Hillsborough City School District / San Mateo Union High School DistrictThe Old-Money Belt
Three K-8 elementary schools (North, South, West) and an unusually high private-high-school capture rate. Quiet money, long tenure.
№ 01Overview
Why Hillsborough.
Inventory is consistently tight in Hillsborough, and home values vary materially across attendance areas inside the same district. Confirming the feeder pattern at the address level — before writing an offer — is the single most consequential step.
Hillsborough City School District (HCSD) is the K-8 district for the town of Hillsborough — a small, historically wealthy enclave between Burlingame and San Mateo. Three elementary schools (North, South, West Hillsborough) feed Crocker Middle School. There is no public high school inside Hillsborough.
Public high schools serving Hillsborough are part of San Mateo Union High School District — Burlingame High and others. In practice, the majority of Hillsborough families choose private high schools (Nueva, Crystal Springs Uplands, Menlo, Sacred Heart, Crystal Springs), reflecting both the town's wealth profile and the absence of an in-town public high school.
The town itself is zoned for very large lots, has no sidewalks or commercial businesses, and prizes privacy and tenure. Median single-family-home prices clear $5.5M, with estate-grade homes routinely $10M+. Inventory is exceptionally thin and most transactions involve careful, slow negotiation rather than rapid bidding.
№ 02Feeder Pattern
Paths to High School.
The elementary → middle → high school chain is determined by home address. Verify the assigned feeder for any specific property before writing an offer.
Burlingame High School
- Elementary
- Crocker Middle School
- Burlingame High School
Feeder elementaries: North Hillsborough, South Hillsborough, West Hillsborough
Not sure which feeder a specific address belongs to? Marie Wang and Kevin Mo can verify the assigned schools for any property in the district.
№ 03High Schools
Two top public high schools.
Each high school is its own version of the same age range. Read past the rating: AP load, STEM and arts depth, college-pipeline pattern, and culture all vary.
№ 04Middle Schools
Core middle schools.
Middle school sets the foundation for high school placement. Pace and academic culture differ from one school to the next.
№ 05Elementary
3 elementary schools.
Elementary is the start of the feeder chain; the choice of school here implicitly chooses middle and high too. Surrounding home prices and feeder destinations differ school by school.
№ 06Housing & Schools
Different neighborhoods,
different schools, different prices.
Prices vary materially by neighborhood, and each neighborhood maps to a specific school assignment. Below are the working ranges and feeder destinations.
North Hillsborough
$4M – $10M+
North Elem → Crocker → Burlingame HS attendance area.
Central Hillsborough / Carolands
$5M – $15M+
Crocker → Burlingame HS attendance area.
West Hillsborough
$4M – $8M
West Elem → Crocker → Burlingame HS attendance area.
South Hillsborough
$3.5M – $7M
South Elem → Crocker → Burlingame HS attendance area.
Compiled by Marie Wang and Kevin Mo, MK Group. Reach out for current listings and the latest comparable sales.
№ 07Private Schools
Private alternatives.
The Hillsborough catchment includes several leading independent schools. Many families combine public K-8 with private high school; some run private throughout.
№ 08Questions
Frequently asked.
The most common questions families bring us about Hillsborough, answered with data and examples.
Why do so many Hillsborough families choose private high schools?
Two reasons. First, there is no public high school inside Hillsborough — students would be assigned to schools in San Mateo Union HSD, which is competent but not in the same tier as the local independent schools. Second, the town's demographic profile makes $58–70K-per-year private tuition routine. Combined, the private-high-school capture rate is among the highest in the region.
North, South, or West Hillsborough — how do they differ?
All three are strong HCSD elementaries with similar academic outcomes. North is closest to Burlingame, South is closer to San Mateo, West is the most rural. Differences come down to neighborhood character, lot character, and price — not measurable academic gap.
What is the typical price entry for the Hillsborough catchment?
Single-family homes start around $3.5–4M for smaller properties on smaller lots, but the median for the town clears $5.5M. Genuine estate-grade properties (acre+, period architecture) routinely list $10–25M. Inventory is thin and many sales are off-market.
Lock the school,
then the home.
MK Group works Hillsborough City School District / San Mateo Union High School District day to day — every school, every neighborhood, every recent sale. Marie and Kevin handle the address-level feeder verification, offer strategy, and escrow personally.
