8024 Tom Dr
Port Arthur, TX 77642

This school has major issues that need attention. There is clear favoritism among teachers, with some students treated well while others are disrespected or ignored. Many teachers focus more on grades than actual learning, which takes away from the purpose of education. On top of that, grades and accommodations are often not updated properly or on time, making things unfair for students. Overall, the environment feels unequal, unorganized, and not focused on supporting every student.

I’ve been part of Hillcrest Elementary since 2017, and it’s been nothing but a great experience. Mr. Kevin Morrison is one of those teachers/staff members who somehow manages to be both professional and fun at the same time—always keeping things organized but also making sure students and parents feel welcome. The school has grown and changed over the years, but the sense of community here has stayed strong. From school events to everyday learning, Hillcrest has felt like a second home. Definitely proud to say I’ve been part of it this long!

Though I love this school and have mostly good memories, this school just doesn't care about the mental health of their students. If a high-ranking, straight-A student's grades drop significantly and without notice, they won't do anything to check on them to make sure everything is ok with them. What they'll do instead is reprimand the student for not trying hard enough, being lazy, etc. Instead of noticing how unusual it is for a student that in the past worked extremely hard and had grades that reflect their work ethic, they just assume it's laziness and nothing else. It won't even cross their minds that maybe the student has developed a mental health problem. A problem that said student doesn't know how to handle or where to begin asking for assistance because we have to remember that they're kids and they usually won't even know that's a mental health problem to begin with. They'll just chalk it up to extreme nervousness, being off your game, or a temporary lack of motivation when really it's something much deeper. This school would always tell us that if a student's grades suddenly fell, they would immediately check on them; usually to see if it's drug related. That was a lie because all of this happened to me during my senior year and not one person from the school tried to truly see what was going on; I didn't even understand what was going on with me until years later. All I got were certain teachers yelling at me and getting angrier with me as my mental health crisis started to worsen over time. It doesn't matter how good of a student you are because these people couldn't care less about you.