Hillview Middle School

From my experience at this school, my son thrived and developed exceptionally well thanks to the support of the teachers and staff at Hillview Middle School. They have shown fantastic leadership and are so willing to listen and help parents understand and guide their children best as possible. Definitely glad we moved and my son was able to attend this wonderful school.

The school is very poor in providing the required support for students with disabilities & covered under a 504 plan. Teachers are either not aware or not educated on alternative approach & accomodations under 504 plan. They cause last moment pressure & emergemcies for both student & parents creating a panic situation. Staff here is lazy to respond to emails & even pick up calls to provide required support to parents. They did not even respond to an IEP request within 90 days. So much they are slack even in legal things. They finally denied IEP on a zoom call with a lame excuse. The principal never cares to reply to emails. The district Special education officer is also always supporting them & did not care for our requests to find help for my ward.Except for few staff & teachers who have been kind, most staff have shown this kind of behavior. There is campus bullying & food shaming etc. Some teachers don't teach anything during the year but are eager to advertise for private tutoring during summer.

To be honest, the only way I can really describe this place is "alright". Some of the teachers care about students, others straight up go and make fun of students for living in toxic households-- but still, you can feel that they're trying their best. The principals constantly try to spread school spirit, which is great and all, but they don't seem to get the memo that we really don't care. The homework amount is alright. There are a lot of complaints, but Hillview really doesn't give out that much homework; students just really like to lie so they'll get less. We learn an okay amount of stuff. However, I don't think students feel safe. Last year, a white girl straight up said the n slur, and she barely got in trouble for it just because she cried and said she didn't do it. Personally, I find the classes boring. But maybe that's just because I'm a "gifted kid" with clinical depression and chronic motivation issues. And maybe it's just because we're all moody hormonal teenagers, but I don't think anyone else really cares about the content we're getting. Science is cool, I guess. There's a lot of family involvement-- maybe too much. I feel like every little mistake is going to lead to a parent Email. And god forbid that happens, because my mom would beat me up if I made her too mad. The Special Ed kids seem to be doing alright, though. They're in a lot of our classes, and I'm friends with one. There's only one counselor for each grade. It's not really an issue, but that also means they're unavailable a lot. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I keep being scared that my counselor will tell my parents what I tell her. And so, I don't feel like I can tell her anything. Here's a simple little fact: no one really cares about student mental health. They just want the payment. And honestly, that's fine. Still, it's nice to know the counselors can at least realistically pretend they care. That's always nice to see.So yeah. Hillview's alright, at best. I just feel kind of apathetic to it. It's kind of funny how much I complain about it-- after all, when my parents tell me they want me to switch schools, I always say no. It really is hilarious how pathetic this is, no? I talk so much about how horrible this place is, but I love it all the same. Hm.

Our daughter thrived at Hillview in every aspect. The teachers and administration were all very personable and willing to help when thing weren't so easy as well. Having them on her side (rather than just placating parents) worked wonders for her development. Furthermore the student body, while not perfect, seems to get along better than any middle school I've ever seen.

We moved to Menlo Park from Wellesley, Massachusetts just before the first day of school at Hillview. My two daughters, in seventh and eighth grade, respectively, expected a challenging transition. To our surprise, Hillview made their arrival at a new school as seamless as we ever could have imagined. From the first day onward, we've been amazed at the support they've received from Hillview teachers, students, and members of the administration. The teachers are absolutely top-notch. The student body is friendly and welcoming. Members of the administration communicate with an impressive level of care for the students and their parents. Our girls have had opportunities to join sports teams, watch movies on the outdoor field, dress up for spirit days, and attend after-school dances. They have expanded their intellectual horizons in robotics classes and other electives. They have grown in their ability to see a problem from different angles. They have developed their ability to express points of view in robust class discussions their teachers facilitate. Hillview's core values-- including kindness, respect, and tolerance--shine through in every aspect. We're infinitely grateful for the experience we've had at Hillview. We highly recommend the school to anyone considering a move to Menlo Park.