North Hillsborough, Hillsborough CA

Original Research by School Decision on North Hillsborough

North Hillsborough is a small elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the affluent, entirely residential town of Hillsborough on the Peninsula, south of San Francisco in San Mateo County. The school enrolls a small population of students, with a few more than a handful in the upper elementary grades and slightly smaller cohorts in the lower grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial minority of Asian students and smaller groups identifying as Hispanic or multiracial. Only a tiny share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the town's economic profile.

Academic performance at North Hillsborough is strong across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, overall proficiency is very high, with the greatest strength in fifth grade. Math proficiency is similarly robust, particularly in the upper grades. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, remains well above half of students. Across the measured span, the school's overall proficiency index positions it in the top quartile among districts in San Mateo County. Only one year of test data is available in the provided records, so a long-term trend cannot be assessed.

The school sits within the Hillsborough City Elementary School District, a small, kindergarten-through-eighth-grade system. The district operates as a basic-aid district under California law, meaning its per-student state funding is constrained, and it relies significantly on private fundraising through the Hillsborough Schools Foundation to maintain class sizes, specialists, and enrichment programs. Families should know that an annual donation request per child—termed the Additional Cost to Educate—is a structural feature of how the district finances its schools, not optional or occasional. In June 2022, voters approved a substantial general obligation bond to modernize aging facilities, which carries an ongoing property tax cost that homeowners service through their property assessments.

The town itself is shaped by strict zoning that requires large minimum lots and prohibits any commercial development. Schools operate as separate campuses distributed throughout the neighborhoods rather than clustered near a civic center. The nearest Caltrain station and retail options are in adjacent Burlingame, reachable in a short drive. Housing values in Hillsborough's zip code are among the highest in the Bay Area, and monthly rent is also substantial, reflecting the town's appeal to affluent families. Growth in the town has been deliberately constrained for decades through density limits and tree-preservation rules, though recent state housing mandates have prompted some expansion of multi-family housing and accessory dwelling units.

Data on the school's special education enrollment, English learner population, and attendance patterns were not available. For families considering North Hillsborough, the academic record and peer composition are clear; the funding model and district reliance on private support is equally important to understand as part of the full picture of what enrollment entails.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 392%

School 92% · District 93% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 490%

School 90% · District 94% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 598%

School 98% · District 87% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 68 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 392%

School 92% · District 87% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 492%

School 92% · District 91% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 598%

School 98% · District 87% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Science

Grade 587%

School 87% · District 77% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 59 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

This schoolHillsborough City Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.