Is Hillcrest Elementary School a good school?

Hillcrest Elementary School ranks 1394 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hillcrest Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 490 students attended Hillcrest Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Hillcrest Elementary School?

Students at Hillcrest Elementary School are 76% Hispanic, 12% White, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Hillcrest Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hillcrest Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Larkin High School

Hillcrest Elementary School

Summary:

Hillcrest Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades K-6 in Elgin, Illinois, with 490 students. The school is part of the School District U-46, which is ranked 578 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Hillcrest Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 1394 out of 2067 schools.

Hillcrest Elementary faces several challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.5% to 44.9% over the past 5 years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores are also consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, only 18.2% of Hillcrest students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 30.7% for the district and 41.2% for the state. In math, the proficiency rate was 19.9% at Hillcrest, compared to 21.7% for the district and 28.4% for the state. Hillcrest's subgroup performance is also concerning, with the school ranking in the bottom half of Illinois schools for most subgroups, including female students, male students, Hispanic students, English Language Learners, Special Education students, and low socioeconomic status students.

When comparing Hillcrest Elementary to other nearby schools in the same district, the data shows that Hillcrest generally performs worse than its peers. For example, McKinley Elementary and Channing Memorial Elementary, which are both within 3 miles of Hillcrest, have higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates. However, one notable exception is Fox Meadow Elementary, which is 2.36 miles from Hillcrest and significantly outperforms the school and the district averages, suggesting that there may be factors within the district or community that contribute to the success of some schools, while others struggle.

Detail:

Public K-6

80 N Airlite St
Elgin, IL 60123-4913

(847) 888-5282

District: School District U-46

SchoolDigger Rank:
1394^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,122

Students who attend Hillcrest Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Larkin High School

Student/teacher ratio: 19.2

Number of students: 490

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

75.9%

White:

12.0%

African American:

5.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Hillcrest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hillcrest Elementary School ranks worse than 67.4% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 26^th among 38 ranked elementary schools in the School District U-46. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 30.17. (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 Hillcrest Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the School District U-46. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hillcrest Elementary School is $15,122. 22 elementary schools in the School District U-46 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hillcrest Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Hillcrest Elementary School 1394^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Hillcrest Elementary School 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:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

School District U-46:

SchoolDigger ranks School District U-46 578^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Hillcrest Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	34.00	1489^th	2020	26.3%
2004	52.51	1172^nd	2030	42.3%
2005	46.32	1308^th	2022	35.3%
2006	31.60	1647^th	2086	21.0%
2007	43.49	1433^rd	2095	31.6%
2008	16.18	1832^nd	2092	12.4%
2009	17.79	1835^th	2120	13.4%
2010	27.02	1696^th	2139	20.7%
2011	11.37	1973^rd	2147	8.1%
2012	19.73	1861^st	2166	14.1%
2013	24.80	1705^th	2167	21.3%
2014	28.75	1570^th	2093	25.0%
2015	23.10	1626^th	2052	20.8%
2016	18.09	1745^th	2046	14.7%
2017	17.27	1762^nd	2044	13.8%
2018	16.41	1779^th	2037	12.7%
2019	18.85	1762^nd	2086	15.5%
2021	25.28	1407^th	1948	27.8%
2022	24.33	1532^nd	2082	26.4%
2023	25.57	1512^th	2077	27.2%
2024	30.17	1394^th	2067	32.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.79	523^rd	718	27.2%
2019	41.36	427^th	743	42.5%
2021	52.71	153^rd	537	71.5%
2022	47.40	326^th	768	57.6%
2023	52.20	271^st	788	65.6%
2024	53.17	264^th	826	68.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	35.74	714^th	1194	40.2%
2021	22.58	551^st	640	13.9%
2022	28.37	814^th	1113	26.9%
2023	23.10	975^th	1156	15.7%
2024	31.82	797^th	1195	33.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.33	1498^th	1765	15.1%
2019	25.35	1508^th	1816	17.0%
2021	36.32	956^th	1514	36.9%
2022	32.89	1197^th	1763	32.1%
2023	30.38	1318^th	1808	27.1%
2024	40.89	1031^st	1793	42.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.04	1699^th	1964	13.5%
2019	18.91	1724^th	2019	14.6%
2021	19.56	1395^th	1680	17.0%
2022	24.33	1474^th	1970	25.2%
2023	25.92	1423^rd	1957	27.3%
2024	33.40	1225^th	1942	36.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	26.20	713^th	907	21.4%
2024	38.65	495^th	886	44.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.24	1698^th	1972	13.9%
2019	21.84	1626^th	2019	19.5%
2021	27.68	1202^nd	1707	29.6%
2022	25.25	1429^th	1977	27.7%
2023	25.47	1442^nd	1984	27.3%
2024	25.89	1421^st	1959	27.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.26	853^rd	938	9.1%
2019	19.70	870^th	955	8.9%
2021	34.44	475^th	742	36.0%
2022	33.99	622^nd	954	34.8%
2023	34.07	636^th	970	34.4%
2024	43.30	501^st	959	47.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Hillcrest Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	13.03	1371^st	1463	6.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board 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: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, April 16, 2012

Horrible school. Too many budget cuts, too many gang-bangers, too many bullies and teachers do nothing. We had to move out of the district. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Hillcrest Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	350	33	31	142	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	556
1989	395	27	32	161	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	615
1990	385	28	27	136	1	n/a	n/a	0	577
1991	342	19	21	175	0	n/a	n/a	0	557
1992	296	20	18	150	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1993	315	27	12	169	0	n/a	n/a	0	523
1994	279	26	13	206	1	n/a	n/a	0	525
1995	250	34	13	239	2	n/a	n/a	0	538
1996	250	34	13	239	2	n/a	n/a	0	538
1997	195	30	9	286	1	n/a	n/a	0	521
1998	189	28	8	285	2	n/a	n/a	0	512
1999	176	27	4	272	1	n/a	n/a	0	480
2000	166	32	8	328	1	n/a	n/a	0	535
2001	169	39	9	348	1	n/a	n/a	0	566
2002	91	37	5	254	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
2003	91	37	5	254	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
2004	84	29	4	192	0	n/a	n/a	0	309
2005	162	70	14	258	2	n/a	n/a	16	522
2006	176	77	20	268	0	n/a	n/a	14	555
2007	149	67	16	354	0	n/a	n/a	22	608
2008	111	71	21	374	2	n/a	n/a	38	617
2009	101	66	27	470	2	n/a	n/a	52	718
2010	68	53	18	466	2	n/a	n/a	48	655
2011	64	64	17	433	5	1	12	0	596
2012	63	60	21	448	4	1	9	0	606
2013	71	53	20	451	10	0	7	0	612
2014	71	57	27	431	26	1	11	0	624
2015	74	44	22	461	32	0	19	0	652
2016	58	31	13	439	20	0	24	0	585
2017	70	24	15	388	14	0	24	0	535
2018	58	28	12	364	11	0	22	0	495
2019	53	23	10	378	15	0	13	0	492
2020	59	22	9	373	17	0	14	0	494
2021	59	30	9	428	14	0	11	0	551
2022	61	32	7	384	11	0	9	0	504
2023	59	29	7	372	10	0	13	0	490

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 Hillcrest Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	556	23.9	23.2	n/a
1989	615	25.0	24.6	n/a
1990	577	27.0	21.3	n/a
1991	557	26.0	21.4	n/a
1992	484	25.0	19.3	n/a
1993	523	25.5	20.5	n/a
1994	525	24.0	21.9	n/a
1995	538	23.0	23.4	n/a
1996	538	23.0	23.4	n/a
1997	521	26.0	20.0	n/a
1998	512	25.0	20.5	n/a
1999	480	30.5	15.7	n/a
2000	535	30.0	17.8	n/a
2001	566	34.0	16.6	n/a
2002	387	31.2	12.4	79.8
2003	387	31.2	12.4	79.8
2004	309	22.3	13.9	60.2
2005	522	26.0	20.1	56.5
2006	555	28.4	19.5	65.6
2007	608	27.0	22.5	73.9
2008	617	30.0	20.6	70.3
2009	718	29.7	24.2	71.2
2010	655	35.2	18.5	84
2011	596	26.7	22.2	79.7
2012	606	29.1	20.8	83.5
2013	612	31.8	19.1	89.1
2014	624	29.0	21.4	84.9
2015	652	28.0	23.2	86.2
2016	585	30.0	19.5	83.2
2017	535	29.5	18.0	83.7
2018	495	27.0	18.3	82.2
2019	492	25.0	19.6	82.3
2020	494	27.0	18.2	83.6
2021	551	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	504	24.5	20.5	61.3
2023	490	25.5	19.2	67.1

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 Hillcrest Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	556	23.9	23.2	n/a
1989	615	25.0	24.6	n/a
1990	577	27.0	21.3	n/a
1991	557	26.0	21.4	n/a
1992	484	25.0	19.3	n/a
1993	523	25.5	20.5	n/a
1994	525	24.0	21.9	n/a
1995	538	23.0	23.4	n/a
1996	538	23.0	23.4	n/a
1997	521	26.0	20.0	n/a
1998	512	25.0	20.5	n/a
1999	480	30.5	15.7	n/a
2000	535	30.0	17.8	n/a
2001	566	34.0	16.6	n/a
2002	387	31.2	12.4	79.8
2003	387	31.2	12.4	79.8
2004	309	22.3	13.9	60.2
2005	522	26.0	20.1	56.5
2006	555	28.4	19.5	65.6
2007	608	27.0	22.5	73.9
2008	617	30.0	20.6	70.3
2009	718	29.7	24.2	71.2
2010	655	35.2	18.5	84
2011	596	26.7	22.2	79.7
2012	606	29.1	20.8	83.5
2013	612	31.8	19.1	89.1
2014	624	29.0	21.4	84.9
2015	652	28.0	23.2	86.2
2016	585	30.0	19.5	83.2
2017	535	29.5	18.0	83.7
2018	495	27.0	18.3	82.2
2019	492	25.0	19.6	82.3
2020	494	27.0	18.2	83.6
2021	551	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	504	24.5	20.5	61.3
2023	490	25.5	19.2	67.1

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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