Hillcrest High School is a decile 8 co-educational secondary school with a roll of 1620 students situated in the southeast sector of Hamilton.

The school operates an enrolment scheme to prevent overcrowding. Its boundaries incorporate parts of Hamilton East, Hillcrest and Silverdale and a rural zone including Tamahere, Tauwhare, Newstead and Matangi.

Hillcrest High is in close proximity to the University and School of Education. Its main contributing intermediates are Berkley and Peachgrove. The student population of Hillcrest High reflects the increasing multi-cultural structure of New Zealand Society, representing 28 different nationality groups. These consist of 68% Pakeha/European, 15% Asian, 12% Maori and 5% other nationality groups. The school roll is divided equally (50% female and 50% male).

Special features of the school include the Independent Living Centre for students with moderate intellectual disability, and the Physical Assistance Unit for students with physical disabilities.

Teaching and learning is the cornerstone of the school, with the school having national recognition for scholastic achievement. An outstanding staff of dedicated professionals are committed to teaching and striving for academic excellence. In 2010 the school recorded 62 NCEA Scholarships placing Hillcrest top in the Waikato region and amongst the top performing schools throughout the country. A notable feature is the significant number of students achieving at high academic levels and the high proportion of students gaining Merit and Excellence endorsements in NCEA, which feature significantly above national and decile 8 statistics. The school offers a broad senior programme for NCEA Levels 1 to 3 plus Level 4 Scholarship. In addition Cambridge AS level is offered at Year 12 in English and Mathematics and senior computer programming students are able to enter for the Waikato University Computer Science Scholarship. At Year 13, selected students are able to study level one university papers in Chemistry, Computer Science, Philosophy, Mathematics and Economics. A wide and comprehensive curriculum ensures students of varying ability and interests are catered for.

In the junior school specific programmes are designed to cater for students with special learning needs with a particular focus on numeracy and literacy skills. Our Junior Enrichment and Extension Programme (JEEP) and Sports Performance Programmes at Year 9 and 10 specifically cater for students with specific academic and sporting abilities.

Students are given the opportunity to participate in national and international competitions in Mathematics, International languages, English, Science, Art, Maori, Economics and Computer Science.

The school’s extra-curricular programme encourages all students to become involved in the full life of the school, irrespective of expertise or experience.

The School’s extra-curricular programme encourages all students to become involved in the full life of the school, irrespective of expertise or experience.
The school regularly enters over 100 teams in local sports competitions spread across 40 different codes. A significant number of our students and teams gain regional and national recognition and ranking for their endeavours. A number of our teams, including basketball, hockey, soccer, netball, volleyball, tennis, rowing and golf, participate in annual tournaments. A special feature of our sports programme is the establishment of sports clubs in cricket, soccer, rugby, netball and rowing. These clubs provide support in organizing, promoting and fundraising activities for their specific codes. We have a long established inter-sports exchange with Howick College and a recently established exchange with Rosehill College. A summer junior exchange also exists with Pakuranga College.

A range of musical options are provided including the school symphony orchestra, strings (senior and junior), chamber music, SCAT Choir and various rock bands. School musical productions have been a highlight of the school year which have included past performances of The Best of Broadway, South Pacific, Spamalot and Godspell.

Drama also has a high profile. Hillcrest High has been selected as the Waikato representative at the Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools Competition on numerous occasions. We have had students selected to work at The Globe Theatre in Stratford (England). Students regularly receive awards at the national level of competitions. Students are also prominent in Theatresports and, regular performances are a component of students assessment programme. Our Kapahaka group performs a significant role in Powhiri as we welcome visitors to our school.

Public speaking, debating, mooting and the Monetary Policy Challenge are all activities in which our students have gained regional and national recognition.

Hillcrest High is set in attractive grounds with pleasant courtyards for students in every block. The campus has extensive classroom facilities to deliver a modern curriculum with specialist rooms for music, drama, art, physical education, computing, graphics, science, workshop technologies and food and nutrition. The school has undergone building upgrades in recent years involving a new six classroom science block opened in December 2009. The School Board of Trustees have approved a number of projects for 2011 including: an International Student Centre, Guidance facilities, construction of a toilet block, modernisation of toilets in D and E Blocks and Gym and exterior cladding, Library refurbishment, while construction will commence at the end of the year on Drama and Music facilities.