Enrollment
179
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050007101010
Hillcrest High School — Strawberry, AR
Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 84
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 58
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Hillcrest School District · Arkansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.3%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillcrest High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Hillcrest High School reports 179 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 4.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 70% below the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 74% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the Arkansas average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 358 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hillcrest School District spends $26,362 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.8% from the state, and 17.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Hillcrest High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arkansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4.1:1 | ▼ 70% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.3% | ▼ 23% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 179 | top 11% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
45.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
4.1:1
students per teacher
— 70% below state mean
Top 2% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$26,362
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 358 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 179 Top 11% in Arkansas — larger than 89% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 4.1:1 -70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.3% -23% vs state
NCES ID 050007101010
Student demographics
White 93.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
Two or More 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 93.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 358:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillcrest School District, which includes Hillcrest High School.
$26,362
Per student
+85%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 57.8%
Federal 17.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 263
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Hillcrest High School
How many students attend Hillcrest High School?
Hillcrest High School has 179 students enrolled. It is a other school in STRAWBERRY, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest High School is 4.1:1, which is 70% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 74% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillcrest High School?
45.3% of students at Hillcrest High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest High School?
The largest demographic group at Hillcrest High School is White at 93.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in STRAWBERRY, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest High School?
Hillcrest High School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.