Hillside Elementary School

We moved to the area specifically for the schools and are now looking at private school options. Here's the truth about Hillside... It's great if your child is average. The school, staff, curriculum, "specials", field trips, everything caters towards average children. There is no room for exceptional as the administration and the structure of the school can't support a gifted program. Don't get me wrong. There are lovely staff members who mean well and work very hard. However, my child will be in elementary school only once and needs an environment that nurtures the mind much more than Hillside can offer. Sadly, this school makes me worry for the public school system, and the institutional complacency for catering towards the average.
—Submitted by a parent

Had two graduate from Hillside and three kids in this system. Hillside falls way short of expectations.Current principal is a huge disappointment and received tenure from the same small clique of people that post all these positive comments below. Unfortunately she's here to stay and if you're looking at these school, watch her in action. Yikes. The art teacher, also tenured and head of the teacher's union, has a kiln that sits unused, never sends home art work or any kind: lazy. The music program used to be good. No longer. Many staff forced out to hire younger, less experienced+less expensive staff. Math programs constantly changing. No Science to speak of at all at Hillside. Writing, reading a big disappointment. Language, a joke. My daughter had a Spanish teacher for six months who....couldn't speak Spanish!! This reads like comedy, but its not. It's an expensive disappointment. No field trips! Gym class isn't even that good. Uninspiring, blah education. Better off moving to Scarsdale, Ardsley, Rye, Briarcliff or even Dobbs where teacher quality is higher. PArent involvement is very minimal, confined to handing out pizza on Fridays & FUNDRAISING! UGH. Not a good investment.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is a warm and nurturing environment. The class sizes are kept small, the teachers get to know the kids well. The school successfully prizes individualized instruction (I think its called "differentiated"). There are many creative programs. The community is filled with creative talents who donate their energies to the school, making it a very enriched environment for youngsters.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside Elementary is a fabulous place to send your children! The curriculum has some very special traditions that make the school unique, and is also on top of current trends and ready to make changes aligned with the new NYS standards. The administration is incredibly responsive to parents - every parent who has dealt with the Vice Principal on any discipline/behavior type stuff has come away with glowing reports of how helpful and warm he was. Overall, the teachers are beloved by parents and children, and are attuned to every child's individual development. Its a great place to be.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside Elementary school has been very disappointing on so many levels. My 3 children have passed through Hillside, and I have had the opportunity to watch it slowly deteriorate. There is no consistent writing program across any grade level. They are not teaching to the Common Core Standards in either ELA or Mathematics. There is hardly any science taught unless it's review sheets before the state test in grade 4. A child's progress in any given grade is largely based on which teacher he/sher gets for the year. It makes me very sad. I've had conversations with the administration over the last 5-6 years, but nothing changes. The Blue Ribbon status they earned 15-20 years ago should be taken away or, at the very least, reevaluated :(
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is a frustrating mix of good and bad, trending in the wrong direction under the current principal. Having put two children through Hillside, I can only echo several concerns raised by other reviewers: -Teacher quality There are some truly excellent teachers at Hillside. It is also fair to accept that not every teacher at a given school is going to be extraordinary. Unfortunately, there are simply too many average and below average teachers for a school with the resources Hillside has at its disposal (financial resources as well as the community's commitment to excellence in education). Hillside's principal seems to lack the skills necessary to 1) attract the best teachers and 2) support their career-long development. -Curriculum Hillside's curriculum is unimaginatively programmed and seem one or two steps behind what could be considered state of the art. Some of the excellent teachers have created their own, innovative approaches, but at the school-wide level, the curriculum lags neighboring schools of similar size. Smart Boards, in which the administration has invested heavily, are not the answer: many teachers with these devices have not been trained how to use them.
—Submitted by a parent

My experience has been totally different from the two previous reviewers. I have had two children go through Hillside and I thought the faculty did a very good job of educating them. Does that mean that every teacher was the best ever? No, but some of them were exceptional and all of them were good. As far as communication goes, what the last reviewer describes as "time to kiss up" I would call taking an active roll in you child's education. Forging relationships with the teachers and administrators, when you have an issue there is someone you can turn to who knows you. I really think it the entire small town suburban experience comes down to what you put into it. If you donate your time and energy into making the town, school, league, organization, etc., better you have more of a vested interest in seeing it do well. That sounds preachy but it's the truth. The bottom line is the schools are very good and they could always be better. But the real question is are you going to help make them better?
—Submitted by a parent

Before enrolling please visit the school and ask questions. The principal of Hillside had no former administration experience. She is unable to answer any questions without consulting others first. She honestly has no idea what she is doing. I would strongly suggest private school in this district until 5th grade or at least until the current principal leaves. There is a lack of teacher quality. The teachers definately have favorites. Other reviwers mention blue ribbon award. When was the last year the district won a Blue Ribbon Award? Hastings High School in 2001. It is now 2012.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is a terrific school filled with a staff that truly cares. Our systems' blue ribbon ratings are well deserved. A great place to grow and learn. Some parents succumb to the temptation to be aggressive with the staff insisting that any average achievement is the staff's' failure. The village has many after school activities not connected to the school. The tea party wants staff cuts to lower taxes. Last budget they were outvoted 2.5 to 1. - that;s a new tension.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is wonderful! The staff balances social/emotional learning with academics. The teachers and principal are responsive. We have two very different children and they were both well-served at Hillside. We are happy we moved here from Brooklyn.
—Submitted by a parent

In response to the post 11/2/10, the test scores for all the Rivertowns schools fell this year due to an increase in standards. In fact, according to the Enterprise, the local paper for the area, Hastings students scored dropped less than Ardsley's, Dobbs Ferry's or Irvington's. Every year, according to Westchester magazine Hastings students score higher on their SATs than all other river towns. I could care less about scores but if you do there you go.......
—Submitted by a parent

Click on the test scores and stats tab above. On the NY state standardized tests the school fell 20% from 2009 to 2010 in just about every area - I think one area decreased around 10%. That is pretty pathetic, and I think scores in Farragut Middle School in Hastings fell about the same. Pretty pathetic.
—Submitted by a parent

I have to agree with the commentor of 10/28/09. The principal of Hillside had no former administration experience. She was the AP for two years and groomed for her present positon. The assistant principal has no administration experience. Oh he went to the Hillside big deal. But they are young and under 40 so that is what the community wants. There are no programs for gifted children. If a child does not have an IEP it is very difficult to get services. I know parents who had to get OT services on the outside. Disgraceful. Some teachers are horrible because nepotism is big here. The afterschool program presently had to close some classes because of lack of enrollment. They offer uninterestings topics There are no clubs or band like neighboring school districts like Dobbs Ferry. Our son and daugher don't like the school. Considering moving also.
—Submitted by a parent

I have to disagree with the previous commenter (10/28/09). All schools, especially public ones, have some weaker staff but the great majority of teaching at Hillside is impressive. There are collaborative classes in each grade for mainstream kids who need some support (literacy, OT, PT, etc,), as well as dedicated staff and classrooms for very high-need children that are served in-district. I've been to many PTSA liaison meetings with our new but excellent administration. They are first rate brought up to their positions from within the system and show a balanced focus on academic achievement complemented by social/emotional growth. We pay a small fee for afterschool, but in this economic climate there is no way our small district could provide that service for free. This is a great elementary school with caring teachers, supportive parents and really lovely kids. It has given my family 6 very happy school years and
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is very overrated. They have two administrators that have no idea what they are doing. The district is very backwards. The services are special ed students are non existent. They offer no after school activites unless the parents want to pay extra. The best teacher was in K and it has been downhill ever since. I find that the teachers think they have tenure and are a teflon pan. We are definetly considering moving out of the district. Move to the surrounding areas you will get better treatment.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is an exceptional school. We moved to Hastings from another very highly rated school district and were very pleasantly surprised to see the strong emphasis on academics and the warm, nurturing environment for our kids. We're confident our kids are happy and learning.
—Submitted by a parent

Hillside is a wonderful, intimate school. Very nurturing yet academically appropriate for each level. Kids are taught to respect one another (bullying, name calling are not tolerated) and strive to do their best. The principal is retiring after 12 yrs of being there. I'm sure the school will do just as well after her; parents are very involved in this school district and have had a big impact on the selection of the new principal. Overall an excellent school for all types of children.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is wonderful. The staff is appropriately focused on social/emotional learning with a great balance of academics. The teachers and principal are very responsive and open. We made the right decision to move here from NYC.
—Submitted by Tracey Wilmot, a parent