Enrollment
431
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 484428005048
Hillcrest Pds Magnet — Waco, TX
Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest Pds Magnet, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 59
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
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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillcrest Pds Magnet compares with Texas 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 Pds Magnet reports 431 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% above the Texas average and 22% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 431 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waco Isd spends $15,641 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.6% from local sources (property taxes), 33.9% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Pds Magnet compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.4% | ▲ 2% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 431 | top 40% | — | — |
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
63.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 67% in Texas — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.5%
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
$15,641
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 431 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 431 Top 40% in Texas — larger than 60% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.4% +2% vs state
NCES ID 484428005048
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 56.4%
White 23.7%
African American 14.4%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 431:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.5%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes Hillcrest Pds Magnet.
$15,641
Per student
-9%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 33.9%
Federal 19.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar other schools in Waco
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Bell'S Hill El
Standard public school
786 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Lake Air Montessori School
Standard public school
734 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Dean Highland El
Standard public school
617 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
South Bosque El
Standard public school
578 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Acad (Waco)
Standard public school
569 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Woodway El
Standard public school
547 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
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 Pds Magnet
How many students attend Hillcrest Pds Magnet?
Hillcrest Pds Magnet has 431 students enrolled. It is a other school in WACO, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Pds Magnet?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest Pds Magnet is 15.7:1, which is 8% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillcrest Pds Magnet?
63.4% of students at Hillcrest Pds Magnet are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest Pds Magnet?
The largest demographic group at Hillcrest Pds Magnet is Hispanic or Latino at 56.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in WACO, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest Pds Magnet?
Hillcrest Pds Magnet has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.