Hillcrest Elementary

Summary:

Hillcrest Elementary is a public elementary school in Frederick, Maryland, serving 575 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Frederick County Public Schools district, which is ranked 6th out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 4-star rating.

Hillcrest Elementary stands out for its significantly higher percentage of Hispanic students (77.74%) compared to the surrounding schools, which range from 16.24% to 61.61% Hispanic students. However, the school consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Maryland elementary schools, with lower academic performance than the district and state averages across all grades and subjects. Hillcrest Elementary also has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 83.05% to 92%, significantly higher than the surrounding schools, which range from 28.34% to 84.36%. Despite the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 9.1 to 11.3, and higher spending per student, ranging from $17,317 to $18,847, its academic performance remains poor.

The surrounding schools, such as Tuscarora Elementary, Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter, and Whittier Elementary, generally have stronger academic performance, lower free/reduced lunch rates, and higher student-teacher ratios compared to Hillcrest Elementary. This suggests that there may be opportunities to learn from the practices and strategies employed at these higher-performing schools to address the unique challenges faced by Hillcrest Elementary.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

1285 Hillcrest Drive
Frederick, MD 21703

(240) 236-3200

District: Frederick County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
722^nd of 859 Maryland Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,311

Students who attend Hillcrest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	West Frederick Middle
High:	Frederick High

Student/teacher ratio: 9.1

Number of students: 575

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.7%

African American:

9.4%

White:

5.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92%

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Compare Hillcrest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hillcrest Elementary ranks worse than 84.1% of elementary schools in Maryland. It also ranks last among 39 ranked elementary schools in the Frederick County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.31. (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 (77.7%), African American (9.4%), White (5.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 92% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Frederick County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Hillcrest Elementary is 9.1, which is the 2^nd best among 39 elementary schools in the Frederick County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Hillcrest Elementary employs 62.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hillcrest Elementary is $23,311, which is the 2^nd highest among 39 elementary schools in the Frederick County Public Schools District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Hillcrest Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Frederick County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Frederick County Public Schools 6^th of 25 Maryland school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Hillcrest Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile
2004	63.68	341^st	803	57.5%
2005	66.57	287^th	805	64.3%
2006	76.82	177^th	804	78.0%
2007	77.77	154^th	818	81.2%
2008	38.72	590^th	838	29.6%
2009	19.42	764^th	850	10.1%
2010	9.07	827^th	855	3.3%
2011	16.78	755^th	853	11.5%
2012	29.25	670^th	857	21.8%
2013	11.35	793^rd	847	6.4%
2014	20.82	735^th	867	15.2%
2015	19.26	705^th	859	17.9%
2016	18.40	690^th	845	18.3%
2017	24.56	622^nd	847	26.6%
2018	26.88	601^st	857	29.9%
2019	24.23	615^th	853	27.9%
2021	10.68	785^th	802	2.1%
2022	17.26	736^th	862	14.6%
2023	14.04	750^th	855	12.3%
2024	15.31	722^nd	859	15.9%

See the entire list of Maryland Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	18.60	136^th	136	0.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	39.73	316^th	546	42.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	11.50	765^th	796	3.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	15.00	721^st	788	8.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	16.05	344^th	347	0.9%

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

Data source: test scores: Maryland State 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: Maryland State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Hillcrest Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1992	701	130	23	13	0	n/a	n/a	867
1993	719	153	27	20	3	n/a	n/a	922
1994	786	168	39	27	0	n/a	n/a	1020
1995	719	157	39	34	0	n/a	n/a	949
1996	719	157	39	34	0	n/a	n/a	949
1997	647	193	32	39	0	n/a	n/a	911
1998	577	192	39	42	0	n/a	n/a	850
1999	556	204	42	45	1	n/a	n/a	848
2000	509	198	46	44	0	n/a	n/a	797
2001	470	222	34	64	1	n/a	n/a	791
2002	364	215	42	115	1	n/a	n/a	737
2003	364	215	42	115	1	n/a	n/a	737
2004	299	217	56	136	3	n/a	n/a	711
2005	198	220	51	190	5	n/a	n/a	664
2006	144	206	54	205	4	n/a	n/a	613
2007	142	196	42	245	2	n/a	n/a	627
2008	123	220	48	275	0	n/a	n/a	666
2009	100	206	49	291	0	n/a	n/a	646
2010	95	193	48	384	0	n/a	n/a	720
2011	84	194	54	427	2	1	40	802
2012	62	163	63	469	2	2	39	800
2013	57	183	82	520	3	2	40	887
2014	62	177	108	569	3	2	35	956
2015	79	203	92	590	5	6	21	996
2016	61	186	70	661	1	5	29	1013
2017	47	171	67	660	0	4	30	979
2018	47	154	62	663	2	2	34	964
2019	46	88	53	517	0	0	28	732
2020	41	70	46	561	0	0	31	749
2021	40	51	43	550	0	0	30	714
2022	43	80	39	565	0	1	35	763
2023	33	54	18	447	1	0	22	575

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

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1992	867	42.3	20.4	14
1993	922	50.0	18.4	13.1
1994	1020	51.5	19.8	18.6
1995	949	53.8	17.6	18.9
1996	949	53.8	17.6	18.9
1997	911	46.8	19.5	20.4
1998	850	46.2	18.4	25.1
1999	848	46.2	18.4	29.6
2000	797	44.5	17.9	30.9
2001	791	44.4	17.8	35.7
2002	737	49.9	14.8	40.8
2003	737	49.9	14.8	40.8
2004	711	56.5	12.6	53.2
2005	664	61.0	10.9	61.7
2006	613	55.0	11.1	60
2007	627	57.0	11.0	61.4
2008	666	59.7	11.2	77.6
2009	646	65.9	9.8	78.6
2010	720	63.9	11.2	85.3
2011	802	63.5	12.6	87.5
2012	800	75.0	10.6	75
2013	887	74.0	11.9	88.3
2014	956	75.6	12.6	90.6
2015	996	77.0	12.9	91.5
2016	1013	79.0	12.8	92.6
2017	979	80.1	12.2	91.4
2018	964	77.8	12.3	91.9
2019	732	63.8	11.4	86.9
2020	749	67.2	11.1	87.4
2021	714	66.4	10.7	83.1
2022	763	67.4	11.3	86
2023	575	62.9	9.1	92

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

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1992	867	42.3	20.4	14
1993	922	50.0	18.4	13.1
1994	1020	51.5	19.8	18.6
1995	949	53.8	17.6	18.9
1996	949	53.8	17.6	18.9
1997	911	46.8	19.5	20.4
1998	850	46.2	18.4	25.1
1999	848	46.2	18.4	29.6
2000	797	44.5	17.9	30.9
2001	791	44.4	17.8	35.7
2002	737	49.9	14.8	40.8
2003	737	49.9	14.8	40.8
2004	711	56.5	12.6	53.2
2005	664	61.0	10.9	61.7
2006	613	55.0	11.1	60
2007	627	57.0	11.0	61.4
2008	666	59.7	11.2	77.6
2009	646	65.9	9.8	78.6
2010	720	63.9	11.2	85.3
2011	802	63.5	12.6	87.5
2012	800	75.0	10.6	75
2013	887	74.0	11.9	88.3
2014	956	75.6	12.6	90.6
2015	996	77.0	12.9	91.5
2016	1013	79.0	12.8	92.6
2017	979	80.1	12.2	91.4
2018	964	77.8	12.3	91.9
2019	732	63.8	11.4	86.9
2020	749	67.2	11.1	87.4
2021	714	66.4	10.7	83.1
2022	763	67.4	11.3	86
2023	575	62.9	9.1	92

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Hillcrest Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$2,434 (13.0%)	$16,281 (87.0%)	$18,715
2020	$1,914 (11.1%)	$15,403 (88.9%)	$17,317
2021	$2,491 (13.2%)	$16,356 (86.8%)	$18,847
2022	$3,199 (16.4%)	$16,309 (83.6%)	$19,507
2023	$3,054 (13.1%)	$20,257 (86.9%)	$23,311

Data source: Maryland Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Hillcrest Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 615^th of 853 Elementary schools	Ranks 750^th of 855 Elementary schools	15.6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	732	575	21.4%
African American	88	54	38.6%
American Indian	0	1
Asian	53	18	66%
Hispanic	517	447	13.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	46	33	28.3%
Two or More Races	28	22	21.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	86.9%	92%	5.1%

Schools Near Hillcrest Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCAP Mathematics (2024)							MCAP English Language Arts (2024)							MCAP Algebra I (2024)	MCAP Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hillcrest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1285 Hillcrest Drive	Frederick	21703	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 236-3200	575	63	9.1	92.0%	33 (5.7%)	54 (9.4%)	447 (77.7%)	18 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.8%)	15.3	722^nd of 859 public elementary schools	15.9%		14	750^th of 855 public elementary schools	12.3%	28	21.2	10.3	11.8				14.7	22.5	21.6	24.6				22.8		7.4		$23,311	$3,054	$20,257
Butterfly Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Contender Way	Frederick	21703	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 566-0300	625	49	12.7	64.2%	119 (19.0%)	111 (17.8%)	280 (44.8%)	56 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (9.3%)	37	469^th of 859 public elementary schools	45.4%		40.6	452^nd of 855 public elementary schools	47.1%	17	27.5	19.5	18.7				22.4	42.2	46.8	47.3				45.1		14.9		$20,074	$2,169	$17,905
Orchard Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5898 Hannover Dr	Frederick	21703	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 236-2400	616	38	16.2	49.7%	134 (21.8%)	210 (34.1%)	161 (26.1%)	50 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.7%)	56.8	323^rd of 859 public elementary schools	62.4%		58.1	312^th of 855 public elementary schools	63.5%	11	57.3	38.5	21.6				38.8	52.6	57.9	45.0				51.7		21.4		$15,778	$1,026	$14,752
Waverley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 Waverley Dr	Frederick	21702	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 236-3900	844	66	12.8	84.4%	70 (8.3%)	166 (19.7%)	520 (61.6%)	43 (5.1%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.6%)	18.5	675^th of 859 public elementary schools	21.4%		18.3	677^th of 855 public elementary schools	20.8%	2	17.9	14.5	13.4				15.3	23.8	24.8	33.6				27.5		8.2		$17,942	$2,478	$15,464
Parkway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Carroll Pky	Frederick	21701	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 236-2600	258	18	14.0	44.6%	132 (51.2%)	34 (13.2%)	46 (17.8%)	9 (3.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (14.0%)	76.9	191^st of 859 public elementary schools	77.8%		79.9	163^rd of 855 public elementary schools	80.9%	28	55.6	41.5	36.1				44.2	66.7	75.6	62.9				68.8		35.1		$16,459	$963	$15,497
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Madison St	Frederick	21701	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 236-2650	618	53	11.6	77.2%	112 (18.1%)	195 (31.6%)	226 (36.6%)	27 (4.4%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (8.7%)	35.6	485^th of 859 public elementary schools	43.5%		33.5	520^th of 855 public elementary schools	39.2%	35	38.6	29.3	20.4				29.1	32.1	47.9	33.7				37.3		13.4		$19,745	$2,473	$17,272
North Frederick Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1010 Fairview Ave	Frederick	21701	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(240) 236-2000	625	45	13.7	53.6%	241 (38.6%)	122 (19.5%)	177 (28.3%)	19 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	64 (10.2%)	52.1	358^th of 859 public elementary schools	58.3%		60.4	296^th of 855 public elementary schools	65.4%	62	35.6	29.2	33.0				32.7	53.1	51.7	48.9				51.3		21.1		$17,410	$1,873	$15,538
Ballenger Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5250 Kingsbrook Dr	Frederick	21703	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 236-2500	678	41	16.4	50.0%	184 (27.1%)	161 (23.7%)	197 (29.1%)	64 (9.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	68 (10.0%)	52	359^th of 859 public elementary schools	58.2%		54.1	341^st of 855 public elementary schools	60.1%	18	33.3	45.8	24.3				34.4	50.0	65.7	41.8				52.4		16.1		$14,624	$1,082	$13,541
Tuscarora Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6321 Lambert Dr	Frederick	21703	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 566-0000	781	49	15.8	41.6%	207 (26.5%)	203 (26.0%)	224 (28.7%)	78 (10.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (8.7%)	59	313^th of 859 public elementary schools	63.6%		59.8	301^st of 855 public elementary schools	64.8%	12	54.6	33.3	25.0				37.8	55.6	56.9	56.6				56.4		19.8		$15,327	$1,032	$14,296
Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	7215 Corporate Court	Frederick	21703	Frederick County	Frederick County Public Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(301) 663-7970	314	17	18.0	28.3%	169 (53.8%)	55 (17.5%)	51 (16.2%)	21 (6.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.4%)	45.4	411^th of 859 public elementary schools	52.2%		25.7	582^nd of 855 public elementary schools	31.9%	171	26.7	20.7	20.0	10.0	32.3	16.7	25.0	63.3	51.7	40.0	73.3	68.8	75.0	62.0	72.7	16.7	39.3	$13,417	$713	$12,704

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillcrest Elementary

What schools do graduates of Hillcrest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hillcrest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : West Frederick Middle
High : Frederick High

How many students attend Hillcrest Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 575 students attended Hillcrest Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Hillcrest Elementary?

Students at Hillcrest Elementary are 78% Hispanic, 9% African American, 6% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Hillcrest Elementary in?

Frederick County Public Schools

Is Hillcrest Elementary a good school?

Hillcrest Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.9% of Maryland elementary schools.

Rate Hillcrest Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.