Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest High School
Hillcrest High School, a regular public high school in Evergreen, Alabama, serves students in grades nine through twelve. It is part of the Conecuh County school district. The school is on the smaller side for a high school. The student body is predominantly Black, with a small share of white students and a very small number of students of other races. A substantial share of students come from low-income households, as reflected in the share qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this school.
State testing results for the most recent year show that student proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science were low. For both English language arts and math, roughly one in ten students met the state’s proficiency bar. In science, the rate was lower still, at about one in thirteen. Only a single year of test data was available, so there is no trend to examine. A parent considering this school will likely want to learn more from the school or district about academic support offerings and how the school works to improve these results. A graduation rate was not reported, which is an important piece of information for families looking at this high school.
The community context for Hillcrest High is Evergreen, a small, rural county seat located along Interstate 65 roughly midway between Montgomery and Mobile. The town has a historic downtown core near the railroad and the county government center. The built environment is low-density, covering a modest area, and street life is oriented around community events such as the annual Collard Green Festival and Sausage Day Festival. The Conecuh Sausage Company is a major local employer. Housing in Evergreen is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. House values have seen a modest recent decline. The town’s population has been declining for some time, and available sources do not describe significant new housing development or growth projects.
The Conecuh County district itself, which oversees Hillcrest High, appears to have experienced little in the way of recent, publicly documented changes. The comparison fact-set placed the school relative to districts in Conecuh County, but since there is only one high school in the county, no comparative rankings were applicable.
For a family, this picture suggests a small, rural high school serving a community that is stable but shrinking. The school draws from an area with affordable housing and a local economy centered on a food manufacturer and civic institutions. The main academic takeaway is that proficiency rates are low across all tested subjects, and families will want to investigate what remediation, tutoring, or alternative pathways are available. Without a reported graduation rate or detailed program information such as course access or dual-enrollment offerings, those are open questions a prospective family would need to discuss directly with the school.
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