Thistle

Loving teachers and amazing special education team.

After two years at this school, I am updating my review to acknowledge the positive experience this has been. My child has grown in social-emotional development; learning the expectations of the classroom; excelling at academics; and connecting with teachers and fellow classmates. The school has also evaluated my child well and the curriculum and delivery of instruction match the needs and present levels of performance. I feel good about my child going here.

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.

Teacher can be kinda mean and sometimes talk way to much about something extremely random. Most of the teachers here don't understand that some students have ADHD and that the students are children, not fully grown adults. The school doesn't really support are mental health either, we have a guidance councilor but with how some teacher act its very hard to approach them and ask for help. They school barely has "Special Education." They have tutoring and some help for students with dyslexia and ADHD but if you have anything thats more severe they cant do anything. I would barely call it "Special Education" it more like learning help. This is coming from a student at this school.

I have 1 child that has graduated and 1 currently enrolled. The program for kids with special needs is a God send, and the nursing staff is AMAZING! These are what sold me on the school for my oldest. I love the building and the facilities. I love the programs offered and the choice of sports. The school is currently growing and adding onto its offerings. The education at the school is high-mid. It's definitely better than public schools and many private schools, but compared to the private education I received, it often feels like my kids are behind. It's hard to tell if this is a school issue or if it's because the American education system is failing overall. The school is a feeder school to big name high schools, so that can be beneficial. My only issue is that while the school "celebrates diversity" on the surface and has a pretty mixed student population, the need for change and evolution is pervasive. St. Mark celebrates colonialism and definitely pushes antiquated teachings about history and religion. I would like to see St. Mark remove its focus on the colonization of America from the Manifest Destiny perspective and focus more on the effects of the creation of the US. Better yet, teach world history. The students self-segregate. I've only seen 2 non-white teachers. There's an obvious separation between the kids as they are completely aware that St. Mark takes a white-focused approach in teaching. Lastly, there are certain kids with behavioral issues that get overlooked. I've been told that there is a "special family" who can do no wrong and run the school from the parent association. It's believable as one of my kids suffered an assault from a protected kid and there were no consequences.Overall, I'm happy with the experience my children have received. It's the best option that my family has for Elementary and Middle School. My children enjoy being there, and have had better experiences there than at the other schools we tried. As long as your kid is confident and self-aware, they will be fine. We look out for each other.