Hillcrest Elem, Lawrence KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest Elem

Hillcrest Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade public school in Lawrence, Kansas, part of the Lawrence Public Schools district. It is a neighborhood school in a city dominated by the presence of the University of Kansas, a major employer that gives the area its central character. Lawrence is a dense suburban college town where most residents rent, and the economy is built around education, healthcare, and light manufacturing. This setting means many families have ties to the university or local hospitals, and the student body at Hillcrest reflects a diverse mix of backgrounds.

The school’s enrollment of just over 400 students is notably diverse. White students make up the largest single group but not a majority, with significant populations of Hispanic students, students who identify as two or more races, Black students, and Asian students. More than 60 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that indicates a substantial share of families are navigating economic constraints. This economic profile is a concrete piece of context for understanding the school’s resource needs and the challenges some families may face.

On state assessments, Hillcrest’s results present a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through five fall in a range that is below what many families would hope to see, with the highest grade-level performance still landing below the majority of students reaching the proficient level. Math results are lower still, with proficiency rates that would concern many parents, particularly in fourth grade, where the share of students meeting the bar is notably soft. Fifth-grade science results are stronger, with a slim majority of students meeting the proficiency standard. Because the state changed its scoring standards for these tests, comparing these results to prior years is not straightforward, a factor families may want to ask the school about directly. When placed against other districts in Douglas County, Hillcrest’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the bottom quartile. That comparison is limited to the three other districts in the county, a small set that includes Lawrence’s own other schools.

As an elementary school, Hillcrest does not have a graduation rate, a measure that applies only to high schools. The data provided does not include information on chronic absenteeism, staffing levels, course access, or discipline, so those dimensions of the school environment remain unexamined here. Families interested in class size, teacher experience, or the availability of specialized services such as gifted programs or English learner support would need to ask the school directly.

The housing context in Lawrence is important for a family considering this attendance zone. Home values in the area are above the state benchmark but near the national median, and rents have been rising. The typical monthly mortgage payment is higher than the typical rent, meaning buying a home is more expensive than renting, a dynamic that reinforces the city’s high rental rate. Families moving into the Hillcrest attendance area should expect a market that favors renters and where home prices have grown moderately in recent years.

Hillcrest Elementary serves a diverse, economically mixed community in a college town with a strong sense of place. The academic results on state tests are a soft spot that warrants direct conversation with the school about what supports are in place and how progress is being addressed. There are no recent district-level changes publicly reported that would alter the basic picture. For families who value diversity of background in their child’s peer group and who are comfortable in a Lawrence neighborhood school setting, Hillcrest offers a straightforward public elementary option, but the proficiency data gives a clear reason to ask how the school is working to raise achievement, particularly in math.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 45% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 47% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 44% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 58% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 54% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 55% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolLawrence, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income87%51 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income81%46 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income71%47 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income87%66 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income61%44 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income58%40 pp gap