Is Hilltop Drive Elementary a good school?

Hilltop Drive Elementary ranks 2566 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hilltop Drive Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 514 students attended Hilltop Drive Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Hilltop Drive Elementary?

Students at Hilltop Drive Elementary are 85% Hispanic, 6% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Hilltop Drive Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hilltop Drive Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Hilltop Middle High : Hilltop Senior High

Hilltop Drive Elementary

Summary:

Hilltop Drive Elementary is a public elementary school in Chula Vista, California, serving 509 students in grades K-6. The school faces several challenges, including lower academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a higher proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds compared to the district and state averages.

Hilltop Drive Elementary's test scores are generally lower than the Chula Vista Elementary District and the state of California across various grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in Smarter Balanced Assessments/English Language Arts/Literacy was 43.05% at Hilltop Drive Elementary, compared to 55.46% for the district and 47.04% for California. The school has also experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 5.6% in 2018-2019 to 44.2% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the district and state averages.

Hilltop Drive Elementary's performance is generally lower than the nearby schools within the Chula Vista Elementary District, such as Cook (Hazel Goes) Elementary, Halecrest Elementary, and Clear View. These schools tend to have higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and a more favorable student-teacher ratio compared to Hilltop Drive Elementary. The only exception is the nearby Leonardo da Vinci Health Sciences Charter School, which has lower performance metrics than Hilltop Drive Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

30 Murray St.
Chula Vista, CA 91910-6020

(619) 422-8323

District: Chula Vista Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
2566^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,193

Students who attend Hilltop Drive Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hilltop Middle
High:	Hilltop Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.5

Number of students: 514

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.2%

White:

6.2%

Two or more races:

5.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 57.4%

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Compare Hilltop Drive Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hilltop Drive Elementary ranks better than 56.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 24^th among 41 ranked elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 49.75. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (85.2%), White (6.2%), two or more races (5.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 57.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Hilltop Drive Elementary is 20.5, which is the 13^th best among 41 elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Hilltop Drive Elementary employs 25 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hilltop Drive Elementary is $11,193, which is the 14^th highest among 41 elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hilltop Drive Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Hilltop Drive Elementary 2566^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Hilltop Drive Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Chula Vista Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Chula Vista Elementary 537^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Hilltop Drive Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	48.09	2256^th	4809	53.1%
2005	48.38	2275^th	4822	52.8%
2006	44.98	2442^nd	4818	49.3%
2007	45.72	2582^nd	5113	49.5%
2008	60.19	1845^th	5113	63.9%
2009	76.49	1151^st	5193	77.8%
2010	65.80	1683^rd	5314	68.3%
2011	73.62	1321^st	5377	75.4%
2012	71.87	1422^nd	5390	73.6%
2013	80.30	1030^th	5530	81.4%
2015	75.99	1280^th	5611	77.2%
2016	80.37	1114^th	5614	80.2%
2017	80.69	1102^nd	5692	80.6%
2018	62.52	1939^th	5662	65.8%
2019	55.66	2272^nd	5789	60.8%
2022	63.05	1895^th	5883	67.8%
2023	59.39	2085^th	5874	64.5%
2024	49.75	2566^th	5862	56.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	70.17	538^th	3246	83.4%
2019	56.65	944^th	3275	71.2%
2022	42.91	1613^th	3311	51.3%
2023	53.11	1049^th	3250	67.7%
2024	44.81	1484^th	3160	53.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	55.12	773^rd	2420	68.1%
2024	43.10	1198^th	2634	54.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.86	925^th	5084	81.8%
2019	65.07	1451^st	5173	72.0%
2022	80.34	746^th	5264	85.8%
2023	64.18	1513^th	5374	71.8%
2024	58.05	1913^th	5511	65.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.08	1590^th	5413	70.6%
2019	55.15	2221^st	5492	59.6%
2022	64.84	1742^nd	5635	69.1%
2023	57.82	2042^nd	5617	63.6%
2024	50.25	2397^th	5605	57.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.91	1266^th	2128	40.5%
2019	30.16	1788^th	2585	30.8%
2022	52.87	746^th	2227	66.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.71	2083^rd	5431	61.6%
2019	54.66	2217^th	5510	59.8%
2022	58.91	2013^th	5663	64.5%
2023	58.29	2033^rd	5650	64.0%
2024	48.51	2538^th	5636	55.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hilltop Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.57	920^th	4830	81.0%
2019	65.11	1403^rd	4963	71.7%
2022	75.78	906^th	5084	82.2%
2023	73.85	1005^th	5098	80.3%
2024	65.02	1417^th	5102	72.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

I highly recommend Hilltop Drive Elementary School. I have a first grader at this school and have become a very involved parent. That has allowed me to get to know the staff and students. I feel fortunate to be at this school and feel that the Principal is taking this school in a great direction! The PTA and principal are focusing not just on $$ brought in but encouraging community building events. I believe this makes a happy and safe environment for our students and teachers. I feel confident as my child progresses through this school that I do not have to request a specific teacher ! We will be lucky to get any of the teachers on staff here as they are all wonderful !!!! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Hilltop Drive Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	293	18	21	173	4	n/a	n/a	0	509
1989	295	15	24	168	5	n/a	n/a	0	507
1990	287	14	33	183	7	n/a	n/a	0	524
1991	305	11	33	179	5	n/a	n/a	0	533
1992	272	17	33	168	4	n/a	n/a	0	494
1993	264	12	28	195	3	n/a	n/a	0	502
1994	244	18	17	195	3	n/a	n/a	0	477
1995	257	28	30	225	1	n/a	n/a	0	541
1996	257	28	30	225	1	n/a	n/a	0	541
1997	249	20	25	259	6	n/a	n/a	0	559
1998	233	19	24	299	8	n/a	n/a	0	583
1999	199	15	26	309	6	n/a	n/a	0	555
2000	190	18	25	311	6	n/a	n/a	0	550
2001	168	18	30	329	5	n/a	n/a	0	550
2002	162	17	21	357	4	n/a	n/a	0	561
2003	162	17	21	357	4	n/a	n/a	0	561
2004	153	14	15	381	1	n/a	n/a	0	564
2005	126	12	9	374	1	n/a	n/a	30	552
2006	114	14	9	376	1	n/a	n/a	24	538
2007	101	8	12	408	1	n/a	n/a	20	550
2008	89	7	11	384	2	n/a	n/a	0	493
2009	78	7	10	388	2	2	28	0	515
2010	242	7	14	253	2	3	5	0	526
2011	79	11	12	432	0	1	0	0	535
2012	77	14	10	467	1	0	0	0	569
2013	79	11	14	449	2	2	0	0	557
2014	63	12	13	474	1	0	9	0	572
2015	58	7	9	485	0	0	15	0	574
2016	56	10	9	473	0	0	15	0	563
2017	58	8	9	474	0	0	14	0	563
2018	57	8	9	474	0	0	17	0	565
2019	53	13	10	430	0	0	21	0	527
2020	46	8	10	436	0	0	25	0	525
2021	45	6	11	440	0	1	22	0	525
2022	41	5	13	424	0	1	24	0	508
2023	37	4	12	428	0	1	27	0	509
2024	32	4	11	438	0	1	28	0	514

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Hilltop Drive Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	509	20.1	25.3	n/a
1989	507	20.1	25.2	n/a
1990	524	21.6	24.2	n/a
1991	533	21.5	24.7	n/a
1992	494	21.8	22.6	22.7
1993	502	19.5	25.7	22.9
1994	477	19.6	24.3	25.2
1995	541	22.0	24.6	29.6
1996	541	22.0	24.6	29.6
1997	559	25.0	22.4	32.9
1998	583	28.0	20.8	34
1999	555	27.0	20.6	32.8
2000	550	27.0	20.4	36
2001	550	29.0	19.0	33.3
2002	561	26.0	21.6	39
2003	561	26.0	21.6	39
2004	564	26.5	21.3	41.7
2005	552	28.0	19.7	45.2
2006	538	28.0	19.2	39.9
2007	550	28.0	19.6	40.2
2008	493	31.0	15.9	45.2
2009	515	30.0	15.6	41.7
2010	526	27.5	19.1	51.3
2011	535	n/a	n/a	54.6
2012	569	26.5	21.4	n/a
2013	557	26.0	21.4	62.1
2014	572	23.0	24.8	64.5
2015	574	24.0	23.9	65.9
2016	563	23.0	24.4	70.3
2017	563	23.0	24.4	66.3
2018	565	23.0	24.5	66.7
2019	527	23.0	22.9	71
2020	525	n/a	n/a	76
2021	525	22.0	23.8	74.3
2022	508	23.0	22.0	69.1
2023	509	23.0	22.1	62.5
2024	514	25.0	20.5	57.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Hilltop Drive Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	509	20.1	25.3	n/a
1989	507	20.1	25.2	n/a
1990	524	21.6	24.2	n/a
1991	533	21.5	24.7	n/a
1992	494	21.8	22.6	22.7
1993	502	19.5	25.7	22.9
1994	477	19.6	24.3	25.2
1995	541	22.0	24.6	29.6
1996	541	22.0	24.6	29.6
1997	559	25.0	22.4	32.9
1998	583	28.0	20.8	34
1999	555	27.0	20.6	32.8
2000	550	27.0	20.4	36
2001	550	29.0	19.0	33.3
2002	561	26.0	21.6	39
2003	561	26.0	21.6	39
2004	564	26.5	21.3	41.7
2005	552	28.0	19.7	45.2
2006	538	28.0	19.2	39.9
2007	550	28.0	19.6	40.2
2008	493	31.0	15.9	45.2
2009	515	30.0	15.6	41.7
2010	526	27.5	19.1	51.3
2011	535	n/a	n/a	54.6
2012	569	26.5	21.4	n/a
2013	557	26.0	21.4	62.1
2014	572	23.0	24.8	64.5
2015	574	24.0	23.9	65.9
2016	563	23.0	24.4	70.3
2017	563	23.0	24.4	66.3
2018	565	23.0	24.5	66.7
2019	527	23.0	22.9	71
2020	525	n/a	n/a	76
2021	525	22.0	23.8	74.3
2022	508	23.0	22.0	69.1
2023	509	23.0	22.1	62.5
2024	514	25.0	20.5	57.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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