How does Hillcrest Middle compare to other middle schools in Sebastopol?

Hillcrest Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 53.1/100, placing it at the 78th percentile statewide. 36% of students exceed standard, with a total of 573 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Hillcrest Middle?

36.2% of students at Hillcrest Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 67.7% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Hillcrest Middle improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Hillcrest Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 5.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This pattern in test scores may reflect a variety of factors beyond the school itself.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Hillcrest Middle?

19.3% of students at Hillcrest Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Hillcrest Middle

Middle School

Gravenstein Union Elementary SebastopolSonoma County95472Charter School

📍 725 Bloomfield Road

Charter school — publicly funded but independently operated. Enrollment is open to all students regardless of neighborhood, typically through a lottery process. Charter schools have more flexibility in curriculum and operations but must meet state academic standards.

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

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Composite scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

289 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

17:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

31%

Teachers

17 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+26.4 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+22.3 pts DFS change

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic22.5%

White60.9%

Asian3.1%

Other13.5%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Hillcrest Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	36.2%
Met Standard	31.5%
Below Standard	32.3%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "68% proficient" for Hillcrest Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

36.2% of students exceeded standard while 31.5% met it. That exceeded rate is 18.9 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's near the Gravenstein Union Elementary district average of 36.0%. Compared to the 2 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 14.3 points higher (vs 21.8% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Proficiency drops by 5.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased significantly and Math increased significantly year-over-year.

Chronic absenteeism is 19.3%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

How to get into a charter school in LA →