Location: Riverside, CA
Are you a student or parent at Hillcrest High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Hillcrest High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Hillcrest High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Hillcrest High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Hillcrest High
- Every sports team you can join at Hillcrest High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Hillcrest High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Riverside, CA in Riverside County.
Based on its location, Hillcrest High is classified as a school in a large city. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Hillcrest High School10365 Keller Ave. Riverside, CA 92505-1349
Phone number: 9513581755
Hillcrest High School homepage: http://alvordschools.org/hillcrest
Principal: Jennifer RadekaEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Hillcrest High School is 855 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, Hillcrest High strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Hillcrest High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Hillcrest High has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 233 | 194 | 427 |
| 10th grade | 228 | 200 | 428 |
| 11th grade | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12th grade | 0 | 0 | 0 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 427 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Riverside could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Hillcrest High. Alternatively, Hillcrest High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Hillcrest High School?
From our statistics, Hillcrest High has a 54:46 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
Hillcrest High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Riverside County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that Hillcrest High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Hillcrest High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Hillcrest High has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so Hillcrest High isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.
The majority of students at Hillcrest High are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and Hillcrest High fits within this category.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.0% | 0 |
| Asian | 9.1% | 78 |
| Hispanic | 66.9% | 572 |
| Black | 6.9% | 59 |
| White | 14.9% | 128 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 3 |
| Two or more races | 1.7% | 15 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Riverside. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of Hillcrest High Families
What are the family incomes of students at Hillcrest High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At Hillcrest High, 14.7% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 47.9% qualify for free lunches.
This means Hillcrest High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Hillcrest High is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Riverside is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 126 | 14.7% |
| Free lunches | 410 | 47.9% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 319 | 37.3% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Riverside and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Hillcrest High is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. Hillcrest High is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that Hillcrest High doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
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School Safety
How safe is Hillcrest High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Hillcrest High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Hillcrest High students at risk.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Alvord Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvord Continuation High | 5 | 0 | 217 |
| La Sierra High | 133 | 0 | 3310 |
| Norte Vista High | 116 | 0 | 2346 |
| Alvord Alternative Education Center | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Hillcrest High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Hillcrest High's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Hillcrest High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Hillcrest High School students credit for college.
Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.
AP Scores
Every year, roughly 68 students in grades 9-12 at Hillcrest High take 68 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.
The average score of all AP exams taken at Hillcrest High is 1.2 out of 5.
Compared to schools across California, this score puts Hillcrest High at below average performance. On AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and unfortunately the number of students who don't pass is greater than the number of do. This performance places Hillcrest High School in the bottom 25 % of schools for AP tests.
This isn't all bad news for you, though. It's still good that Hillcrest High offers AP classes so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Your school might be new to offering AP courses, and typically teachers get better at preparing students for AP tests over time. Finally, as you'll see below, there are still students who earn a passing grade of 3 or above - and with hard work, you can be one of them.
We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:
To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Hillcrest High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.
Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Hillcrest High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If Hillcrest High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Hillcrest High.
English/Language Arts
At Hillcrest High School, 48% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered above average and puts Hillcrest High in the top 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Around half of Hillcrest High students pass state standards, and around half do not.
This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the standards have gotten harder with the Common Core, the pass rate at Hillcrest High will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Hillcrest High's roughly average ranking among California high schools.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At Hillcrest High School, 25% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Hillcrest High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Hillcrest High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Academic Offerings
In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Hillcrest High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.
Brief Intro to AP/IB
AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at Hillcrest High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at Hillcrest High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Hillcrest High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.
So what advanced courses does Hillcrest High School offer?
AP Courses
Hillcrest High School offers AP courses in 15 subjects.
This is a reasonable number of AP subjects, putting Hillcrest High School in the top 50% of California schools that offer AP courses. You'll likely have access to some of the most popular math and humanities AP subjects, as well as a few others.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Hillcrest High is missing a large number of subjects, including some popular ones. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Hillcrest High, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap.
Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - even if Hillcrest High doesn't offer every AP course under the sun, the classes might still be taught very well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.
The following AP courses were offered at Hillcrest High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| Biology |
| Calculus AB |
| Calculus BC |
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
| Environmental Science |
| European History |
| Music Theory |
| Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
| Spanish Language and Culture |
| Statistics |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design |
| Studio Art: Drawing |
| United States Government and Politics |
| United States History |
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Hillcrest High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at Hillcrest High.
By the way, the Hillcrest High mascot is the Trojans. Go Trojans!
Hillcrest High School fields 11 teams for girls' sports. This is a relatively number that puts Hillcrest High in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. This is understandable - sports teams are expensive to support, and many schools would rather put those resources elsewhere. If you participate in a sport that Hillcrest High doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
And now for the boys: Hillcrest High School fields 13 teams for boys' sports. This relatively number puts Hillcrest High in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Sports teams are expensive to support, and Hillcrest High may not be able to offer the full range of options. If you participate in a sport that Hillcrest High doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
| Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
|---|---|
| Basketball
Var
JV
|
Basketball
Var
|
| Golf
Var
|
|
| Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
| Football
Var
Fr
|
|
| Wrestling
Var
|
|
| Volleyball
Var
|
Volleyball
Var
JV
|
| Baseball
Var
|
|
| Softball
Var
|
|
| Waterpolo
Var
JV
|
Waterpolo
Var
JV
|
| Trackfield
Var
|
Trackfield
Var
|
| Soccer
Var
|
Soccer
Var
JV
|
| Fieldhockey
Var
|
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- AP Course Ledger
- IBO.org