936 Balltown Rd
Schenectady, NY 12309

They celebrate a whole month for pride but one day for Memorial . I mean wth. Parents need to be engaged with their kids and ask a lot of questions. Always read, scrutinize papers being sent home . Ask what books they see in the library. School is great prior to 2020. Now I question everything. I wonder why.

We were briefly a Hillside family for a year after moving from out of state, and before relocating to another elementary school within Niskayuna, so feel we have a fair if brief basis for comparison. The Hillside community is nicely defined by the neighborhood setting; a number of kids walk to school and the playground serves as the informal meeting space for kids and parents alike. As such we found there was more interaction among families than at "bus" schools, uniquely so in the district. A strength of the district is it allows each school to retain an identity within an overall structured curriculum. The special ed services were in a bit of a turnover as we went through, so I can't comment on how they are now, but the core teachers were outstanding professionals and the principal is dedicated and "embedded" in the school, not a stick-to-the-office type at all. The school is a bit on the small side - smaller classrooms - but does have a large enough gym for monthly all-school collections ("Hello Hillside") which are really wonderful, parents invited. It's a highly-functioning public school in one of the best districts in the state. I could pick nits, but they'd be just that.

Excellent high school! My children are very different types of learners and all have had an excellent educational experience and found their passions at this high school. It’s getting better every year!