Hillcrest Lutheran Academy

Hillcrest started in 1918, birthed out of a youth revival movement. Calls from churches around the nation inspired the Church of the Lutheran Brethren to offer a high school option to match their Bible School program. It is with this historic background that we are entering a new century incorporating Classical Christian Education. By the time our students graduate, they will be leaving Hillcrest with so much more than just a diploma.

Starting at a new school can be intimidating. We work hard to make your school transition smooth and comfortable at Hillcrest. Nearly half of our student body is new each year. Our Danielsen program, a partnership with the Danielsen School in Bergen, Norway, brings a new 25+ students each year. In addition to that, Hillcrest enrolls 60 to 70 new students each year. That means you aren’t the only one who is new.

To help students assimilate and make friends we organize a Welcome Week. The week is devoted to orientation. There are athletic practices, school orientation meetings, and faith-forming services and teachings that help students gain a perspective of what school is like at Hillcrest.

Every student, new or returning, participates in Welcome Week. This starts the entire student body together as we begin the school year. The culture at Hillcrest is warm and inviting, with returning students excited to meet and befriend new students. The teachers are known for their connection with students, and we conduct surveys of our student body to ensure that our students feel cared for and encouraged in their classes. The student life and classrooms at Hillcrest are fun, and you’ll find it easy to learn and grow in your academic knowledge, relationship with Jesus Christ, and connect with your fellow students inside our program. Our philosophy drives us to help you make friends and build strong mentorship connections. We believe that if you feel cared for you will be more open to the maturing and growing opportunities that await you at Hillcrest.

Hillcrest holds a long and storied tradition: Alumni love Hillcrest. This is in part because students develop and fortify a Biblically-based view of the world that stands true outside the doors of Hillcrest. Hillcrest instructs students to love God’s Word, have passion for the world God created, and be active in His Kingdom.

Academic excellence is an expression of worship. As students build an understanding of God’s love for them, they are inspired to understand God deeper in their academic pursuits.

By building a comprehensive Biblically-based view of the world at Hillcrest, Students see that right living involves Biblically-based thinking. It is our prayer that our 18 year-old graduates will not simply attend college, but that they’ll impact their university with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At Hillcrest there is a strong practice of staying in contact with graduates in genuine concern for the spiritual, academic, and social life. Students and staff often write letters of encouragement to recent graduates, and Hillcrest grads visit teachers and staff regularly.

In this community, Hillcrest students build muscles to manage life. They share rooms with students from other cultures, learning how to communicate in the face of conflict and cultural differences.

These cultures spill over in the classroom. A simple example is that Hillcrest students come from countries that support communism, socialism, capitalism, and tribal ideologies. The Hillcrest classroom holds varied perspectives. Students learn to use logic, and to communicate in love inside the classroom setting.

The living and learning environments at Hillcrest are governed by the Bible. Students are taught that every person is made in the image of God and holds special rights. They are also taught that ideas have consequences that impact image bearers. Ideas are handled with logic, while students are treated with love and support befitting their image that rests in the character of God and not the content of an idea or argument.

Inside this learning environment students build muscles that strengthen confidence and equip them for life. Students’ sense of self is reinforced in the image of God, where they study and are taught that their value was set in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Inside this framework, Hillcrest students report that their first years of college are completed with confidence, facing difficulties but having the ability to handle the obstacles.

Hillcrest holds a long and storied tradition: Alumni love Hillcrest. This is in part because students develop and fortify a Biblically-based view of the world that stands true outside the doors of Hillcrest. Hillcrest instructs students to love God’s Word, have passion for the world God created, and be active in His Kingdom.