# Hilltop High School (Chula Vista, California)

Hilltop High School (formerly Hilltop Senior High) is a four-year public high school in Chula Vista, California. It is part of Sweetwater Union High School District. As of 2023, Bill Walsh is the current principal of Hilltop High.

## Academics

Hilltop was named a California Distinguished School in 2005 and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
In the 2006–07 school year, the graduation rate was 93.3%.
Hilltop has the highest number of AP courses available to all students and the highest AP pass rate out of the entire SUHSD at 72.8%. Since the 1999–2000 school year, there has been a 25% increase in exams taken, a 7% increase in the overall pass rate, and a 30% increase in the total number of students testing.

## Athletics

The school colors are kelly green, white, and black. Its mascot is the "Lancer".
Hilltop is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Section and the Mesa League of the Metro Conference. Hilltop competes in the following sports:
* Fall: cross country, football, women's volleyball, boys water polo, women's tennis, women's golf, field hockey
* Winter: basketball, soccer, wrestling, cheerleading, Roller Hockey, women’s water polo
* Spring: track and field, men's volleyball, lacrosse, softball, baseball, swimming and diving, men's tennis, men's golf, lacrosse
CIF Champions
2016- Women’s Water Polo
Chula Vista Spartans are the Lancers longtime rival school, dating back to the '60s.
Longtime Hilltop Coaches elected as San Diego Sports Hall of Champions Coaching Legends:
* Don "Big Dawg" Rollins – JV Basketball (Don is currently third all-time in Southern California JV wins)
* John Baumgartner – Baseball
* Janet Balsley – Field Hockey
* Chip Holmes – Track & Field
* Tim Tyler – Wrestling (Tyler was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame)

## Demographics

In the 2005–06 school year, the school's Academic Performance Index placed it 698 (base) where 800 is the California state goal with a state rank of 5 out of 10.

## Notable alumni

| Name | Grad Class | Category | Best Known For |
| Joan D. Vinge | 1965 | Literature | Hugo Award-winning Science Fiction Author of The Snow Queen series |
| Cheryl Cox | 1966 | Politics | Mayor of Chula Vista |
| John Tschogl | 1968 | Sports | NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers |
| Tom Waits | 1968 | Entertainment | American singer-songwriter, composer and actor |
| Kyle Foggo | 1972 | Crime | Pleaded guilty to fraud associated with the Duke Cunningham scandal |
| Brent R. Wilkes | 1972 | Crime | Convicted of conspiracy, bribery, fraud, and money laundering associated with the Duke Cunningham scandal |
| Bryan Wagner | 1980 | Sports | Former NFL punter for multiple teams |
| Tommy Hinzo | 1982 | Sports | Former MLB player |
| Bob Natal | 1983 | Sports | Former MLB player and World Series champion |
| Tami Bruce | 1985 | Sports | Olympic swimmer |
| Todd Pratt | 1985 | Sports | Major League Baseball player from 1992–2006 primarily with Philadelphia and the New York Mets |
| Charles Adair | 1989 | Sports | College soccer coach and former professional player |
| José Silva | 1991 | Sports | Former MLB player |
| Jorge Munoz | 1992 | Sports | Football coach and former player |
| Mike Jacobs | 1998 | Sports | Former MLB player |
| Desiree Linden | 2001 | Sports | Winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon |
| Charlotte Mayorkas | 2001 | Sports | LPGA Golfer, Three-time First Team All-American for UCLA |
| Brittni De La Mora | 2005 | Entertainment | Pornographic actress turned Christian speaker |
| Greg Allen | 2011 | Sports | Professional baseball player |
| Calvin Faucher | 2013 | Sports | Professional baseball player |

## Notable faculty

* Rene Ortiz, former soccer player
* Bryan Wagner
* Drew Westling