Is Hilltop Heritage Middle School a good school?

Hilltop Heritage Middle School ranks 369 th of 535 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hilltop Heritage Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 524 students attended Hilltop Heritage Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Hilltop Heritage Middle School?

Students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School are 44% White, 18% Two or more races, 16% African American, 14% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 3% Pacific Islander.

What high school do graduates of Hilltop Heritage Middle School attend?

Students who attend Hilltop Heritage Middle School usually go on to attend Stadium High School

Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Summary:

Hilltop Heritage Middle School is a public middle school in Tacoma, Washington, serving 524 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Tacoma School District, which is ranked 152 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hilltop Heritage has a more diverse student population compared to nearby schools, with higher percentages of African American, Hispanic, and multi-racial students. However, the school consistently ranks in the bottom half of Washington middle schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math significantly lower than the district and state averages. Particularly concerning are the poor performances of the school's African American, multi-racial, special education, and low socioeconomic status student subgroups, which rank in the bottom 10-20% of middle schools statewide. Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $18,563, these academic outcomes suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to address the significant achievement gaps.

Interestingly, Hilltop Heritage's performance lags behind nearby schools like Mason Middle School, Bryant Montessori Middle School, and Meeker Middle School, raising questions about the factors contributing to the differences in academic outcomes. The school's diverse student population may present unique challenges, and a more targeted approach to addressing the specific needs of its students could be beneficial.

Detail:

Public 6-8

602 N Sprague Ave
Tacoma, WA 98403

(253) 571-7700

District: Tacoma School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
369^th of 535 Washington Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,563

Students who attend Hilltop Heritage Middle School usually attend:

High:

Stadium High School

Feeder schools for Hilltop Heritage Middle School:

Elementary:	Bryant Montessori School
	Edna Travis Elementary School
	Grant Elementary School
	Lowell Elementary School
	More...
	Stanley Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.9

Number of students: 524

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.9%

Two or more races:

17.6%

African American:

15.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 60.1%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Hilltop Heritage Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hilltop Heritage Middle School ranks worse than 69% of middle schools in Washington. It also ranks 7^th among 13 ranked middle schools in the Tacoma School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 30.39. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Hilltop Heritage Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (43.9%), two or more races (17.6%), African American (15.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 60.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Hilltop Heritage Middle School is 16.9, which is the 6^th best among 13 middle schools in the Tacoma School District. (See more...)

Compare Hilltop Heritage Middle School employs 30.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hilltop Heritage Middle School is $18,563, which is the 6^th highest among 13 middle schools in the Tacoma School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hilltop Heritage Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Hilltop Heritage Middle School 369^th of 535 Washington public middle schools. (See Hilltop Heritage Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Tacoma School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Tacoma School District 152^nd of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Hilltop Heritage Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	8.39	407^th	421	3.3%
2005	16.53	373^rd	425	12.2%
2006	14.51	403^rd	449	10.2%
2007	11.90	435^th	463	6.0%
2008	15.54	416^th	466	10.7%
2009	12.70	442^nd	476	7.1%
2010	10.10	451^st	483	6.6%
2011	16.88	440^th	492	10.6%
2012	22.22	413^th	497	16.9%
2013	19.34	429^th	498	13.9%
2015	17.62	376^th	445	15.5%
2016	27.82	325^th	443	26.6%
2017	24.06	339^th	435	22.1%
2018	19.55	357^th	437	18.3%
2019	18.68	438^th	512	14.5%
2021	35.35	341^st	529	35.5%
2022	40.33	304^th	541	43.8%
2023	32.16	357^th	539	33.8%
2024	30.39	369^th	535	31.0%

See the entire list of Washington Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	22.83	134^th	166	19.3%
2019	22.46	204^th	246	17.1%
2021	16.76	224^th	250	10.4%
2022	21.38	214^th	257	16.7%
2023	12.15	226^th	244	7.4%
2024	11.63	232^nd	243	4.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	15.36	261^st	268	2.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.36	322^nd	349	7.7%
2019	15.87	411^th	448	8.3%
2021	29.78	332^nd	458	27.5%
2022	32.87	335^th	475	29.5%
2023	14.86	415^th	463	10.4%
2024	15.27	412^th	455	9.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	16.28	56^th	59	5.1%
2022	68.38	6^th	33	81.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	23.37	301^st	376	19.9%
2019	24.66	363^rd	452	19.7%
2021	29.57	333^rd	469	29.0%
2022	38.65	284^th	479	40.7%
2023	28.89	337^th	464	27.4%
2024	32.71	320^th	464	31.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.32	329^th	371	11.3%
2019	14.12	410^th	453	9.5%
2021	41.26	266^th	476	44.1%
2022	40.04	276^th	480	42.5%
2023	33.58	313^th	470	33.4%
2024	29.08	328^th	466	29.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	19.73	61^st	66	7.6%
2019	25.17	93^rd	111	16.2%
2021	14.63	101^st	106	4.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	12.73	248^th	259	4.2%
2019	16.98	308^th	344	10.5%
2021	47.05	160^th	353	54.7%
2022	56.39	130^th	360	63.9%
2023	34.51	217^th	336	35.4%
2024	31.50	237^th	344	31.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	34.32	217^th	325	33.2%
2019	38.21	313^th	470	33.4%
2021	57.49	187^th	480	61.0%
2022	55.54	198^th	488	59.4%
2023	61.63	161^st	488	67.0%
2024	53.43	214^th	486	56.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, 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: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My son is a 6th grader at Jason Lee this year. The principal and all teachers have been absolutely wonderful. They have done everything possible to make his transition into middle school easier. Mr. Kellet actually started last year by letting the kids come and spend the day with a buddy to see how it went. Whenever I have had a concern, the principal has emailed or called me back within an hour. I scheduled a meeting with my son's Advisory teacher and all his other teachers popped in to tell me how much they are enjoying my son in their class and talked to me about anything they could do to make school great for him. He even receives postcards in the mail telling him he is doing awesome in a class that he had struggled in before. Mr. Kellet is very hands on. When we were taking a tour through the school during school hours, he went and shook every students hand and knew each and every one by name. I actually opted my son out of the middle school he was suppose to go to and sent him to Jason Lee. It has been a wonderful decision and I am so impressed by the teachers and the principal. My son is loving it and really exceeding in grades more than I expected. This school has had a bad rap in the past, but it seems to be the best decision for my son. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Hilltop Heritage Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	369	155	128	9	14	n/a	n/a	0	675
1989	284	180	113	11	11	n/a	n/a	0	599
1990	278	193	110	16	11	n/a	n/a	0	608
1991	322	202	83	23	11	n/a	n/a	0	641
1992	382	234	103	21	15	n/a	n/a	0	755
1993	396	265	89	25	17	n/a	n/a	0	792
1994	377	258	107	33	14	n/a	n/a	0	789
1995	300	254	131	33	12	n/a	n/a	0	730
1996	300	254	131	33	12	n/a	n/a	0	730
1997	235	240	123	28	14	n/a	n/a	0	640
1998	211	200	117	31	12	n/a	n/a	0	571
1999	292	210	119	17	20	n/a	n/a	0	658
2000	301	226	85	28	13	n/a	n/a	0	653
2001	319	257	80	35	14	n/a	n/a	0	705
2002	314	354	75	56	22	n/a	n/a	0	821
2003	314	354	75	56	22	n/a	n/a	0	821
2004	277	317	53	39	16	n/a	n/a	0	702
2005	248	249	46	35	15	n/a	n/a	0	593
2006	221	236	45	42	14	n/a	n/a	0	558
2007	176	218	49	42	15	n/a	n/a	0	500
2008	144	179	53	50	12	n/a	n/a	0	438
2009	149	207	48	47	23	n/a	n/a	0	474
2010	162	195	41	45	17	n/a	n/a	0	460
2011	146	175	25	41	12	6	44	0	449
2012	195	174	17	41	10	6	54	0	497
2013	234	186	18	49	18	9	10	0	524
2014	298	187	26	47	16	13	16	0	603
2015	269	197	24	59	13	14	18	0	594
2016	269	179	24	66	9	18	26	0	591
2017	229	160	30	72	10	11	24	0	536
2018	225	145	25	86	9	15	42	0	547
2019	239	140	23	99	14	14	62	0	591
2020	249	133	24	91	5	16	92	0	610
2021	247	126	20	88	5	16	101	1	604
2022	238	97	13	82	3	19	95	4	551
2023	230	83	23	73	3	17	92	3	524

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 Heritage Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	675	36.0	18.7	0
1989	599	34.0	17.6	n/a
1990	608	37.5	16.2	0
1991	641	40.6	15.7	n/a
1992	755	38.2	19.7	n/a
1993	792	42.1	18.8	n/a
1994	789	46.2	17.1	n/a
1995	730	43.6	16.7	n/a
1996	730	43.6	16.7	n/a
1997	640	38.4	16.7	n/a
1998	571	34.4	16.6	n/a
1999	658	39.5	16.7	n/a
2000	653	42.2	15.5	n/a
2001	705	48.8	14.4	n/a
2002	821	47.3	17.4	79.8
2003	821	47.3	17.4	79.8
2004	702	44.0	16.0	76.2
2005	593	44.0	13.5	80.6
2006	558	34.2	16.3	79.4
2007	500	33.4	15.0	76.8
2008	438	34.8	12.6	80.6
2009	474	33.8	14.0	78.5
2010	460	31.0	14.8	80.9
2011	449	35.5	12.6	70.8
2012	497	39.4	12.5	53.7
2013	524	37.5	13.9	72.3
2014	603	n/a	n/a	67.8
2015	594	34.0	17.4	70.2
2016	591	34.0	17.3	68.9
2017	536	30.7	17.4	62.3
2018	547	29.4	18.5	60.3
2019	591	29.0	20.3	61.1
2020	610	31.8	19.1	61.3
2021	604	32.0	18.8	62.9
2022	551	30.0	18.3	60.8
2023	524	30.9	16.9	60.1

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 Hilltop Heritage Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	675	36.0	18.7	0
1989	599	34.0	17.6	n/a
1990	608	37.5	16.2	0
1991	641	40.6	15.7	n/a
1992	755	38.2	19.7	n/a
1993	792	42.1	18.8	n/a
1994	789	46.2	17.1	n/a
1995	730	43.6	16.7	n/a
1996	730	43.6	16.7	n/a
1997	640	38.4	16.7	n/a
1998	571	34.4	16.6	n/a
1999	658	39.5	16.7	n/a
2000	653	42.2	15.5	n/a
2001	705	48.8	14.4	n/a
2002	821	47.3	17.4	79.8
2003	821	47.3	17.4	79.8
2004	702	44.0	16.0	76.2
2005	593	44.0	13.5	80.6
2006	558	34.2	16.3	79.4
2007	500	33.4	15.0	76.8
2008	438	34.8	12.6	80.6
2009	474	33.8	14.0	78.5
2010	460	31.0	14.8	80.9
2011	449	35.5	12.6	70.8
2012	497	39.4	12.5	53.7
2013	524	37.5	13.9	72.3
2014	603	n/a	n/a	67.8
2015	594	34.0	17.4	70.2
2016	591	34.0	17.3	68.9
2017	536	30.7	17.4	62.3
2018	547	29.4	18.5	60.3
2019	591	29.0	20.3	61.1
2020	610	31.8	19.1	61.3
2021	604	32.0	18.8	62.9
2022	551	30.0	18.3	60.8
2023	524	30.9	16.9	60.1

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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