The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest Jr High
Hillcrest Jr High sits in the Murray City School District, serving students in grades seven through nine from its location in the heart of Salt Lake County. As a junior high occupying a specific three-grade span, it does not yield a graduation rate, a gap that reflects its grade band rather than any missing performance measure.
The school’s enrollment runs large for a single-grade-band building. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Nearly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a meaningful indicator of economic diversity among the families the school serves.
On state testing, the picture is mixed. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above sits below the middle among Salt Lake County districts. In English language arts, the school lands very close to the county midpoint by the same measure. Science proficiency falls slightly above the middle of the county pack. These are not standout numbers, and a parent comparing Hillcrest to nearby schools that post higher scores would want to look closely at how the school approaches instruction and support in those subjects, particularly math. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects places Hillcrest above the midpoint among the nearly four dozen districts in Salt Lake County, a moderate position. State testing data comes from Utah’s RISE assessments, and there is no multi-year trend information available here, so it is not possible to tell from this evidence whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining.
Murray itself is a nearly built-out city that has shifted from a heavy-industry base toward healthcare, retail, and professional services. Housing values in the area are near the state average, and rents have edged downward recently but remain a substantial monthly cost. The city’s central valley location means families have relatively short access to employment and transit; three TRAX light-rail stations and a FrontRunner commuter rail stop serve Murray. The district operates ten schools spread across city neighborhoods rather than on a single campus. The district brief turned up no major recent changes or initiatives publicly reported, so families looking for insights on strategic direction or programmatic shifts may want to ask the district office directly.
Hillcrest is a large junior high in a stable, built-out suburban city, with a student population that is economically diverse and a performance profile that sits around the middle of a wide county field. For a family weighing junior high options within Murray or across Salt Lake County, the school offers a conventional junior high experience with no standout academic peaks but no alarm bells either. A parent whose child needs strong math support or who prioritizes high absolute proficiency rates might have more questions. But for a family seeking a reasonably representative middle-of-the-road junior high in a well-established Salt Lake Valley suburb, Hillcrest fits that description.
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