An exciting curriculum that ignites natural curiosity.


Teachers who love what they teach and teach it passionately.


A supportive community where students are free to be themselves.


Academics that hone skills and elicit critical thinking.


Small classes in which each voice is valued and necessary.


Founded in 1969, Hillside Student Community School provides students in grades 5 -12 with a rigorous academic and arts program shaped by creative and ethical values that allow each student to fulfill his or her unique potential. Whether tackling a difficult physics problem, parsing a monologue from Shakespeare, or producing a stop action animation that goes viral on YouTube, our students balance their hard work with a sense of humor and joyful curiosity. They write with fluency, power and imagination. Our graduates consistently win awards, earn high scores on SATs, and are accepted into top tier colleges and universities.

You will really not find a wackier and more diverse and tightly knit family anywhere else in reality. We all have incredible, inspiring and interesting talents. You name it we got it. We have athletes, artists, singers and maybe even a future astronaut….[W]e are a family. We are bound together with the strongest forces there are – trust, respect and love.

An excerpt from a graduation speech given by Holly Madland in 2010. To hear from Holly and other Hillside graduates, click on the WHAT OUR GRADUATES SAY.


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Grades 5-6

Hillside Student Community’s strong academic core is enriched by drama, storytelling, and art, with our experienced artists-in-residence. Enhancing academics through creativity is an important goal at Hillside.

Focusing on a cooperative, non-competitive approach, Hillside Student Community School offers an enriching academic program that caters to all learning types.

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Grades 7-12

The division between Intermediate and Secondary Levels highlights the shift towards more intensive study. While language and math are taught in traditional fifty-minute morning classes, other required courses and electives are presented in three hour “blocks” which provide immersion in the subjects. The block system, pioneered by Hillside, avoids the fragmentation inherent in attempting to study seven subjects a day.

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Only at Hillside

Hillside is dedicated to providing students with unique learning opportunities. Throughout their time at Hillside, students have the opportunity to participate in some amazing activities that enhance their understanding of their world and their place within it. Click on the “Learn More” button to see just some of what awaits your student at Hillside.

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