Enrollment
1,780
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Riverside, CA
Hillcrest High
Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060243013184
👥 S:T ratio 10
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillcrest High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #13 of 14
- high schools in Riverside · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.5:1
- students per teacher
- 55.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Hillcrest High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest High ranks #13 of 14 high schools in Riverside, CA.
School address
District: Alvord Unified · California
NCES ID 060243013184 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
79.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillcrest High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillcrest High
Hillcrest High is a higher-need, large high school in Riverside, California, enrolling 1,780 students.
At 22.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,780 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 355 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #202.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and White (13%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 445 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Riverside's high schools, it stands alongside Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students): Hillcrest High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.5:1 vs 23.7:1).
Alvord Unified also operates Norte Vista High (1,804 students) and La Sierra High (1,514 students) alongside Hillcrest High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Hillcrest High compares
Hillcrest High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.1% | ▼ 1% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,780 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.5:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,780
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 58% in California - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
30.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,058
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 445 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 87 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 69.0%
White 12.9%
Asian 9.8%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Hillcrest High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alvord Unified, which includes Hillcrest High.
$16,058
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.5%
State 65.0%
Federal 15.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Hillcrest High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norte Vista High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| La Sierra High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ysmael Villegas Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Loma Vista Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arizona Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillcrest High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,804
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,514
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,136
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools in Riverside
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Martin Luther King Jr. High
Standard public school
2,699 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Polytechnic High
Standard public school
2,484 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Ramona High
Standard public school
2,142 students 23:1 students per teacher
John W. North High
Standard public school
2,011 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Arlington High
Standard public school
1,920 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Norte Vista High
Standard public school
1,804 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,780 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillcrest High's federal record.
- Compare Hillcrest High against another school. Compare schools
- Alvord Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Hillcrest High
How many students attend Hillcrest High?
Hillcrest High has 1,780 students enrolled. It is a high school in Riverside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest High?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest High is 22.5:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillcrest High?
55.1% of students at Hillcrest High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest High?
The largest demographic group at Hillcrest High is Hispanic or Latino at 69.0% of enrollment, in Riverside, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest High?
Hillcrest High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Hillcrest High rank among high schools in Riverside?
By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest High ranks #13 of 14 high schools in Riverside, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Riverside on the city page.
Is Hillcrest High a good school?
Hillcrest High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Alvord Unified?
Besides Hillcrest High, Alvord Unified also operates Norte Vista High (1,804 students), La Sierra High (1,514 students), and Ysmael Villegas Middle (1,136 students). See the Alvord Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.