Hillcrest Elementary School

This is a wonderful school with a terrific staff. My son receives special services such as speech therapy and social skills group and the care he receives at this school is wonderful! The principal does make each parent feel at ease and the overall atmosphere of the school is a positive one! For parents who need to tap into special services this school is great!
--Submitted by a parent

We love Hillcrest! Our son recently moved on to AH, and our younger boy is now in 2nd grade. The staff are all wonderful and we've had a wonderful experience with them. The Principal is always available and knows every child by name. The HSA is strong and runs over 30 programs including Book Publishing among many others. We are truly fortunate to have enjoyed such a wonderful academic experience and a nurturing environment.
--Submitted by a parent

An excellent School! We love it. The test scores are great. The teachers are innovative and committed. Hillcrest was voted a 'Star' school by the State of New Jersey. It has an outstanding core academic program and extras such as science and computers, music, and art. In addition there are a multitude of other programs such as Book Publishing with celebratory teas, a student Post Office, and an emergent reader program to foster advanced readers. There is a very strong Home School Association which conducts an outstanding Cultural Festival each year and a Spring Carnival as well as other events and programs. The student body is diverse and enriching. My son is performing very well here and is happy and I look forward to sending my daughter.
--Submitted by a parent

A culture of medocrity. Disinterested staff.
--Submitted by a parent

I cannot speak enough on the excellence of Hillcrest School! Children receive an outstanding education in a loving, secure environment. Parent involvement is excellent, either with the HSA, or helping out in the classrooms. The programs offered by both the school and the HSA are the best that I have ever seen in an elementary school.
--Submitted by a parent

My son goes to this school and I am most impressed with the unbelievable quality of education that he receives. There is a new principle at the school as of 2004 so I cannot rate her. However, she is greeting the children every morning, always makes you feel like the most important parent when you talk with her, etc. The quality of the educational programs is fantastic. Students learn to read early in Kindergarten, speak Spanish as a second language, participate in music and science programs, are exposed to very impressive cultural activities including field trips, etc. The parents are about 50/50 on involvements. I have found that those parents that are involved give it 150%. Other parents are not involved at all. I'd like to see some after-school sports (like soccer or gynamstics) and longer recesses for the children...especially in the face of the problem of adolescent obesity.
--Submitted by Shelly Zimmerman, a parent