Enrollment
519
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530354000532
Hilltop Elementary — Seattle, WA
Federal NCES profile for Hilltop Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 67
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
District: Highline School District · Washington
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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.9%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hilltop Elementary compares with Washington 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
Hilltop Elementary reports 519 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Washington average and 18% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Highline School District spends $22,200 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.7% from local sources (property taxes), 55.7% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Hilltop Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▲ 7% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.9% | ▲ 35% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 519 | top 71% | — | — |
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
60.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 75% in Washington — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.1%
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
$22,200
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 519 Top 71% in Washington — larger than 29% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.9% +35% vs state
NCES ID 530354000532
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 66.3%
Asian 15.0%
Two or More 6.4%
White 6.0%
African American 5.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.1%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highline School District, which includes Hilltop Elementary.
$22,200
Per student
-4%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 55.7%
Federal 14.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,423
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar other schools in Seattle
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Summit Public School: Atlas
Standard public school
566 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
White Center Heights Elementary
Standard public school
527 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Mount View Elementary
Standard public school
460 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Louisa Boren Stem K-8
Standard public school
437 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Beverly Park Elem at Glendale
Standard public school
411 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Cedar Park Elementary School
Standard public school
254 students 17.4:1 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 Hilltop Elementary
How many students attend Hilltop Elementary?
Hilltop Elementary has 519 students enrolled. It is a other school in Seattle, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hilltop Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Hilltop Elementary is 19:1, which is 7% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hilltop Elementary?
60.9% of students at Hilltop Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hilltop Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Hilltop Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 66.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Seattle, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hilltop Elementary?
Hilltop Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.