Rationale: Hillbrook’s talented faculty and broad-based educational program encourage children to reach their highest individual potential. Our graduates provide strong evidence of our program’s effectiveness, placing in the top high schools in the South Bay and receiving consistent recognition for their leadership and exceptional performance in high school and beyond.

In an educational era that increasingly emphasizes test results and rote teaching, Hillbrook retains its commitment to instilling a love of learning in our students. In the coming years, we will focus on improving the educational program by better articulating our learning outcomes, strengthening core subjects while maintaining our balance between academics, arts, and athletics, and providing an individualized program that best serves each student.

1. Clarify learning outcomes at each grade level, reflecting the full-breadth of our educational program, including arts, athletics, academics, service learning, and social emotional development.
2. Comprehensively audit each facet of our educational program – math, English & language arts, history & social studies, science, language, music, performing & fine arts, athletics, technology, service learning, social emotional learning – on a systematic basis, utilizing recommendations to allow continuous improvement and ensure our programs remain at the forefront of best practices in education.
3. Develop authentic assessment tools, such as Individualized Learning Plans, that emphasize student growth and mastery and that enhance our ability to communicative effectively with students and parents and support the individual development of each child.
4. Assess current differentiation efforts in the classroom and develop increasingly effective ways to support each child’s efforts to reach their highest individual potential.
5. Develop and retain the most outstanding faculty in the South Bay by funding and supporting meaningful professional development opportunities that will sustain Hillbrook’s reputation as a model for leading practice in pedagogy.

Rationale: We have made significant progress in the past decade toward establishing our school as an exemplar for independent school operations, including rebuilding our campus, dramatically increasing our financial aid budget, and minimizing debt. In the next five years, we will strengthen our financial foundation and ensure the school’s long-term health and vitality.

1. Develop outstanding after-school and summer programs consistent with the Hillbrook mission and philosophy and that enable the school to diversify its revenue streams.
2. Maintain competitive compensation to attract and retain an exceptional faculty and staff.
3. Create a new campus master plan to evaluate the school’s optimal enrollment and prioritize needs with an eye towards improved facilities for performing arts, athletics, science, and the Middle School.
4. Establish a new advancement strategy to improve the financial stability and vitality of the school through steady increases in annual giving and endowment fundraising.

Rationale: Hillbrook increasingly reflects the broad diversity of Silicon Valley, with nearly two-thirds of our families coming from outside the Los Gatos area and more than 20 percent of our families receiving financial aid. As we attract a population that is more diverse geographically, economically, and ethnically, we need to remain attentive to creating a community in which all members feel a sense of belonging and remain actively engaged. Over the next five years, we will deepen our connection to both our current families and to other key constituent groups in our community, including alumni, neighbors, and the greater Silicon Valley community.

1. Target admission practices and seek transportation alternatives that will encourage the attraction and retention of a diverse community.
2. Communicate and facilitate opportunities that enhance parental involvement in the life of the school.
3. Clarify and communicate community expectations and practices to ensure the positive involvement and engagement of all members of the community.
4. Develop a robust alumni program that includes a formalized alumni council and regular events and opportunities that enable alumni to stay connected.
5. Forge strong relationships with the neighborhood, the town of Los Gatos, and the greater Silicon Valley community that clearly demonstrate the school’s value and importance to the community.

Rationale: Hillbrook’s philosophical founder, Mary Orem, was a visionary educational leader. As we enter our 75th year, we aspire to reconnect with our original roots, while deepening our connection to the entrepreneurial spirit that has shaped Silicon Valley. Over the next five years, we will develop innovative programs and practices that establish Hillbrook as a leading regional and national voice in independent elementary education.

1. Develop a distinguished professional development and teacher training center that attracts exceptional individuals from around the country at pivotal moments in their professional lives, allowing Hillbrook to enhance the educational experience of our students and become a regional resource for best practices and critical conversations about pedagogy and program.
2. Capitalize on our location in Silicon Valley by accessing and utilizing technology in meaningful ways that enhance our ability to meet our mission and allow each student to reach their highest individual potential.
3. Seek new and innovative ways to encourage and support risk-taking and innovation by students, particularly in the Middle School.
4. Utilize the school’s natural surroundings to create new environmental education programs that both preserve our campus and serve as a model for environmental stewardship for both our students and the broader community.
5. Create partnerships with leading academic, corporate, and non-profit organizations and individuals to build leadership, promote entrepreneurial spirit, encourage civic engagement, enhance our program and enable us to fully leverage our location in Silicon Valley.