8 Dutton Ave
Catonsville, MD 21228

I went to this school for 6th grade, and it was unparticle trash Teachers in this school cuss at you and target you even when you are not disrupting anyone. one time i got into a fight and then the teacher bullied me and made fun of me Infront of everyone and i cried because I was embarrassed and mad, so he made fun of me for crying. i another story one time me and my friends were getting bullied, and we said stuff back Aswell and the counselor blamed me and my friends for it also when me and my friend got into a disagreement the consoler talked behind both me and my friends back saying both of you are not right for each other stay away from her and stuff like that.

I’ve been at this school for 3 years and the crazy stuff I’ve seen is insane. I’m lucky enough to be in all AP and GT classes which are more tolerable in the student population however the teachers that teach these classes have made racist, ableist, and homophobic comments whether it be slurs or disrespect. Many teachers either don’t follow or don’t read 504 plans and IEPs. The student in standard and below often get into fights, ignore their teacher, and will sometimes cuss out teachers and subs. Now while this is not all students or teachers you will see these students everyday in the lunch room, bathrooms and, hallway yelling, vaping, and get into fights. There are many teachers that are amazing however that number is dwindling as more retire and move each year, if you want your student to get a quality education do not send them here and if you do be proactive about the teachers they get. Now that isn’t even touching on the physical state of the school as you walk around you will notice, mice water damage everywhere on the ceilings, mold in some classes, empty pad dispensers in the bathrooms. In the gym locker rooms periodically it will begin to smell like feces because the shower pipes aren’t used. In the time I have been here there have been at least 2 floods. Neither of these floods reported to parents despite it interrupting classes making students move classrooms. There was also water actively flowing out of the windows on the second and third floors in the new building which you could see from the windows. The floors are not cleaned daily or even close the bathrooms are however the floors in the rooms do not get cleaned unless the teacher does it. The only tasks consistently done to cleans the building are removing trash (they don’t recycle despite the recycling bins in most rooms) bathroom cleaning, and I am not positive but it is possible the rooms are swept but never mopped except over the summer this is clear by the way the floors are sparkling clean at the beginning of the year and by the end of the first month they are gross. There are multiple rooms that get wasps (not because windows are open) they come through the vents. I could go on and on about the problems with this school. If you choose to send your kid her please be aware of the education they are receiving the curriculum with the exception of ap classes is not good enough I highly recommend if you send your kids here they do dual enrollment at CCBC in their junior and senior year

My children have both had a wonderful experience at Hillcrest with teachers, school counselors and administrators who truly care and want your children to succeed. There have been a few issues in the past with administration, but that has been resolved. The new principal is amazing and truly believes in ensuring a great educational experience for every child. I would recommend this school to everyone.