History
Hillcrest is extremely successful in many educational areas.
The school is recognized for its AP program, as well as its
competitive academic decathlon program and theatre program.
Extra-curricular activities such as journalism, theatre, athletics,
drill team, and band have been traditionally successful, annually,
since the school opened as Vickery Meadows High in 1938.
The student body and faculty take pride in the fact that Hillcrest’s diverse
population makes it such a unique and attractive place for an educational
experience, as a student or educator.
Location
Hillcrest High School is located at 9924 Hillcrest Road, 1 mile
east of US 75/Central Expressway, at the intersection of Walnut
Hill Road. Its boundaries extend east and north to Richardson
ISD (Lake Highlands HS and Richardson HS) and South to Highland
Park ISD (Highland Park HS). West are two other high schools of
DISD, Thomas Jefferson HS and WT White HS. It is within 2 miles
of North Park Center, 5 miles of The Galleria, Valley View Mall,
and Highland Park, 4 miles from Southern Methodist University, 8
miles from the Dallas West End and American Airlines Center, and
11 miles from Texas Stadium.
Extracurricular Activities
UIL Athletics: volleyball, football, cross country. men and
women's basketball, swimming, men and women's soccer, baseball,
fastpitch softball, men and women's track, tennis, golf,
wrestling, Club Sport Teams (men and women's lacrosse)
Student Leadership: student council, class council,
Principal's Student Advisory Team Competitions: competitive
debate, competitive cheer, competitive dance, The Panaders,
competitive multi-media Publications: Calliope, The Hurricane,
The Panther DISD Teen Board and SchoolZone
The Academic Success Center who guides seniors through the college
application, financial aid, and enrollment process, coordinating
local visits to colleges for interested students.
Fine Arts: Theatre
Productions, UIL One Act, Speech, Glee Club, and orchestra : marching, concert,
jazz, International Reading Cafe UIL/Academic: Academic Decathalon, Math Olympiad, all
competitive UIL academic teams and JROTC
Major Awards and Honors
Rated Academically Acceptable by the state of Texas; ranked in
the top 5% of high schools in the country, according to Time
Magazine, for Advanced Placement exams proctored.
Teaching staff
at Hillcrest have also received various recognition from the
Texas-Exes Association, Texas Instruments, and Sams Club.
After School Programs
Theatrical productions class, TAKS enrichment, and
academic/credit recovery TAKS enrichment tutorials; Texas
WebTutor for TAKS preparation; dual credit opportunities through
local community colleges; summer enrichment activites, using
local institutions as resources for learning