participation in field trips, assistance with major school projects, holiday activities, annual cultural study programs and sporting events allowed us to get to know all of their fellow students and many of the other parents. The faculty was highly responsive to our requests for challenging but age appropriate book recommendations and often provided personal copies for our children to enjoy. The caring atmosphere at The Hill School made this a fantastic experience for our children.
Submitted by parent on July 26, 2014

Hill School has a serious bullying problem. The parents are too self-focused to care and the faculty turns a blind eye to it. Of our class of 24 children, 8 left due to bullying related issues. Once I moved my son to another school , I discovered he was so far behind academically that he needed to be tutored yet he was an honor roll student at Hill. The best thing I ever did was to pull him out of there and get him on a track for emotional and scholastic success. My only regret is not pulling out of Hill sooner!
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2013

A Hill School parent for four years now, I continue to be impressed with the way the school fulfills its mission and philosophy. The school asks children to try everything in order to know what it feels like to succeed and struggle. How many schools do you know that teach someone how to manage disappointment or failure? What a gift it is to be given the time to work hard and see yourself succeed at something that was once difficult for you. The rich academic program challenges my children to think deeply. The sports program teaches personal best not only on the field but in life. There is a vibrant, integral arts program that encourages creative expression with music, drama and sophisticated art. The overall culture promotes kindness, self-awareness and good citizenry. I feel like I am in a true partnership with teachers and faculty and that my children are loved and respected by every adult at their school. We feel very fortunate to be a Hill School family.