Enrollment
1,481
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · El Cajon, CA
Hillsdale Middle
Federal NCES profile for Hillsdale Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060681005234
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillsdale Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 6
- middle schools in El Cajon · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.5:1
- students per teacher
- 48.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Hillsdale Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hillsdale Middle ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in El Cajon, CA.
School address
District: Cajon Valley Union · California
NCES ID 060681005234 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillsdale Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillsdale Middle
Hillsdale Middle is a large middle school in El Cajon, California, enrolling 1,481 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.5:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 48.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,481 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 400 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #78.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 370 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among El Cajon's middle schools, it stands alongside Cajon Valley Middle (942 students): Hillsdale Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.5:1 vs 19.6:1).
Cajon Valley Union also operates Naranca Elementary (985 students) and Cajon Valley Middle (942 students) alongside Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale Middle compares
Hillsdale Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.8% | ▼ 12% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,481 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,481
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 67% in California - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.5%
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
$17,179
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 370 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
79
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 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 26.8%
Two or More 9.6%
Asian 4.0%
African American 3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 55.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.0, Hillsdale Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cajon Valley Union, which includes Hillsdale Middle.
$17,179
Per student
+4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.3%
State 58.5%
Federal 13.2%
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 Hillsdale Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naranca Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cajon Valley Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Montgomery Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lexington Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johnson Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillsdale Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 985
- Students per teacher
- 30.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 878
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar middle schools in El Cajon
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Cajon Valley Middle
Standard public school
942 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Montgomery Middle
Standard public school
929 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Greenfield Middle
Standard public school
730 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Los Coches Creek Middle
Standard public school
518 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Eje Middle Academy
Standard public school
254 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,481 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillsdale Middle's federal record.
- Compare Hillsdale Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Cajon Valley Union'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 Hillsdale Middle
How many students attend Hillsdale Middle?
Hillsdale Middle has 1,481 students enrolled. It is a middle school in El Cajon, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillsdale Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillsdale Middle is 23.5:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hillsdale Middle?
48.8% of students at Hillsdale Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillsdale Middle?
The largest demographic group at Hillsdale Middle is White at 55.3% of enrollment, in El Cajon, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillsdale Middle?
Hillsdale Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Hillsdale Middle rank among middle schools in El Cajon?
By Resource Investment Index, Hillsdale Middle ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in El Cajon, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in El Cajon on the city page.
Is Hillsdale Middle a good school?
Hillsdale Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California 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 Cajon Valley Union?
Besides Hillsdale Middle, Cajon Valley Union also operates Naranca Elementary (985 students), Cajon Valley Middle (942 students), and Montgomery Middle (929 students). See the Cajon Valley Union 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.