West Boise grew rapidly in the late 1950's, necessitating the construction of several new schools. The new Hillcrest Country Club subdivision caused the populations of Whitney and McKinley Schools to increase dramatically. In 1958, Hillcrest Elementary was built south of the subdivision. It initially opened with only six rooms. The area growth continued and seven more rooms were added in 1959. The next year five additional rooms were added, bringing the total to eighteen. As the case with other schools, the original flat roof leaked like a sieve by the late 80's, and a hipped roof was built in 1994 to keep students and teachers dry. Several new classrooms were added when the roof was replaced. In 2018, Boise Parks and Recreation awarded Hillcrest with a grant to build a new all-accessible playground. In 2020, construction was started on a much needed larger cafeteria. The new cafeteria will be separate from the rest of the building.