Enrollment
788
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Argyle, TX
Hilltop El
Federal NCES profile for Hilltop El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480867000230
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hilltop El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Argyle · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Texas
- 6.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Hilltop El has class sizes larger than 75% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hilltop El ranks #3 of 3 schools in Argyle, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-89% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hilltop El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hilltop El
Hilltop El is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Argyle, Texas, enrolling 788 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.9% free-meal eligibility runs 89% below the Texas average.
Enrollment of 788 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 442 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #277.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 788 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Argyle Isd spends $10,647 per pupil, 22% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Argyle Isd also operates Argyle H S (1,644 students) and Argyle Middle (969 students) alongside Hilltop El.
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 Hilltop El compares
Hilltop El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.9% | ▼ 89% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 788 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
788
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 89% below the Texas average of 61.9%
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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 75% in Texas - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,647
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 788 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 67.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Asian 12.7%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.6, Hilltop El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Argyle Isd, which includes Hilltop El.
$10,647
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.3%
State 19.0%
Federal 4.7%
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 Hilltop El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argyle H S | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Argyle Middle | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Argyle South El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Argyle West | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hilltop El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,644
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 969
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 783
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~788 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hilltop El's federal record.
- Compare Hilltop El against another school. Compare schools
- Argyle Isd'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 Hilltop El
How many students attend Hilltop El?
Hilltop El has 788 students enrolled. It is a public school in Argyle, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hilltop El?
The student-teacher ratio at Hilltop El is 16.4:1, which is 12% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hilltop El?
6.9% of students at Hilltop El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hilltop El?
The largest demographic group at Hilltop El is White at 67.8% of enrollment, in Argyle, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hilltop El?
Hilltop El has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Hilltop El rank among schools in Argyle?
By Resource Investment Index, Hilltop El ranks #3 of 3 schools in Argyle, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Argyle on the city page.
Is Hilltop El a good school?
Hilltop El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Texas 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 Argyle Isd?
Besides Hilltop El, Argyle Isd also operates Argyle H S (1,644 students), Argyle Middle (969 students), and Argyle South El (783 students). See the Argyle Isd 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.