The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in Social studies. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest School
Hillcrest School is a grades 3-5 elementary school in Peekskill serving students primarily from three grades: a very small cohort of third graders and two larger cohorts of fourth and fifth graders of roughly equal size. The school sits in a residential neighborhood away from downtown, part of a four-school elementary tier within the Peekskill City School District.
The enrollment is diverse and economically mixed. About four in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller representation of Black, White, and multiracial students, and a handful of Asian and American Indian students. Data on English learner enrollment and special education identification were not available.
Academic performance is below grade-level proficiency across tested subjects. In fourth-grade math, roughly half of students meet proficiency standards. Fifth-grade math drops to about four in ten. English language arts proficiency is lower still: in fourth grade, about one in three students meet standard, and in fifth grade, about three in ten. Fifth-grade science proficiency is the weakest area reported, with about one in four students proficient. (Science testing occurs only in fifth grade and is not yet reported for fourth grade in New York's assessment structure.) State social studies testing data for current years were not available; the most recent data on file date to an earlier testing era.
Relative to the range of proficiency results across districts in Westchester County, Hillcrest's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The data suggest that most students are working below grade-level expectations in both literacy and mathematics, and this pattern holds across both grades tested. A parent may want to look into the school's literacy and math support structures, intervention pathways for struggling readers and mathematicians, and any recent district initiatives aimed at closing proficiency gaps, as these will shape a child's pathway through upper elementary and into middle school.
Housing in Peekskill carries median prices and rents that reflect a mid-Hudson Valley market. The rental market shows modest monthly costs, and ownership is accessible at a lower price point than much of the broader county, though all housing carries typical mortgage and affordability considerations for the region. The city itself is on a growth trajectory, with new mixed-use and affordable housing projects clustered in the downtown revitalization zone, though school buildings remain in residential neighborhoods away from that core civic activity.
The district has made recent capital investments and policy moves relevant to families. A referendum approved in late 2023 authorized major upgrades to Peekskill High School, new roofing at Hillcrest, and outdoor classrooms at other elementary schools, with construction beginning in spring 2025 over roughly two years and no net property-tax impact because the state will reimburse a substantial share. The district also launched full-day Pre-Kindergarten in 2023-24, available by lottery to all city residents, and benefited from New York State's full funding of Foundation Aid as of FY2024, which the district had long argued was owed and which now anchors support for arts, social-emotional programming, and a dual-language pathway.
Hillcrest is a neighborhood elementary school with a high-need student population, modest proficiency results, and a district in motion on both infrastructure and early-childhood expansion. The school fits families seeking a public elementary option in their residential area who can engage with the school around academic support and are willing to work within a lower-performing starting point.
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