Enrollment
365
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dalzell, SC
Hillcrest Middle
Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450390201079
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillcrest Middle earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Carolina schools.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.2:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 365
- students enrolled
Hillcrest Middle has class sizes larger than 95% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sumter 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390201079 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillcrest Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillcrest Middle
Hillcrest Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Dalzell, South Carolina, enrolling 365 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.2:1 is larger than about 95% of South Carolina schools and 34% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 365 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 305 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #187.
Its student body is led by African American (52%) and White (30%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 183 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Sumter 01 spends $11,507 per pupil, 21% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 176 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 365 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sumter 01 also operates Sumter High School (2,122 students) and Crestwood High (1,105 students) alongside Hillcrest Middle.
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 Middle compares
Hillcrest Middle on the metrics families compare, against South Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.2:1 | ▲ 34% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 365 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.2:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
365
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.2:1
students per teacher
- 34% above state mean
Top 95% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.4%
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
$11,507
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 183 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
95
in-school suspensions + 81 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 48.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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
African American 52.3%
White 30.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.4%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 52.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.1, Hillcrest Middle is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sumter 01, which includes Hillcrest Middle.
$11,507
Per student
-21%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 53.3%
Federal 19.7%
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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crestwood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alice Drive Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Furman Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillcrest Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,105
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 783
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~365 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillcrest Middle's federal record.
- Compare Hillcrest Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Sumter 01'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 Middle
How many students attend Hillcrest Middle?
Hillcrest Middle has 365 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dalzell, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Middle is 19.2:1, which is 34% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillcrest Middle?
100.0% of students at Hillcrest Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest Middle?
The largest demographic group at Hillcrest Middle is African American at 52.3% of enrollment, in Dalzell, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest Middle?
Hillcrest Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Hillcrest Middle a good school?
Hillcrest Middle earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Carolina schools. 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 Sumter 01?
Besides Hillcrest Middle, Sumter 01 also operates Sumter High School (2,122 students), Crestwood High (1,105 students), and Lakewood High (1,013 students). See the Sumter 01 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.