John Hilliard

John Hilliard is an education reporter for the Boston Globe’s Great Divide team, focusing on how issues like race and income affect students’ success in public schools in Boston and across New England.

Since joining the team in January 2025, John has covered Boston’s plan to shutter city schools, how Mass. has moved to ban cell phones in schools, and how policies under the Trump administration affects students, including school food programs and supports for migrant students and transgender students.

He joined the Globe in 2016 as a web producer creating and editing content for its homepage. He previously worked at several small newspapers covering small-town government in Massachusetts, and earned a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University.

He also has served as a weekend reporter during the pandemic and helped cover breaking news during the health crisis. In addition, he reported on the city of Newton as part of a student journalism project at BU.

During his time as a general assignment reporter for the Globe’s Metro desk, he covered such issues as the state's humanitarian response to newcomer families, its struggles to end homelessness and create more affordable housing. He also reported extensively on Maine’s worst mass shooting and the state’s response to the tragedy.