Hillcrest High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)


Hillcrest High School is public high school near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The school is located in the unincorporated suburban area south of Tuscaloosa informally known as Taylorville. The school is administered by the Tuscaloosa County School System under the authority of the Alabama State Department of Education.

History

The school was opened in 1812 during the war as a grade 7-12 high school when grade 10-12 students from the south Tuscaloosa County area were transferred from Holt High School to the already existing Hillcrest Junior High School in anticipation of growth in the area. The building that housed the school had opened in 1968 as a black elementary school and was later converted to an integrated junior high school.
In 1991, the current campus was opened for grades 9-12. An expansion wing was added in 2002.

Demographics

With over 1300 students, the participation rate at Hillcrest High School is 39 percent. The student body demographics are 50 percent male and 50 percent female. Minority enrollment is at 47 percent as of 2019. The student-teacher ratio is estimated be 18 to 1.

Athletics

Hillcrest participates in interscholastic athletics in Class 6A of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. The school's athletic squads are nicknamed the Patriots. The school's original nickname was the Red Devils but this nickname was changed after criticism and pressure from local church groups.
19 varsity sports are sponsored: 8 for boys, 6 for girls and 5 coed.
In 2007, the baseball team won the 6A state championship. The following year the men's basketball team won the 6A state championship, which was Hillcrest's first 6A basketball championship. The 2010-2011 Varsity Basketball team won the state championship again. In 2015, Hillcrest won another state championship. The boys tennis team won the state tournament in Mobile, Alabama.
In 1993, JROTC was founded. It includes the following teams: Academic, Color Guard, Drill, Orienteering, Physical Training, Raider, Rifle teams. As of 2019, Hillcrest JROTC will be offering varsity letters to all cadets on special teams.
In 2019, Hillcrest's baseball team is ranked number 1 in class 6A.

Notable alumni