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Our Insights

What’s Special

A small-school feel with the perks of a big school

The Downside

Overcrowding

Hillcrest is a large neighborhood school with a small school feel, catering instruction for a range of kids, including new immigrants, and offering a demanding science program for future MDs and RNs. It is divided into eight small programs with themes such as theater arts, business and teaching. Students and teachers overwhelmingly say the school is safe on school surveys, and most teachers would recommend the school to other families.

Students stream past a row of single-family homes up a gentle hill to get to the school. They pass through metal detectors into wide hallways and large classrooms that lessen the effects of overcrowding, as do three staggered entrance times. The school serves West Indian, Russian, Arab, South Asian, Dominican, Puerto Rican and African immigrants, as well as long-established African American families. A large selection of teams, electives, clubs, and languages (Spanish, French, Japanese) offers something for everyone. A bilingual Bengali program addresses the needs of the rapidly growing Bangladeshi community in Queens.

The school is overseen by one principal but each small learning community (SLC) has its own director, teaching staff and suite of classrooms. The SLC themes are health sciences, humanities, pre-med, theater arts, business tech, teaching, and public service and law, in addition to the zoned program. Math, science, social studies, English and most elective classes take place within each SLC, but teens mingle with the wider campus population in sports, clubs, arts and music.

Small learning communities quickly helped this once chaotic school raise its 4-year graduation rate and lower suspensions. Teachers build their careers here and report a high level of satisfaction. Hillcrest received a rating of “well developed,” the highest rating, on the city’s quality review for teacher effectiveness. Students say they are engaged and interested in their programs, classes and activities.

Even so, the four-year graduation rate hovers around the citywide average and many graduates are not ready for college-level work. “There is a subset of students we’re not reaching even with that great teaching,” said principal David Morrison, a Hillcrest alumnus, who served as assistant principal of English for several years before he took the helm in 2014.

Many 9th graders arrive with weak reading skills and some teens miss more than 18 days of school. New immigrants face unique challenges. Morrison said, “Things happen in their life and they become long-term absences.” Getting teens to school every day is a “constant heavy lift,” but the principal said he believes it is helped by strong instruction and “follow-up by teachers and the parent coordinator to bring students back in.”

Hillcrest offers many Advanced Placement courses and teachers make them accessible to every child who can do the work, not just honors students. “If you work hard and persevere, any student can be successful with support,” such as in study groups, or with peer tutoring or teacher help, Morrison said.

College classes are held at Hillcrest in partnership with York College and Queensborough Community College. Students attend Queens College, Hunter College and Stony Brook University, among others.(Lydie Raschka, web data and interview, February 2018)

 

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
84%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
71%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
63%
Average daily attendance
 
88%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
38%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
93%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
91%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

2322
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
82%
Students with disabilities
 
11%
Multilingual learners
 
24%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
79%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
51%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
40%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
61%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
54%
4.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
223
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
92%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

 
4%

Computer Science

 
21%

Physics

 
13%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
28%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
40%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
20%

Music

 
30%
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
57%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
79%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
51%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many graduates who are eligible received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
47%
This shows how well this school supports low-income students to get funding for college.
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2016-17 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
62%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought to you by Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

Health Sciences & Software Engineering (Q24A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

NYS CTE Certified Nursing Assistant program that includes supervised clinical rotations with training from registered nurses and a developing Sports Medicine program with courses such as Exercise Physiology, Human Anatomy, and Nutrition. Students participate in the Health Professions Club and receive paid and unpaid internships in the health field and volunteer experience.

Teachers of Tomorrow (Q24B)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Through a partnership with CUNY, the PERC TAS program allows students to lead lessons and mentor struggling students in Living Environment and Algebra. Through our partnership with Junior Achievement, students participate in the HS Heroes program where they have the opportunity to teach for a day, twice each year. We offer a Teacher Assistant program through our foundations of education course and the opportunity to participate in job shadowing through American Express and ABC studios.

Humanities Honors Academy (Q24H)

Admissions Method: Screened

Program Description:

An Honors College Preparatory Program offering scholars four-year tracks in the Humanities discipline. Writing and publishing courses in Creative Writing, Film Studies, and our Journalism program are offered. Plus our award-winning Model UN program provides students opportunities to participate in local, regional and international conferences. Scholars also have options for AP classes and CUNY College Now courses in English, History and other subjects in preparation for future university.

Pre-Med School of Scientific Research (STEM) (Q24J)

Admissions Method: Screened

Program Description:

Courses offered leading toward medical STEM careers: AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Computer Science, AP English Composition, AP English Literature, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physics, STEM Research Academy at York College, STEM Science Research Internship opportunities, NASA-Global Warming and Climate Change, Science Research-Environmental Science, Medical Laboratory, Microbiology, and CUNY College Now Courses. Participant in NYSEF and STEM MATTERS DOE.

Academy of Performing and Visual Arts (Q24L)

Admissions Method: Audition

Program Description:

The Academy is a rigorous four year program offered at Hillcrest. The three tracks offered are theater, music, and visual arts and entail such courses as technical theater, AP 2-D Art, graphic design, orchestra and marching band and yearlong courses that encourage competency in the various art forms. Students are encouraged to take advantage of arts partnerships that Hillcrest has with institutions around the city for internships and summer programs. The programs end in Regents Exams.

Academy of Public Service and Law (Q24P)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

CTE Law Academy courses include Forensics, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Constitutional Law and Legal Studies; preparation for public and community careers in legal, federal/state/local government agencies; College credit for selected courses; High School Law Institute at Columbia University and NYU; Participation in New York State Mock Trials, Moot Court competition and Police Explorers; Paid internship opportunities with the Justice Resource Center.

Hillcrest High School ACES 15:1 Program (Q24Y)

Admissions Method: ASD/ACES Program

Zoned (Q24Z)

Admissions Method: Zoned Guarantee

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

French, Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP Physics 1, AP Psychology, AP Research, AP Seminar, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art - 2D, AP United States Government and Politics, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Chemistry (Advanced Science), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Uncredited]), Other (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Science (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages), World Languages (College Course [Credited])

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Gymnastics, Handball, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball

Coed PSAL teams

Cricket, Golf

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

160-05 Highland Avenue
Queens NY 11432

Trains: F Line to Parsons Blvd

Buses: Q1, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q113, Q114, Q17, Q2, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q25, Q3, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q36, Q40, Q41, Q43, Q44-SBS, Q54, Q56, Q6, Q65, Q76, Q77, Q8, Q83, Q9, X68


Contact

Principal: Scott Milczewski

Parent Coordinator: Bilquees Akhtar

Phone: 718-658-5407

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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