Hillcrest Elementary School

30 Marguerite Drive

School District

Oakland Unified
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

School Map for Oakland Unified 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 April 22, 2024

Hillcrest has been such a wonderful choice for our family. The school feels like an extended family. The small size really helps your child be a known entity. The way the older grades buddy with the younger grades is very sweet. Hillcrest is a special place.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2024

Hillcrest has been a great experience so far. Thanks to the PTA, the school offers extracurricular classes such as technology, music, etc. that I have not seen in other public schools. We were new to the area 2 years ago and were pleasantly surprised by the welcoming community at Hillcrest. This is a public school that parents with means choose to go, because of its inclusive and welcoming culture. Teachers we’ve had so far - K to 2nd grade - have been top-notch, genuinely helping kids towards academic excellence. We’ve seen our kids excel academically and socially. Our kinder has been teaching us the Social Emotional techniques they have learned at school.
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2024

The school has systemic problems furthered by its traditional, homogeneous, tech-money, hills neighborhood which stands in stark contrast to the diverse surrounding Oakland community. Teacher turnover is high. Teachers are often new and bad teachers are not rooted out. The PTA is run by the same group of largely white women. Racist incidents have plagued the school for years, and efforts to change this by bringing in outside contractors have been largely unsuccessful. The school auction, the main fundraising source, over the top and exclusionary. The school community is based on attending pay-to-play parties which divide on gender lines, or are geared towards (hetero) couples, with prices like $900 to go on a dad beer bus party.
Submitted by other on December 22, 2023

This is a school and community that is really making things work. From staff to families to kids, the vibe is all about contributing. When OUSD is all gummed up, the parents are really excellent at making sure that whatever needs doing still gets done. The teachers really know every kid and every kid knows everyone in the school. The PTA funds all sorts of things from music, art, and educational events. It’s the school version of Stone Soup. Even with equity and social issues, I was impressed with how the community doesn’t go: “Yeah, but not OUR family,” and instead individual families will show up to Diversity training like it is a requirement. All schools have issues, but this one tends to face them with humility and agency and really tries to lend their privilege to others whenever possible.This is a really good fit for kids who would thrive in a more intimate setting (especially since the middle school is a nice option for continuing that, or springboarding to private schools for kids who are ready for the wider world). Families who are involved and appreciate socializing within their school are also a good fit. If you are looking for flash, then this place isn’t a good match. Likewise, sports are all local clubs, not in-house, but the families consistently coordinate sending all the kids in the class to the same ones so you do end up with good athletes, but fewer school sporting events.
Submitted by other on November 12, 2021

Hillcrest Elementary is jewel to the Upper Rockridge Community. The parental involvement through PTA and simply supporting parents and kids alike is unsurpassed. My daughter is now a graduating Senior at the University of Michigan, so I have seen the impact K-8 can have on a child. Hillcrest will always hold a special place in our family's heart. Their staff, teachers and parents are top-notch and the community support is also fabulous.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2021

When we initially placed our kids in Hillcrest it was a great experience for them both and a great community. There are grades with great teachers and there are other grades with average or below-average teachers. That's likely typical across schools. Hillcrest has degraded significantly in the last few years because of OUSD pressure. Last year, Kindergarten was forced to take on an additional class meaning three classes for one grade and it's very unclear how the school can support this effectively at their current size. With Covid, the Oakland school system has been beat up hard because of the teacher union. Several teachers have quit of disappeared because of distance learning and kids are left to deal with it. There have been some tough situations and our kids have been subject to poor teacher behavior under stress. While we have compassion for what everyone is going through it's frustrating that our kids' needs aren't being prioritized because of the poor operations in Oakland schools. The principal is ineffective and has been silent throughout this time. Hopefully, things will improve in the school once Covid is behind us and things try to return to normal but I fear it will be hard to bounce back and recover for some time. As a result we've pulled our kids from the school and haven't enrolled them elsewhere. Many parents have done the same thing. Hillcrest was a good school but OUSD is destroying it and that's a tragedy.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2018

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.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2015

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.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2014

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.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2014

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.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2014

My kids spent a few years at Hillcrest and then switched schools. It is not a perfect school. The principal is hardworking but she is a very polarizing presence, and a lot of teachers are pretty disgruntled. Some teachers are good, a few are great, some are pretty terrible. The parent community, like the teachers, are also a mixed bag. But I do have to address that one comment from the art teacher, because it's biased. Last year we had a HORRIBLE art teacher who only lasted one year. She seriously did nothing with the kids, and we parents were pretty mad about it. Is that negative review from her? Probably. I hear the new art teacher is much better. And yes, the PTA pays for art and that's not ideal, but on the other hand THE PTA PAYS FOR ART. So there you go! An unbiased review from a former parent.
Submitted by teacher on May 23, 2014

Art teachers beware. Would strongly recommend working at a different school. Facilities and communication very, very poor. Hired by PTA which is inconsistent with management.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2014

I have been a parent of a Hillcrest student for the last 8 years. I as very happy with the school in the beginning. However the last few years after we received a new principle I have seen it deteriorate. It is sad to see. I wish my kids last years at Hillcrest could be as good as the first years.
Submitted by teacher on October 28, 2013

I have had the privilege of being a teacher at Hillcrest School for many years. The students at Hillcrest are brilliant, parents are incredibly supportive and dedicated to the success of their children, & the administrator is one of the hardest working leaders I have ever had the pleasure to work with in my twenty plus years as an educator in the Oakland Unified School District. As a staff, we are transitioning successfully to the California Common Core State Standards under the leadership of our principal, who had the foresight to anticipate the various support structures and professional development offerings that would be needed for these rigorous changes. There has been a heavy financial investment in technology to support us in becoming more comfortable with 21st century instructional technology tools & our schedule has time carved out during the school day to allow us collaboration time "between the bells" with our grade level partner. Teaching is an incredibly difficult job, but with support systems like those found at Hillcrest School, all teachers could easily make the transition to teaching and reaching all students with the CCSS.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2013

Hillcrest is such an amazing school! My son is so happy there and I simply love the community and all the amazing resources that are provided to all students. Contrary to the post below, there is NOT an issue with bullying behaviors at Hillcrest School. As a parent who volunteers often at the school, I am simply amazed at the wonderful "hands-on approach" the school administrator takes when interacting with her students and the very matter-of-fact conversations that she will take time to have with students who may need extra encouragement or support in order to be successful socially, emotionally and academically at school. In fact, I don't know any other principal in Oakland who supports her students like ours does! She has even gone as far as to picking up a student from the BART station each and ever day in order for him to be on time to school . Now that is what I call a supportive principal! What more can I say? The academics are great, students are well-behaved and the community is outstanding!
Submitted by parent on August 07, 2013

Hillcrest is as good as it gets in public school. The main reason is parental involvement. Everyone is expected to pitch in - whether its (1) volunteering in the classroom, (2) donating money and supplies or (3) serving on the PTA; and most families do all three. As for diversity, we are a mixed race family and feel comfortable and have a good support network at the school.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2013

Bullying is an open secret at Hillcrest. There is no policy in place to either prevent or deal with it. The new principal has the mentality of "survival of the fittest" which means the vulnerable are not safe. There is an "anti-snitch" playground policy that only fuels this system of protecting bullies. The school is popular because it gets a lot of money from wealthy parents, some of who control the PTA. These same parents have an air of entitlement and the social experience is unfriendly and exclusive. There is a lot of pressure to donate to the school regardless of financial standing. There is little diversity so white, conventional families will feel most comfortable here. Ironically, people clamar to get into the school because of the middle school and high test scores tho Chabot and Thornhill are right up and I've heard they offer a more diverse and friendly atmosphere. Teachers are stressed to make sure kids continue to test high and this puts pressure on the kids. The kindergarten teachers are great but they aren't on the playground to watch out for the little ones who get teased as the 'babies' of the school at recess. Another open secret hazing reality. Change needed.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2012

I currently have a child in the middle school. Hillcrest's strengths include a dedicated group of veteran teachers and extremely involved parents. The school's weaknesses have always included its extremely small size, which limits the range of courses available and can also be socially confining. An additional problem: a very new principal, now in her second year, has made a series of organizational changes that have been poorly communicated to parents and have produced general dismay in the Hillcrest community. It is unclear where this school is going.