The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 54% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest El
Hillcrest Elementary in Dumas, Texas is a closed school. According to publicly reported information, Dumas ISD combined the former Hillcrest and Green Acres Elementary campuses into a brand-new school, Dumas North Elementary, which opened for the 2023-24 school year. A family researching Hillcrest El by name should know that the campus no longer operates and that its students were redirected to that new facility.
What follows is context about the last available academic data attached to Hillcrest's NCES record, along with the broader Dumas setting, because a family new to the area may find both useful when thinking about where they are headed.
The most recent state assessment results tied to Hillcrest El come from the Texas STAAR exam and cover third and fourth grade only, which is consistent with an elementary school that did not serve the full tested grade range. Third-grade reading proficiency was below what most parents would hope to see, while fourth-grade reading sat at a more moderate level. Math showed a wide split: third grade came in well below grade-level expectations on the state measure, while fourth grade was notably stronger, with most students reaching the proficient threshold. Texas changed its cut scores for STAAR in that same year, which the data flags as a complicating factor, so year-over-year comparisons are not reliable. No multi-year trend data was available, and no demographic or enrollment breakdowns were present in the record. A parent interested in how students at the successor campus, Dumas North Elementary, are performing would want to ask the district directly or look for that school's own accountability results, since Hillcrest's last figures do not carry forward cleanly.
The new Dumas North Elementary, like the two other replacement campuses the district finished in 2024, was built with modern safety features including storm shelters, shatterproof windows, and classroom layouts designed around grade-level collaboration pods. The construction project took several years and was financed by a voter-approved bond measure, which added a debt tax rate that property owners in the district are currently repaying. The estimated monthly increase at the time of the bond was described as modest for an average-valued Dumas home, though prospective homeowners should verify the current tax rate with Moore County appraisal records.
Dumas itself is the county seat of Moore County and serves as the main regional hub for the High Plains area around it. The economy runs on a mix of beef processing, energy refining, agriculture, and wind power, with JBS and Valero Energy among the most publicly cited employers. JBS in particular has been described as deeply invested in local schools and youth athletic facilities. Housing in Dumas sits well below both the Texas state median and the national median, and values have been rising at a pace that outpaces the state's recent trend, which has moved slightly in the other direction. Rental index data was not available for the area.
The town is organized around a central courthouse square with a preserved historic downtown, a restored theater that hosts films and live events, and a library system serving both Dumas and the smaller community of Cactus, where Dumas ISD also operates a campus. The district runs roughly nine campuses total. Car dependence is a practical fact of life here; there is no fixed-route public transit, and the nearest commercial air service is in Amarillo, a reasonable drive to the south.
For a family moving to Dumas now, Hillcrest El as an institution is no longer the relevant question. The relevant question is how Dumas North Elementary is performing in its early years of operation, what the staffing and support structure looks like there, and how the transition from the older consolidated campuses has settled. The district would be the right starting point for those answers.
See more original research from School Decision →