Enrollment
251
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rice Lake, WI
Hilltop Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Hilltop Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 551281001694
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hilltop Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Wisconsin schools.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Rice Lake · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 39.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Hilltop Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hilltop Elementary ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Rice Lake, WI.
School address
District: Rice Lake Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551281001694 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.7%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hilltop Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hilltop Elementary
Hilltop Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, enrolling 251 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 39.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 251 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wisconsin median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 407 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #281.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 39/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Rice Lake's elementary schools, it stands alongside Rice Lake Middle (622 students): Hilltop Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.9:1 vs 11.7:1).
Rice Lake Area School District also operates Rice Lake High (674 students) and Rice Lake Middle (622 students) alongside Hilltop Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Hilltop Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.7% | ▲ 3% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
251
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 19% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$13,892
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 76.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 3.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 76.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.1, Hilltop Elementary is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rice Lake Area School District, which includes Hilltop Elementary.
$13,892
Per student
-7%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.1%
State 39.7%
Federal 10.2%
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 Hilltop Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lake High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rice Lake Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tainter Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Haugen Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hilltop Day Care and Preschool | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hilltop Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 622
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 83
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar elementary schools in Rice Lake
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~251 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hilltop Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Hilltop Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Rice Lake Area School District'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 Elementary
How many students attend Hilltop Elementary?
Hilltop Elementary has 251 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rice Lake, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hilltop Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Hilltop Elementary is 10.9:1, which is 24% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hilltop Elementary?
39.7% of students at Hilltop Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hilltop Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Hilltop Elementary is White at 76.5% of enrollment, in Rice Lake, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hilltop Elementary?
Hilltop Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Hilltop Elementary rank among public schools in Rice Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Hilltop Elementary ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Rice Lake, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Rice Lake on the city page.
Is Hilltop Elementary a good school?
Hilltop Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Wisconsin 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 Rice Lake Area School District?
Besides Hilltop Elementary, Rice Lake Area School District also operates Rice Lake High (674 students), Rice Lake Middle (622 students), and Tainter Elementary (445 students). See the Rice Lake Area School District 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.