Hillview Middle School

Menlo Park City
School District

Campus Replacement
Grades: 6-8
Students: 920
Size: 83,500 s.f.
Site: 9.36 acres
Occupancy: 2012

The existing Hillview Middle School was originally built as an elementary school. Over the years, various additions and modernization projects were constructed to accommodate the middle school curriculum. However, with projected growth challenging the existing facilities, the District felt that another building program of additions and modernizations was not the answer for the high performing school. The District made the bold move to rebuild the entire campus except for the existing gymnasium. The replacement campus would be a state of the art facility constructed on the existing athletic fields while the existing campus remains operational. With this opportunity ahead, the most asked question of the District and the community became, "what is a 21st century school and what do we want to teach our children about it?"

A series of public meetings and workshops were set up to solicit input from teaching staff, administrators, parents, students and the community. The overwhelming answer was that the new facilities teach our children about community, sustainability, conservation, and carbon neutrality.

The constricted site of 9.36 acres dictated that the new 83,500 SF facility be a compact, two-story building. However, the District wanted to retain the outdoor feel of the “finger-wing” building configuration of the existing campus. Grade groups of 6th, 7th and 8th are separated into clusters around a small courtyard which opens onto the central, main courtyard. Campus-wide support facilities such as the library/media center, performing arts, science classrooms, and administration services are organized around “the porch,” which is adjacent to the main courtyard. “The porch” provides a front door to the street on one end and the vehicular drop-off area on the other. All classrooms are connected on the second floor by a network of covered walkways with vertical circulation at each building.

The community’s planning input, financial support and its encouragement of  excellent educational facilities was essential to the initiation and design of this school.

Campus Replacement Plan • Satellite Photo of Existing Campus