Hilltop Country Day School is an independent,

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coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

located in

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

, in Sussex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

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. The school serves students in preschool through eighth grade. The school is divided into an Early Childhood Division (preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten), a Lower school (grades 1-4) and Upper School (grades 5-8). The school is led by Head of School Ms. Laura McGee and by a board of trustees composed of members of the community. Hilltop Country Day School is an accredited member of the

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students. ...

and a member of the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...

Facilities

Since 1972, Hilltop Country Day School has been located in the center of Sparta between Lafayette Road and Sparta Avenue. In 2002, Hilltop completed a addition that increased the physical size of the school to . The addition included several new classrooms and a modern art studio, science lab and library and provides a new home for the Upper School and preschool programs. Hilltop also has an open field available for Physical Education classes, recess and special events.

Student Body and Curriculum

All students attend classes in Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science, as well as supplementary classes in Music, Art, Art History, Physical Education and Computer Technology. Hilltop also provides a strong program in World Language, with students having the option of French or Spanish, beginning in preschool. Students in grades 5 will also take one trimester of Mandarin Chinese through the Berlitz Virtual Classroom program. Students in kindergarten through grade 8 will be able to study Mandarin through the Berlitz Program in a new Enrichment Program offering after school.

Early childhood

The Early Childhood Division consists of students in preschool-kindergarten. Preschoolers must be 2 1/2 and independently toilet trained to be considered for admission.

Lower School

The Lower School program consists of students in first grade through fourth grade.

Upper School

The Upper School consists of students in the fifth through eighth grade and uses a curriculum integrated with that of the Lower School. In recent years, graduates have attended competitive local high schools including

Blair Academy Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is located on a campus in Blair ...

Newark Academy Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...

and the Peddie School, as well as local public high schools.

PEAKS Program

The PEAKS program pairs younger and older students together to participate together in activities designed to teach students respect for others, teamwork and to smooth the transition between the Lower and Upper Schools. The parings are as follows: * Prek-4th grade * Kindergarten-5th grade * 1st grade-6th grade * 2nd grade-7th grade * 3rd grade-8th grade

Other programs

Hilltop also runs several ancillary programs.

Extended Day and Enrichment Programs

The Extended Day program provides both supervised homework help and Enrichment Program offerings including chess club, karate instruction, a robotics program and Kiddie Soccer.

Summer programs

Hilltop offers a summer camp experience called Camp Apogee. This camp is a blend of S.T.E.A.M enrichment and traditional summer fun and swimming in the afternoon at The Lake Mohawk Pool. Camp Apogee is for children ages 5 to 13 and is open to non-Hilltop students.

External links

School websiteThere oughta be a law ...Three Jersey boys rally against homework, Township Journal, September 4, 2008 Data for Hilltop Country Day School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

{{Coord, 41.11916, -74.71151, display=title Schools in Sussex County, New Jersey New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Private elementary schools in New Jersey Private middle schools in New Jersey