Enrollment
696
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Murray, UT
Hillcrest Jr High
Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest Jr High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490060000369
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillcrest Jr High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median.
- #2 of 4
- schools in Murray · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.9:1
- students per teacher
- 32.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Hillcrest Jr High has class sizes near the Utah median. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest Jr High ranks #2 of 4 schools in Murray, UT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.7%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillcrest Jr High compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillcrest Jr High
Hillcrest Jr High is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Murray, Utah, enrolling 696 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Utah schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 32.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 696 puts it in the larger third of Utah schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 250 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #55.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 278 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Murray District also operates Murray High (1,364 students) and Horizon School (664 students) alongside Hillcrest Jr 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 Jr High compares
Hillcrest Jr High on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.7% | ▲ 17% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 696 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
696
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% above the Utah average of 28.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 36% in Utah - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.3%
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
$10,367
per pupil, district-wide
- above Utah avg of $9,792
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 278 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 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
White 55.3%
Hispanic or Latino 31.6%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 55.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.9, Hillcrest Jr High is more mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murray District, which includes Hillcrest Jr High.
$10,367
Per student
+6%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.3%
State 40.1%
Federal 12.6%
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.
How Hillcrest Jr High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverview Jr High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parkside School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Viewmont School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillcrest Jr High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,364
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 664
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Utah, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~696 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillcrest Jr High's federal record.
- Compare Hillcrest Jr High against another school. Compare schools
- Murray District'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 Jr High
How many students attend Hillcrest Jr High?
Hillcrest Jr High has 696 students enrolled. It is a public school in Murray, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Jr High?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Jr High is 19.9:1, which is 7% lower than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillcrest Jr High?
32.7% of students at Hillcrest Jr High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest Jr High?
The largest demographic group at Hillcrest Jr High is White at 55.3% of enrollment, in Murray, UT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest Jr High?
Hillcrest Jr High has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Jr High rank among schools in Murray?
By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest Jr High ranks #2 of 4 schools in Murray, UT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Murray on the city page.
Is Hillcrest Jr High a good school?
Hillcrest Jr High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median. 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 Murray District?
Besides Hillcrest Jr High, Murray District also operates Murray High (1,364 students), Horizon School (664 students), and Riverview Jr High (614 students). See the Murray District 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.