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A Complete Admissions Guide for Parents Considering This JK-12 School in Los Gatos and San Jose, CA.
Quick Answer for Busy Parents
Hillbrook School is a private, co-educational, JK-12 independent school with two campuses: Los Gatos (Lower and Middle School, JK-8) and downtown San Jose (Upper School, 9-12, opened Fall 2023). Hillbrook is test-optional at every grade level. Admission centers on a school visit, a parent conversation, teacher recommendations, transcripts, and a personal statement. Applications are typically due in mid-to-late January, with decisions released in March.
Why Do Families Choose Hillbrook School?
Hillbrook School was founded in 1935 in Los Gatos, California, as The Children’s Country School, originally established as a progressive learning community focused on experiential education. Hillbrook is currently led by Head of School Mark Silver. Today, Hillbrook is recognized for a student-centered curriculum emphasizing project-based learning, technology integration, and social-emotional development, reflecting a distinctive educational philosophy guided by four core values: Be Kind, Be Curious, Take Risks, and Be Your Best. Hillbrook holds accreditation from CAIS and is a member of NAIS.
Hillbrook School at a Glance
| Category | Detail |
| Total Enrollment | Approximately 487 students, JK-12 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 7:1 |
| Campuses | Los Gatos (Lower & Middle, JK-8); Downtown San Jose (Upper School, 9-12, opened 2023) |
| Niche Overall Rating | A+ |
| Ranking | Top 20% of private schools in California (PrivateSchoolReview.com) |
| Accreditation | CAIS; Member, NAIS |
How Hard Is It to Get Into Hillbrook School?
Hillbrook takes a genuinely holistic approach to admissions, evaluating academic performance, teacher recommendations, personal essays, extracurricular involvement, and interviews together, rather than leaning on any single factor. Hillbrook seeks students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, a strong work ethic, and a good fit with the school’s values and community. Given the holistic nature of the process, families may benefit from working with private school admissions consultants who understand Hillbrook’s specific priorities.
Top Tips for Applying
- Apply early, especially for the school’s key entry points: JK, Kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th grade.
- Since Hillbrook is test-optional, only submit scores if they genuinely strengthen your child’s application.
- Prepare thoughtfully for the required parent conversation alongside your child’s own interview.
Best Practices for Families
- Attend an Open House, campus tour, or virtual panel session to experience Hillbrook’s community firsthand.
- Build strong relationships with your child’s current teachers well before requesting recommendations.
- Submit transcripts and recommendations well ahead of the January deadline, informed by what schools look for in applicants.
The Hillbrook School Admissions Process
Creating an account on Ravenna is the first step in the Hillbrook application process, allowing families to apply, register for admissions events, and track their application status.
- Create an account on Ravenna Hub.
- Submit an inquiry form.
- Attend admissions events (optional but recommended).
- Submit required documents and complete the application.
- Schedule and complete a student interview and parent conversation.
- Submit supplemental materials.
- Receive enrollment confirmation.
For general guidance on assembling a strong private school application, see our full application walkthrough.
Hillbrook School Admission Requirements
Parent Statement
Parents or guardians answer a parent/guardian questionnaire on Ravenna, sharing information about their child’s personality, achievements, and the family’s goals and alignment with Hillbrook’s values and mission.
How to write a parent statement
The parent statement is an integral part of the application process as it helps admissions officers understand your child’s background and potential for success at Hillbrook School. It will also demonstrate your family’s commitment to your child’s education. When choosing what to write about, remember that you have to be honest and authentic. Focus on your child’s strengths and unique characteristics, and provide anecdotes to support your statements.
Teacher Recommendations
Recommendation letters from current math and English teachers, along with a principal or counselor, are required and submitted online through Ravenna.
How to get strong recommendation letters
Teacher recommendations are crucial for admission since they give a more thorough evaluation of your child’s character, personality, and academic aptitude. Because they deal with your child on a daily basis and can confirm your child’s academic success, they can make professional and unbiased observations. Building strong relationships with teachers is essential if you want them to be able to provide strong recommendations that support other application materials when the time comes for them to do so.
Transcripts
Transcripts from both the previous academic year and the first semester of the current year must be submitted directly by the applicant’s current school.
How to improve grades
The transcript will demonstrate your child’s readiness to handle Hillbrook School’s rigorous curriculum. But what if your child’s grades aren’t all that outstanding? Start private school admissions consulting early! Our tutors and academic coaches will work with your child to improve grades and achieve scores that meet the requirements. We provide online or in-person tutoring for a variety of courses as well as diagnostic testing. However, because we are aware that boosting GPA won’t guarantee success, we provide academic coaching that teaches executive function skills as a more holistic strategy.
Personal Statement
Ravenna includes short-answer personal statement questions covering personality, skills, interests, and expectations of Hillbrook School.
Crafting a compelling personal statement
Our private school admissions consultants can guide your child and give advice on how to best answer the questions truthfully. Our years of experience working with families applying to Hillbrook School have allowed us to understand what they are looking for in applicants. From your child’s personal circumstances, we can identify what traits and characteristics will interest the admissions team.
Standardized Testing
Hillbrook is test-optional at every grade level. Standardized test scores are not required, but families may submit them if they believe scores will strengthen an application.
How to prepare for standardized tests
We are aware that getting ready for standardized tests can be somewhat stressful, but we can be of assistance. We will help your child via a customized test preparation strategy, from recognizing their strengths to addressing areas they find challenging, based on our years of expertise working with families applying to Hillbrook School. Our objective is to alleviate the burden of test preparation and ensure your child is prepared to present their best self on test day. View our services for test prep here.
School Visit & Parent Conversation
A school visit is a required part of the admissions process, giving prospective students a chance to experience the campus. Hillbrook also schedules a parent conversation, an informal interview with a member of the admissions team, to discuss the family’s educational goals and alignment with Hillbrook’s mission and values.
Ready to Build Your Child’s Hillbrook Application Strategy?
Our consultants help families prepare for the school visit, parent conversation, and personal statement.
Campus Tours, Open Houses & Admissions Events
Hillbrook offers Open Houses, guided campus tours by appointment, and a virtual campus tour for families who cannot visit in person. Virtual panel sessions, featuring current parents, students, and school leaders, offer additional ways for families to learn about Hillbrook’s community and academic program before applying. See our guide to private school open houses and tours for how to make the most of a campus visit.
What Student Life Is Like at Hillbrook School
Curriculum and Core Academic Programs
Hillbrook’s curriculum spans STEM, literature, the arts, and physical education, with a strong emphasis on hands-on, project-based learning, reflecting a personalized learning approach. At the Lower and Middle School levels, students build a rigorous academic foundation while making connections across disciplines. Upper School students take on a more specialized curriculum, including advanced coursework and Immersives, three-week interdisciplinary courses that bookend the year, some involving national or international travel.
Athletics
Hillbrook’s athletics program offers both competitive and recreational options across the school, spanning 18 sports.
Arts and Music
Hillbrook’s visual arts program spans drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, and digital arts. The performing arts program includes drama, dance, and musical theater, with annual performances for students to showcase their work. The music program includes choir, band, and orchestra, alongside music theory and regular performance opportunities.
Clubs and Organizations
Hillbrook offers a wide range of student clubs and organizations, spanning leadership and service, STEM and innovation, arts and culture, and diversity and inclusion, alongside the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship, one of the only JK-12 centers in the world dedicated to social impact education.
Notable Alumni
Hillbrook’s alumni include Gina Tirado Strayer Ma (Class of 1997), an early Lyft employee recognized as a “female visionary” by Marie Claire; Aly Wagner (Class of 1994), the first female analyst for the Men’s World Cup on U.S. television; Nick DiMaria (Class of 2008), a platinum-certified guitarist in country music; Sean Reilly (Class of 2008), a Rhodes Scholar focused on environmental challenges; and Stephen Chang (Class of 1999), author of a children’s book teaching life lessons through sports.
“We almost didn’t apply to Hillbrook because it was never on our radar. Allen Koh showed us it was the best-fit school for my daughter, and we visited the campus and loved it! The team helped us put together an application that actually sounded like her. It’s been such a relief watching her settle in somewhere that fits so so well.”
— Parent from Hillbrook (Middle) School
“By the time we got to the upper school app, we were a little burnt out on the whole process. Cardinal kept things simple and focused, cutting out the noise so we could just concentrate on what mattered for Hillbrook. Our daughter got in, and looking back, having that kind of steady guidance helped the most.”
— Parent from Hillbrook (Upper) School
Get Into Hillbrook with the Best Admissions Consultants in the U.S.
Hillbrook’s holistic, test-optional process rewards families who invest in a genuine parent conversation, thoughtful personal statement, and strong teacher recommendations. Cardinal Education helps families build results-driven strategies, informed by choosing the right admissions consultant, for each stage of that process.
Considering Hillbrook School?
Our consultants help families navigate Hillbrook’s admissions process with clarity and confidence.
For a full picture of Hillbrook’s admissions process for Asian Americans, see our dedicated guide to Hillbrook for Asian American families.
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