The College operates on an attractive site just over a mile south of the centre of the historic city of Cambridge. The site has been occupied from 1903 when it was originally home to the Cambridge and County School for Boys. Since its inception in 1974, succeeding the former boys’ grammar school, the College has concentrated mainly on providing Advanced level courses to students in the Cambridge area. Having responded to strong and sustained demand for places over a number of years, we now have over 2,600 full-time 16-19 students for whom we provide a choice of 35 A level subjects plus the Extended Project Qualification, an extensive programme of enrichment and extra-curricular activities and responsive individual support and guidance. The breadth, depth and challenge of this curriculum are at the heart of our long-standing educational vision.

The College is a member of the Cambridge Area 14-19 Partnership: there are ten other centres for post-16 education: Cambridge Regional College, Long Road Sixth Form College, The College of West Anglia, The Cambridge Academy of Science and Technology, (formerly the UTC Cambridge), and six school sixth forms. The Cambridge Area 14-19 Partnership provides a common application procedure for post-16 courses and co-ordinates the information and guidance services for student transfer at 16+. The great majority of our full-time sixth form students are recruited from 18 maintained secondary comprehensive schools in the Cambridge area, 12 of which do not have their own sixth form.

We deliver an Adult Education programme, mainly during evenings and some weekends. The number of part-time adult student enrolments is around 2,900 a year. The range of courses reflects the needs of a much wider community in Cambridge and the surrounding area. The College is also a study centre for the Open University.

The Hills Road Sports and Tennis Centre is solely owned by the College and operates as Cantabrigian Ltd. While providing an outstanding facility for staff and students of the College, it also serves as a community sports centre working in partnership with Cambridge City Council and the Lawn Tennis Association. Local residents use the centre on a pay-as-you-play basis or via the membership scheme. Activities range from tennis and fitness room sessions to squash, cricket and Pilates.

Hills Road Sixth Form College enjoys a national reputation for excellence and, in its last two Ofsted inspections, was rated outstanding in all graded areas.

Summary of the College’s performance - In the Government’s examination performance table for ‘points per examination entry’, the College has consistently posted the highest score of any sixth form college in the country.

• In recent years the tables have included the percentage of students achieving at least AAB at A level in at least two of the Russell Group's 'facilitating subjects'. Year on year Hills Road has recorded the strongest sixth form college percentage

• The College’s in-year learner level retention rate on study programmes, as
  used for funding purposes, has averaged 99.4% over the past six years.

• A level pass rates have remained close to 99.5% for five years.

• Value added is consistently positive, indicating that, on average, Hills Road students achieve better results than might have been expected based on their prior GCSE outcomes.

• Often after a gap year, around 90% of our leavers progress to Higher
  Education; two thirds go to the most sought-after Russell Group universities.

• Hills Road students consistently thrive in higher education with 43% earning first class honours degrees in 2019 according to the latest Sixth Form College Association report which is based on HESA data.

• Hills Road has been consistently shortlisted since 2017 as a finalist in the TES ‘Sixth Form College of the Year’ award including for 2020.