Middle school (grades 6-8) · Glendale, AZ

Hillcrest Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040775001503
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
28
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
41
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Hillcrest Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.

#29 of 80
public schools in Glendale · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
17.9:1
students per teacher
10.9%
free-lunch eligible

Hillcrest Middle School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest Middle School ranks #29 of 80 public schools in Glendale, AZ.

Enrollment

732

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

41.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.9:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

+5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

10.9%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

-77% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Hillcrest Middle School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Hillcrest Middle School

Hillcrest Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Glendale, Arizona, enrolling 732 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.9% free-meal eligibility runs 77% below the Arizona average.

Enrollment of 732 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 207 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #80.

Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 45/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 293 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Deer Valley Unified District (4246) spends $9,561 per pupil, 27% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Deer Valley Unified District (4246) also operates Mountain Ridge High School (2,823 students) and Sandra Day O'connor High School (2,658 students) alongside Hillcrest Middle School.

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 School compares

Hillcrest Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arizona Arizona avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.9:1 ▲ 5% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 10.9% ▼ 77% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 732 top 19% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.9:1
Leaner classes than 25% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
732
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
10.9%
free-lunch eligible - 77% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher - 5% above state mean
Top 62% in Arizona - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.1%
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
$9,561
per pupil, district-wide - below Arizona avg of $13,145
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 293 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
96
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.6 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 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino 18.9%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 2.6%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: White at 71.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 45.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 45.2, Hillcrest Middle School is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Deer Valley Unified District (4246), which includes Hillcrest Middle School.

$9,561
Per student
-27%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.9%
State 38.6%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mountain Ridge High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sandra Day O'connor High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Boulder Creek High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Deer Valley High School Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Barry Goldwater High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Hillcrest Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Deer Valley Unified District (4246) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Arizona, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Hillcrest Middle School's federal record.

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 School

How many students attend Hillcrest Middle School?

Hillcrest Middle School has 732 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Glendale, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Middle School is 17.9:1, which is 5% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillcrest Middle School?

10.9% of students at Hillcrest Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Hillcrest Middle School is White at 71.4% of enrollment, in Glendale, AZ.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest Middle School?

Hillcrest Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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).

How does Hillcrest Middle School rank among public schools in Glendale?

By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest Middle School ranks #29 of 80 public schools in Glendale, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Glendale on the city page.

Is Hillcrest Middle School a good school?

Hillcrest Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona 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 Deer Valley Unified District (4246)?

Besides Hillcrest Middle School, Deer Valley Unified District (4246) also operates Mountain Ridge High School (2,823 students), Sandra Day O'connor High School (2,658 students), and Boulder Creek High School (2,221 students). See the Deer Valley Unified District (4246) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.