School Profile

Type of School:  A co-educational, independent, college-preparatory, academically-accelerated, elementary day school with 165 boys and girls in grades Kindergarten through 8.

 

Extended School Year:  Hilldale has embraced a 195-day schedule. We are addressing the U.S. Department of Education's concerns about America's lagging test scores head-on, not by teaching to the test, but by continuing our development of a world-class education for bright, gifted, and motivated children. More teaching time will provide students with more opportunities for making hands-on connections, engaging in special projects, expanding critical thinking, and retaining knowledge. Our program will also help to address the concerns of many families with two working parents about finding quality, inexpensive academic summer programs for their young children during the long summer down-time.

 

Faculty and Class Size: 24 faculty members; vast majority are credentialed (or in the process thereof) and most hold Masters degrees. Typical class size is 18 students.

 

Campus and Facilities:  Founded in 1948, Hilldale’s three-acre campus sits on a ridge at the edge of the San Bruno Mountains, overlooking Daly City.  There are three home-like buildings housing: 10 Classrooms, an Art Studio, and a STEAM Lab.

Student Body:  Very ethnically diverse. Approximately 85% of our student population has at least one parent from another country, and a majority of our students speak a second language at home.  At Hilldale, there is a deep respect for every individual because  of our cultural, racial, ethnic, physical, and religious differences.

 

Philosophy:  Hilldale School dedicates itself to the full development of the individual student in preparation for the challenges of higher education and life. The school promotes enduring habits of intellectual curiosity, appreciation for the arts, physical fitness, and respect for self and others.  Habits of inquiry, independent thinking, and imagination are fostered through a rich and rigorous curriculum which challenges students to maximize their abilities.  The goal is for students to leave Hilldale strong in character, well prepared for further education, determined to fully develop their own gifts, and ready to share those gifts generously with the wider community.

 

Costs:  For the 2023-2024 school year, tuition for each grade is $22,000. There is a one-time registration fee of $150.  Field trips and textbook fees are included in tuition. Extended care (morning and afternoon) are provided for free. Hot lunch is available through SchoolFoodies.com.

 

Financial Assistance:  Several tuition reduction grants are awarded each year on the basis of family need.

Accreditation:  We are accredited by National Independent Private Schools Association (NIPSA). 

 

Admission:  Hilldale School considers each candidate individually and fairly. There are no specific test scores or grades that automatically assure or deny entrance. Among the most important criteria for acceptance into Kindergarten through Grade 1 are sociability and an indication of high academic ability as shown on the Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude, the Expressive One-Word Picture Test, and our own testing materials. Among the criteria for acceptance into Grades 2-8 are sociability, prior academic records, a mathematics test, a writing sample, a vocabulary and reading comprehension test, and recommendations from our teachers after the child shadows for a day. In all cases, it is extremely important that the candidate genuinely desires to attend Hilldale School and that both the child and the parents are willing to support the curriculum expectations and participate fully in the opportunities available.

 

Enrollment:  After testing and receipt of the school’s verbal acceptance, parents must submit Registration forms, signed by both parents, a non-refundable $150 registration fee, and a $500 non-refundable deposit on the year’s tuition, which locks in your child’s space beyond that date and acknowledges that you are accepting complete responsibility for the full-year tuition. There is a 30-day money back guarantee for new students. The moving policy states that you can be released from your contract if you move more than 20 miles from the school.