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Hilltop Elementary School

Q: Is Hilltop Elementary School a good school?

Hilltop Elementary School ranks 1557 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1557^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Hilltop Elementary School is a public elementary school in Wauchula, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with 264 students. The school is part of the Hardee School District, which is ranked 53 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hilltop Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores, and a very high percentage of students from low-income families. The school's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past several years, dropping from a high of 453 out of 2,112 Florida elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 1,557 out of 2,258 in the most recent 2024-2025 school year. While Hilltop's per-student spending has increased, it remains lower than some nearby schools, such as Wauchula Elementary School, which are performing better on key metrics like test scores and statewide rankings.

Addressing the root causes of Hilltop Elementary School's high chronic absenteeism and supporting its socioeconomically disadvantaged student population could be crucial for improving the school's overall performance and student outcomes. By learning from the successes of higher-performing nearby schools, Hilltop may be able to develop strategies to better serve its community and help its students thrive.

298

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,993

Per pupil spending ?

76.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2401 Us Highway 17 N
Wauchula, FL 33873

(863) 773-2750

District: Hardee

Students who attend Hilltop Elementary School usually attend:

High:	Hardee Junior High School
	Hardee Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.5%

White:

19.5%

African American:

6.0%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Hilltop Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2014 → 31st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (45% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 31% Florida)

!Ranking has slipped — down 46 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg51%

Florida avg58%

1,557^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 47 pts since 2016

From top 22% (2016) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Hardee

53^rd of 67Hardee among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	33.0	1557 of 2258	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.9	1567 of 2256	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	1525 of 2240	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.1	1070 of 2219	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.1	683 of 2247	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.1	667 of 2182	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	787 of 2118	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	76.8	453 of 2112	78.6%	★★★★☆
2016	76.0	466 of 2087	77.7%	★★★★☆
2014	74.0	485 of 2064	76.5%	★★★★☆
2013	69.4	586 of 2029	71.1%	★★★★☆
2012	59.9	799 of 1984	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.2	726 of 1985	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.6	779 of 1919	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	47.8	1034 of 1847	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math47%-14 vs state

English Language Arts46%-11 vs state

Science35%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hilltop Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)			FAST Math (2025)			Statewide Science Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hilltop Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2401 Us Highway 17 N	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-2750	298	19	15.6	76.8%	58 (19.5%)	18 (6.0%)	213 (71.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.3%)	33	1557^th of 2258 public elementary schools	31.0%		31.9	1567^th of 2256 public elementary schools	30.5%	10	29.0	57.0	51.0	20.0	51.0	69.0	35.0	$11,993	$2,161	$9,831
North Wauchula Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1120 N Florida Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-2183	516	36	14.3	76.9%	145 (28.1%)	48 (9.3%)	312 (60.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	25.3	1775^th of 2258 public elementary schools	21.4%		31.4	1582^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	29.9%	193	50.0	44.0	38.0	44.0	50.0	48.0	35.0	$12,299	$1,985	$10,313
Hardee Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	K-5	1009 N 6th Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	Yes	No	(863) 773-9058	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Wauchula Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 S Florida Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-3141	577	37	15.5	75.7%	172 (29.8%)	57 (9.9%)	331 (57.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	61.3	849^th of 2258 public elementary schools	62.4%		57.6	906^th of 2256 public elementary schools	59.8%	57	72.0	62.0	57.0	71.0	70.0	58.0	46.0	$12,166	$1,800	$10,366
Bowling Green Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4530 Church Ave	Bowling Green	33834	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-5471	260	18	14.4	82.7%	82 (31.5%)	11 (4.2%)	161 (61.9%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	37.1	1445^th of 2258 public elementary schools	36.0%		34.6	1501^st of 2256 public elementary schools	33.5%	56	51.0	44.0	43.0	45.0	59.0	64.0	45.0	$13,792	$2,195	$11,597
Zolfo Springs Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3215 School House Rd	Zolfo Springs	33890	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-5473	512	35	14.6	78.5%	187 (36.5%)	3 (0.6%)	305 (59.6%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	40	1365^th of 2258 public elementary schools	39.5%		35.5	1474^th of 2256 public elementary schools	34.7%	109	55.0	55.0	51.0	57.0	55.0	42.0	45.0	$11,916	$1,791	$10,126
Lewis Anna Woodbury Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	610 Charleston Ave S	Fort Meade	33841	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 285-1133	593	34	17.4	78.8%	179 (30.2%)	62 (10.5%)	334 (56.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.9%)	25.2	1779^th of 2258 public elementary schools	21.2%		27.4	1701^st of 2256 public elementary schools	24.6%	78	47.0	40.0	48.0	47.0	45.0	42.0	40.0	$11,466	$1,711	$9,755
Scenic Terrace K-8	Public	K-8	2799 Sr 17	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(863) 534-0500	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Avon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	705 Winthrop St	Avon Park	33825	Highlands County	Highlands	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 452-4355	503	35	14.3	68.8%	127 (25.2%)	98 (19.5%)	257 (51.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	51.1	1089^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.8%		35.8	1466^th of 2256 public elementary schools	35.0%	377	50.0	55.0	46.0	67.0	73.0	58.0	51.0	$14,653	$3,832	$10,822
Sun 'n Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4515 Ponce De Leon Blvd	Sebring	33872	Highlands County	Highlands	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 471-5464	588	33	17.8	62.9%	208 (35.4%)	139 (23.6%)	188 (32.0%)	22 (3.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.8%)	68.1	689^th of 2258 public elementary schools	69.5%		65.8	730^th of 2256 public elementary schools	67.6%	41	67.0	57.0	61.0	73.0	65.0	72.0	59.0	$10,774	$1,366	$9,408

Frequently Asked Questions about Hilltop Elementary School

What district is Hilltop Elementary School in?

Hardee

What is the racial makeup of Hilltop Elementary School?

Students at Hilltop Elementary School are 71% Hispanic, 19% White, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Hilltop Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 298 students attended Hilltop Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Hilltop Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hilltop Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Hardee Junior High School
High : Hardee Senior High School

Is Hilltop Elementary School a good school?

Hilltop Elementary School ranks 1557^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Hilltop Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.