• Category 1

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 2,800
    Student Enrollment: 314
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2.5%
    White/Caucasian: 87.1%
    Hispanic: 5.7%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.1%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 4.6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 47%
    % ELL Learners: 3.3%
    Founded: 1880
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Nathan Hiebert
  • CONTACT:
    812 East A Street
    Hillsboro, KS 67063
    620-947-3184 ext. 1
    nathan.hiebert@usd410.net
Hillsboro Elementary School
Hillsboro, KS
"We believe our successes are a result of our exemplary staff, exceptional instruction, strong stakeholder support, and intentional relationships."
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Hillsboro Elementary has a history of success in a variety of areas. Our state assessment scores are consistently above the state average. We have been recognized for achievements in the area of Kindergarten readiness and received the Commissioner’s Award which recognizes schools that outperform their predicted outcome. Hillsboro Elementary School’s success over the last several years is being recognized for our students' exceptional state assessment scores.

There have been a variety of key factors that have benefited our students; overcoming challenges and hurdles during the initial Covid pandemic, implementing and improving a variety of early childhood education programs for our pre-kindergarten students, and helping our staff grow in their understanding of our students by providing a variety of trauma-informed trainings and resources.

We strive for excellence and our teachers believe in helping every student do their best to be their best.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
We believe our successes are a result of our exemplary staff, exceptional instruction, strong stakeholder support, and intentional relationships.

Our staff is dedicated to seeing every student do their best and be their best. Strategies are implemented daily to help each student succeed. One could say our staff cares for our students like they are family.

The instruction at Hillsboro Elementary is phenomenal. We value instruction that engages students, relates to real-world situations, and sparks the interests of our students.

The beauty of living in a strong, supportive community is the impact of our stakeholders. We have professionals that come engage with our students, parents that are investing in the success of their children, and a local college, Tabor College, that collaborates with us.

Positive relationships are one of the cornerstones of success for HES. Our staff works tirelessly every day to form positive relationships with our students, families, and each other.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
Hillsboro Elementary has been able to utilize Title I funds to help provide school-wide intervention groups for our students. We have been able to capture additional staff that help provide more individualized instruction. This has allowed us to provide a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) in Math and Reading. We have been able to hire a designated certified teacher and multiple aides to assist with providing enhanced Tier 2 and Tier 3 support to our students.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
There have been several key areas that our district has focused on to help students succeed. The first was with training and equipping our staff to be trauma-informed. It was important to train and prepare our staff to better face the challenges that our students present due to the variety of their backgrounds.

The second area that we focused on was Project Based Learning. Through Project Lead The Way and PBL training, our staff has grown in their implementation of project-based learning. It is important for our students to be able to face challenges and become problem solvers.

Working to improve the foundational area of Kindergarten readiness was our third area. Parents as Teachers (PAT) has been serving our children in Marion County for years. This early connection provides families with valuable resources, helps identify needs at an early age, and equips families with a positive first experience with the school system. We've also expanded our preschool program.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
Hillsboro Elementary has a tradition of success. While striving for excellence, we are always looking for ways to improve. Our staff and community believed in looking for ways to better serve our students, which helped spur several improvements to assist our students. We focused on relationships, hands-on project-based learning, stakeholder involvement, and improving systems within our school.

We have a strong early childhood program including PAT and a collaborative preschool program. This has helped provide a foundation for parent relationships and early learning interventions.

Our district took part in the Kansans Can Redesign Project, becoming one of the members of the Gemini I group. Our HES Gemini team met regularly to evaluate the current state of our school and evaluate changes that needed to be made. The team then met with the rest of our staff and made changes that would benefit our students through our curriculum, different scheduling ideas, and proactive relationships.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
We have an incredible community of stakeholders that invest and enhance the education of our students.

We have a SITE Council that meets regularly and is actively engaged in ways to support our students and staff.

We also have many local businesses that invest and partner with our school. Their involvement enriches the lives of our students and helps our students connect with a wider body of people within our community.

Tabor College is a local college that has an education department that regularly partners with our school. Yearly we have student teachers, student observers, and a Tabor College afterschool program that helps serve our students.

We also have many families and organizations in the community that serve our students. From a local church donating school supplies to families that volunteer and donate.

Lastly, we have very strong, supportive family involvement. Parents want to be involved and partner with our school to help their child(ren) succeed.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 2,800
    Student Enrollment: 314
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2.5%
    White/Caucasian: 87.1%
    Hispanic: 5.7%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.1%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 4.6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 47%
    % ELL Learners: 3.3%
    Founded: 1880
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Nathan Hiebert
  • CONTACT:
    812 East A Street
    Hillsboro, KS 67063
    620-947-3184 ext. 1
    nathan.hiebert@usd410.net