Hillcrest Elementary School

All the teachers favored kids who exceeded and neglected other students. In middle school, everything was old my locker was rusted, and it was not in good condition. We had a period called flex which was free time, but a homeroom teacher just kept us in to do other stuff instead of giving us freedom. They also force religion on you, and it gets really annoying. We did not talk about real-world topics like racism, sexism, colorism, exploring sexualities, homophobia, transphobia, and other topics. Since they did not like to talk about those things, most students grew up very close-minded and very judgy. Most students mocked George Floyd's death, showed transphobia to other students, and made racist jokes about students that are of a different race. The teaching quality was terrible, a certain teacher taught too fast and when we gave her feedback, she changed nothing. The students also were influenced badly and were really rude. They were not accepting of other students, and they liked to gaslight and bully other students (past experience). also, people are just fake there! Kids with special needs were treated really badly and faced ableism. There was one kid with ADHD who had trouble focusing in class so people mocked him and said he was faking ADHD and said some other things about him which I will not state. In general, DO NOT COME TO THIS SCHOOL YOU WILL LITERALLY FACE SO MUCH TRAUMA LIKE THIS IS NOT GOOD.

I graduated 8th grade in 2021. The school environment is very collaborative and encourages social action in the community. Teachers try to relate learning to what is going on in the world, so there were some content areas that did not fully prepare me for high school.

Our children have attended Alta Vista since kindergarten—quite a few years now. We've experienced the lower (K-5) and middle (6-8) schools. We are surprised to see the school receive only stellar ratings and overwhelmingly glowing reviews. That does not quite reflect our experience. Alta Vista is above average, certainly, but the overall experience has been uneven. Their best days are long behind them.The ultimate weaknesses are teacher turnover—the inspiring, supportive ones don't last long (while stinkers inexplicably remain)—and the disproportionate emphasis on social issues rather than core academics. The brightest spot is camaraderie amongst the parent community. Families are very present, especially at the K-5 level, humble and accepting. I can't think of a parent who we'd not trust with our children. Moreover, the students themselves —the children— are and have turned out to be wonderful, responsible and kind humans.