Enrollment
195
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlowton, MT
Hillcrest School
Federal NCES profile for Hillcrest School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301347000401
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillcrest School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Harlowton · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 195
- students enrolled
Hillcrest School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Harlowton, MT.
School address
District: Harlowton K-12 · Montana
NCES ID 301347000401 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillcrest School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillcrest School
Hillcrest School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Harlowton, Montana, enrolling 195 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 195 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 195 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harlowton K-12 also operates Harlowton High School (66 students) and Hillcrest 7-8 (37 students) alongside Hillcrest 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 School compares
Hillcrest School on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▲ 18% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 195 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
195
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 66% in Montana - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.8%
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
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 195 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 87.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 87.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.3, Hillcrest School is about as mixed as the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlowton K-12, which includes Hillcrest School.
$18,101
Per student
-6%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.3%
State 30.0%
Federal 20.6%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlowton High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillcrest School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 66
- Students per teacher
- 7.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 37
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Montana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~195 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillcrest School's federal record.
- Compare Hillcrest School against another school. Compare schools
- Harlowton K-12'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 School
How many students attend Hillcrest School?
Hillcrest School has 195 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harlowton, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillcrest School is 13.9:1, which is 18% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillcrest School?
The largest demographic group at Hillcrest School is White at 87.2% of enrollment, in Harlowton, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillcrest School?
Hillcrest School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 School rank among public schools in Harlowton?
By Resource Investment Index, Hillcrest School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Harlowton, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Harlowton on the city page.
Is Hillcrest School a good school?
Hillcrest School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana 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 Harlowton K-12?
Besides Hillcrest School, Harlowton K-12 also operates Harlowton High School (66 students) and Hillcrest 7-8 (37 students). See the Harlowton K-12 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.