Hilton Schools have a long history of achievement graduating the first Regents Diploma student, Miss Jennie Mitchell, in 1899. More than 20 one-room schoolhouses and the "Henry Street School" were centralized in 1949. In 2008 the Hilton School District's Music Program was named "One of the Best Communities for Music Education in the Nation" by the NAMM Foundation. Superintendents have brought many innovations and sweeping facility upgrades to the District's five schools and transportation facility including a $60 million capital project in 2001-05. In Hilton, the students excel. A significant number or graduates have been accepted to US military academies, and over 90% of Hilton's graduates go on to further education.
Sports
In March 2005, Hilton added, as a part of their Capital Bond Project, an Aquatic Center at Merton Williams Middle School, thus replacing the old five-lane pool. This eight-lane pool with an attached diving well and two diving boards includes bleachers for 240 spectators, and an electronic scoreboard. Local swim teams practice and swim in this pool, including H.A.S.T and the Girls' and Boys' Modified, Junior Varsity, and Varsity teams. Football has been a mainstay for Hilton Central High School drawing thousands of fans to LeBeau field on Friday nights. Led by longtime head coach Rich Lipani, the Cadets football team are perennial contenders for sectional titles. In 2008, under the direction of Gary Buchholz and Phil D'Agostino along with students Tim Woodward, Andrew Zielinski, and Adam Hertzlin, Hilton won the 2008 Monroe Community College High School Engineering Competition in the SumoBot competition, claiming the top 4 places. In 2005, the Hilton Girls' Cross Country Team won the 2005 Nike Team Nationals Race, making them the number one girls' cross country team in the nation. In 2006, Allison Sawyer and Caroline Shultz advanced to the Foot Locker National Championship meet in San Diego, California, putting them in contention with the top 40 girl cross country runners in the United States. In 2014, the Hilton Cadets Wrestling Team won the Section V Class AA tournament and finished the season ranked fourth in New York State.
Music
The high school has produced many musicians who have gone on to recording contracts and positions in orchestras and choir groups. Instrumentally, the school places students in marching band, concert band, symphonic band, jazz ensemble and wind ensemble. Additionally, Under the direction of Tim Stodd, the school's Winter Drum Line is a member of the New York State Percussion Circuit, and competes at membership tournaments throughout Western New York, including a competition hosted each winter at Hilton High School. The Drumline has won the NYS championship competition 13 times consecutively, with their most recent victory in 2013. In 2013, The Hilton Winter Drumline also won the WGI Regional in Unionville, PA, and also won the New York State championships sweeping every award there was to offer. On April 19, 2013, performing their show "Arabian Nights: Legend of Scheherazade" for the last time, Hilton High School was crowned world champion in Percussion Scholastic "A" class division with a score of 96.888 out of 100. Vocally, students participate in da Capo singers, men's chorus, women's chorus, and chorale. In May 2007, the Marching Band, high school Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Women's Chorus, and Chorale all participated in an adjudication in Williamsburg, Virginia where the Wind Ensemble, Women's Chorus. Each year the high school produces a major musical. In the past few years performances have included Grease, High School Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 42nd Street, The Secret Garden and Footloose.
