Hillcrest Middle, Simpsonville SC

Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest Middle

Hillcrest Middle serves grades six through eight in Simpsonville, part of the Greenville County School District. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that makes it a midsized middle school for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Black and Hispanic presence and a small share of multiracial and Asian students. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that positions this school near the middle of the economic profile of schools in the area. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a parent who wants to understand how those groups are served would need to ask the school directly.

Academically, the picture is clear and consistent across the tested grades. In English language arts, the school performs at a solid level. Roughly seven out of ten students are meeting the state’s proficiency standard in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, a rate that holds steady year to year. In math, about half of the students in each grade score at proficient or above, with a slightly stronger showing in sixth and eighth grade than in seventh. Science results, available only for sixth grade, show that roughly two out of three students are proficient. Social studies data comes from several years ago and shows a very high proficiency rate in seventh grade, but the assessment has since changed, so that figure is not directly comparable to current results. The overall academic profile is one of consistent performance, with reading and writing scores clearly stronger than math scores. A parent should note that the state changed the cut scores for English language arts recently, which means the proficiency rates in that subject cannot be compared with results from prior years.

The school sits in Simpsonville, a community that has grown rapidly and is known for its low unemployment and mix of industry and commerce. The town has a walkable downtown with restaurants, a food hall, murals, and an arts center, but the broader built environment is suburban and car-oriented. The school campuses in Simpsonville, including Hillcrest Middle, are spread out rather than clustered downtown. Housing in the area is priced above both the state and national averages, and rents have been increasing, reflecting the area’s desirability and growth. The district itself did not have publicly reported recent changes or strategic priorities that affected the parent experience, so the context for families is largely shaped by the town’s expansion and the school’s academic standing rather than a shifting district policy landscape.

The school’s strengths are in English language arts, where it delivers a reliable level of proficiency across all three middle grades. Its math scores, while lower, are still at a level where roughly half of students are on track, which is a meaningful number to consider when evaluating whether a child would need extra support. The absence of discipline, attendance, course access, and staffing data in the available records means a parent cannot assess the school’s climate or whether advanced offerings are widely available. That is a gap worth exploring directly with the school.

Hillcrest Middle is best suited for a family seeking a solid, conventional middle school in a growing suburban town with a strong local economy. The school’s academic profile is not exceptional in any one area, but it is steady and predictable, which many families prefer. The rising cost of housing in Simpsonville and the surrounding area is a practical factor for any family looking to move into the attendance zone. The school provides a clear academic baseline, and a parent will want to investigate the non-academic dimensions that are missing from the public record before making a decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 47% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 41% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 41% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 61% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 61% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 55% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 782%

School 82% · District 72% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolGreenville 01, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income56%Higher-income82%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income81%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income53%Higher-income80%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income67%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income60%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income66%26 pp gap