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Why Choose Hillcrest

At Hillcrest Academy, we believe that the richness of the learning environment matters. Therefore, we offer our students depth, choices, complexities and challenges, aiming to intensify their learning experience. It matters that kindergarten children are exposed to interesting literature as they gain reading skills. It matters that Middle School students can choose to study French or Spanish and that homework pushes them beyond worksheets and into real creativity.

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About Hillcrest Academy

Hillcrest offers a rich humanities based program that emphasizes problem solving and critical thinking skills. Beginning in kindergarten and continuing through eighth grade, students learn French daily, and study art and music in addition to their academic subjects of math, language arts, science, history and geography.

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IB Candidacy Approved

Hillcrest Academy has been approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization as a candidate school* for the IB Middle Years Programme. Congratulations to Hillcrest! Our school can now officially begin the process of pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy – a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Hillcrest Academy believes is important for our students.

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How Is Hillcrest Academy Different:

  • 21st Century Learning »

    21st Century Learning

    Top performing schools offer an inquiry-based curriculum featuring depth, complexity, international awareness, and a greater emphasis on independent critical thinking.  Best practices across all disciplines are implemented.

    Hillcrest Academy is the only private school in Riverside County that has been approved as an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate school for the Middle Years Program.  The IB program exposes children to a broader range of subjects through field studies, collaboration, community service, and leadership.  Hillcrest continues to invest in new curriculum, including an enhanced Mathematics course designed to stimulate active problem-solving instead of rote memorization.

  • Accreditation »

    Accreditation

    Accreditation is a parent’s guarantee that a school provides the highest quality education for their children. Accreditation agencies provide an independent assessment of a school’s curriculum, faculty, and programs. In private education there is no better criterion for success than accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Hillcrest Academy is the only school in the Temecula Valley that is dually accredited by both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), www.acswasc.org, and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), www.caisca.org. This places Hillcrest in the company of schools such as Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles and the La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego.

  • Distinguished Faculty »

    Distinguished Faculty

    A competent and dedicated faculty is essential for a quality educational experience. While private schools are not required to hire credentialed teachers, top performing private schools that emphasize academic excellence require that a high percentage of their teaching staff be credentialed.

    At Hillcrest Academy, 95% of the faculty is credentialed and a full 100% of the faculty is either credentialed, in the process of obtaining their credential or holds an advanced degree in the subject matter they teach. Additionally, the faculty includes a published author, an Olympic athlete, a concert level musician, and 30% are fully bilingual.

  • Student/Teacher Ratio »

    Student/Teacher Ratio

    A low student/teacher ratio is an important measure of quality in any school. A low student/teacher ratio results in a higher level of individual attention and direction given to each child.

    Hillcrest Academy has one of the best student/teacher ratios in the Temecula Valley. The average student/teacher ratio is 16:1 and in some specialized classes the ratio is even lower.

  • Foreign Language »

    Foreign Language

    Studies show that learning a foreign language increases a child’s cognitive and creative abilities as well as their cultural awareness. These studies also show that children that learn a second language score higher in math and logic tests, and are more proficient in problem solving.

    Hillcrest Academy is the only school in the Temecula Valley that provides daily foreign language instruction starting in Kindergarten and continuing through all higher grade levels.

  • Educational Field Trips »

    Educational Field Trips

    Education experts have noted the benefit of hands-on learning opportunities that are not available in the classroom. Instructional field trips offer students the ability to connect with their community and the world around them in ways that enrich and deepen the classroom experience.

    At Hillcrest Academy, instructional field trips are part of the curriculum starting in Kindergarten. The upper grades travel to Pali Mountain, San Diego, Catalina Island, New York, and Boston for learning adventures. The field trip program culminates in eighth grade with a Tour of Europe where students spend ten days in Paris, the Loire Valley, Madrid, and Toledo.

  • Technology »

    Technology

    In order to prepare students for success in college and later life, top performing schools promote character and leadership through a curriculum that emphasizes project based learning, team building, and peer-leadership.

    Hillcrest Academy has a fully developed leadership program. This program has been in place for more than ten years and plays a central role in preparing the students for success.

  • Character and Leadership »

    Character and Leadership

    Accreditation is a parent’s guarantee that a school provides the highest quality education for their children. Accreditation agencies provide an independent assessment of a school’s curriculum, faculty, and programs. In private education there is no better criterion for success than accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Hillcrest Academy is the only school in the Temecula Valley that is dually accredited by both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), www.acswasc.org, and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), www.caisca.org. This places Hillcrest in the company of schools such as Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles and the La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego.

  • Parent Involvement »

    Parent Involvement

    Top performing schools encourage parental involvement because studies show that students whose parents are actively involved in their school’s classroom activities and field trips perform at a higher level.

    Hillcrest Academy encourages parents to play an active role in their child’s education through participation on the campus and in the classroom. The Parent, Teacher, Student League (PTSL) plays an indispensable role in coordinating the supporting role of parents in the daily life of the school.

  • Secular »

    Secular

    A secular school is an institution which emphasizes academics and character development in a neutral religious environment that welcomes people of different faiths and beliefs. This leaves parents the freedom to instruct their children in their particular religious and spiritual beliefs.

    Hillcrest Academy, welcomes all religions and faiths and is committed to providing and modeling a tradition of tolerance and acceptance.

  • Not-For-Profit »

    Not-For-Profit

    The best private schools are not-for-profit institutions where every dollar generated by tuition and charitable giving is spent on teachers, curriculum, and the physical plant of the school.

    Hillcrest Academy is and has been a 501(c)3 not-for-profit institution since its founding in 1977.

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