National Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Hillside Academy for Excellence is located in Garland, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Hillside is a magnet school which serves students who qualify as Academically Gifted and/or Musically or Artistically Talented. These students come to Hillside from across the school district. On-grade level students who live in close proximity of the school are also included in the population. Approximately 450 students from a variety of cultural, economic, and academic backgrounds are served at Hillside. The school's mission is to ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach his/her academic potential and to develop self-control, self-respect, and respect for others. Hillside uses a house system for a school-wide positive behavior support plan. House members are rewarded for academic performance, acts of responsibility, acts of kindness and volunteerism. This system helps students develop their own academic and behavior goals. Through the iTime model, 50 minutes per day of instructional time is dedicated to meet the individual learning needs of each student by providing academic intervention, acceleration, or enrichment. Hillside Academy recognizes that fine arts education is an important aspect of student growth. All students participate in both music and art classes that challenge learners to think critically, be self-disciplined, and cooperate, while also giving them the self-confidence to be able to express themselves artistically. Relationships, relevance, and rigor provide the foundation for the school's success. Exceptional relationships provide students, teachers, parents, and community stakeholders the stamina necessary to consistently provide an exciting and engaging learning environment for all students.