The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest El
Hillcrest Elementary is a small school serving early childhood through fifth grade in south Austin's Del Valle ISD. It enrolls a substantial share of students from low-income households, the vast majority of whom are Hispanic. The school sits in a part of Austin experiencing rapid population growth, a context that has shaped the district's investments and also the profile of its student body.
The most visible asset here is the two-way dual language program. Hillcrest began as a pilot site for this model, and it has since expanded across all elementary schools in the district. In this program, Spanish-speaking and English-speaking students learn together across subjects, allowing both groups to develop bilingual proficiency simultaneously. For families seeking genuine bilingual education rather than English as a second language pullout, this is a meaningful distinction. The district has also secured public funding to offer free, full-day dual-language Pre-K to all interested four-year-olds in the area, which removes tuition barriers and builds early language skills before elementary.
State testing data from the most recent year shows weak overall proficiency. In math and English language arts across grades three through five, proficiency rates sit well below the midpoint among the county's districts. In English language arts, rates cluster in the low to mid forties. Math proficiency is notably lower, in the low twenties for the tested grades. Science proficiency at fifth grade is extremely low. These are areas where a parent may want to look into further with the school, including what interventions or support structures are in place and how the school is working to raise achievement across the elementary grades.
Participation data was not available in the state's reporting, so the full picture of student engagement with assessments is unclear. The school's tested cohorts are small, particularly in Spanish-language versions of the assessment, which creates volatility in reported numbers but also reflects the genuine composition of the school: a dual-language program serving predominantly Spanish-speaking families.
Hillcrest's location puts it in a school district in the midst of expansive growth. Del Valle ISD has opened a new Early College High School and P-TECH Center aligned with area employers like Tesla, and the district is adding capacity to support sustained enrollment increases. A second comprehensive high school is under construction to address overcrowding at the existing high school. For families with elementary-aged children, this growth context means the school and district are actively planning for future needs, though near-term crowding at the secondary level is a reality families should be aware of.
The school itself is small for its grade band, with enrollment spread across seven grades from Pre-K through fifth. This can create both intimacy and limitations in terms of peer groups and extracurricular options as children progress through the grades. The neighborhood around the school is in a developing area of south Austin where housing costs have declined modestly from their recent peak, making it accessible to families with more modest incomes, a profile reflected in the student population.
If bilingual education is a priority and your child is in early grades, the dual-language model and free Pre-K access make this a place worth exploring. At the same time, the recent state assessment results warrant direct conversation with school leadership about what support is available for students struggling with grade-level content, and what trends the school is seeing in achievement over time.
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