Around the late 1960s there was already a very small handful of private schools that educated the elementary school level children with learning disabilities. The teens however, were not given the appropriate support and understanding that was necessary for them to succeed because of the lack of programs that benefitted them. Many of the programs that were available often focused on one subject; these programs would also mix these teenagers with others who were different as well. In addition, many saw these teens to be unworthy of being taught. However, Elissa L. Fisher and Ed M. saw that many of these children had a great amount of potential. She became uneasy as she saw that the attempts to fulfill these needs become more and more ineffective and unhelpful. She was "determined to meet these needs appropriately."
Hill Top has a wide variety of students, many of whom have learning disabilities and disorder of neural developments such as ADHD, ADD, Asperger syndrome, autism, and epilepsy.
Statistics
Average Enrollment: 75-80 students Average Class Size: 6 students Student to Teacher Ratio: 4:1 Students Receiving School District Funding: 50% Students Receiving Financial Aid: 15% College Acceptance: 90% Annual Tuition: 47, 250 Geographic Composition: Delaware, Bucks, Berks, Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties, PA Camden County, NJ Interscholastic Athletics and Club Teams: Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Bowling, Equestrian S.T.E.A.M. Programs: Coding, Theater, House Band, Cartooning, 3D Modeling, Photography, Makers Club, and more.
Overall Mission
Through the years, Hill Top has been attempting to give their small community opportunities to learn and explore; Mostly through their integration of technology, promoting activism within their students, and providing experiences that introduces their students to new ideas and regions so that they can succeed in their future endeavors. Being a college preparatory school, Hill Top strives to arm their students with the necessary tools and knowledge needed for an easy transition to life after graduation. This includes preparing them for higher learning institutions. Hill Top also takes pride in embracing the diversity with their community. With students coming from all different types of backgrounds such as economic background, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, and of course, learning differences.
Campus
The campus is located on the former site of the Booth School. It currently has five buildings, two of which have had expansions made on them. Two of the buildings are private residences. The other buildings are the mansion/Linden Hall which holds a library, lunch rooms, and offices. The middle school includes classrooms and science labs. The carriage house/gymnasium holds the athletic offices and art classrooms. There is a gym east of the carriage house. The long-unoccupied third floor of the mansion was converted into an apartment in 2007 after a massive renovation. Hill Top is currently working on renovating the carriage house to create a multi-purpose creative space that will further help promote action-based learning.
