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Hillcrest Elementary

Q: Is Hillcrest Elementary a good school?

Hillcrest Elementary ranks 230 th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

230^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Hillcrest Elementary is a K–5 neighborhood school serving 373 students at 9301 Thomas Rd in Bloomington, Minnesota, part of Bloomington Public Schools. It sits in the middle of the enrollment pack among its Bloomington peers, with Westwood Elementary (339 students) smaller and Olson Elementary (524) and Valley View Elementary (487) larger. The headline: after several years in the 38th–56th percentile band, Hillcrest ranked 230 of 869 Minnesota elementary schools in 2025-2026 — the 74th percentile, 4 stars — its best showing in the entire available history.

That climb shows up in the test scores. Hillcrest posts 56.7% proficiency in math, 59.0% in reading, and 43.8% in science, beating the state by 11.8, 10.4, and 18.3 points respectively, and its own district by even more (17.7, 16.7, and 23.9 points). Only Ridgeview Elementary and Hillcrest clear the state bar in all three subjects among local district schools. Hillcrest also has the lowest poverty rate in the comparison group — 20.91% free/reduced lunch in 2024-25, down three straight years from 29.18%. Just as notable, every measured student group improved, with low-income students (79th percentile) and special education students (67th percentile) now ranking above the school's overall standing. Class size is unremarkable at 14.3 students per teacher.

Ridgeview is the one nearby school clearly ahead — 94th percentile, 5 stars, 71.2% math and 73.6% reading — but it leads Hillcrest by only 3.8 points in science, where Hillcrest actually leads the whole comparison set. Meanwhile, Normandale Hills Elementary and Olson, both roughly half a mile away, sit at the 35th percentile, and Valley View is at the 3rd percentile with 83.4% FRL. Two caveats: science swings widely year to year (18.03 just one year ago), so one year shouldn't be over-read, and 5th grade math (33.3%) trails the state (41.9%) even as the rest of the school exceeds it. Hillcrest also outperforms its district overall (46th percentile, 2 stars). The open questions are whether this gain becomes a trend and whether 5th grade math catches up.

373

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,094

Per pupil spending ?

20.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

93.5%

Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 4.8% (MMR)

9301 Thomas Rd
Bloomington, MN 55431-2471

(952) 681-5300

District: Bloomington Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.8%

African American:

12.6%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Hillcrest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (56% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Bloomington Public Schools

✓Above the Minnesota median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg37%

Minnesota avg43%

230^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 9Elementary Schools in the Bloomington Public Schools

246^th of 458Bloomington Public Schools among Minnesota 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	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	72.8	230 of 869	73.5%	★★★★☆
2025	57.6	397 of 872	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	384 of 881	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	451 of 845	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.8	520 of 858	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	535 of 869	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.3	542 of 870	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.6	313 of 847	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.0	220 of 853	74.2%	★★★★☆
2016	72.0	231 of 848	72.8%	★★★★☆
2015	77.9	141 of 840	83.2%	★★★★☆
2014	77.7	132 of 826	84.0%	★★★★☆
2013	83.3	72 of 824	91.3%	★★★★★
2012	78.6	111 of 820	86.5%	★★★★☆
2011	86.0	39 of 814	95.2%	★★★★★
2010	82.2	51 of 803	93.6%	★★★★★
2009	83.6	29 of 434	93.3%	★★★★★
2008	74.5	147 of 781	81.2%	★★★★☆
2007	78.4	102 of 777	86.9%	★★★★☆
2006	83.9	46 of 756	93.9%	★★★★★
2005	83.6	39 of 685	94.3%	★★★★★
2004	72.9	151 of 676	77.7%	★★★★☆
2003	76.4	108 of 674	84.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	57.0	115 of 315	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.5	144 of 298	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	142 of 310	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	17.5	241 of 279	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	212 of 282	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.4	141 of 283	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	80.2	36 of 266	86.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	62.7	283 of 790	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.1	378 of 799	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.9	424 of 809	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.8	375 of 787	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	513 of 799	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	519 of 783	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	487 of 787	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.8	284 of 774	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	164 of 764	78.5%	★★★★☆
2025	35.1	532 of 764	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	505 of 793	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	527 of 774	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.1	599 of 663	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	31.9	503 of 683	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	489 of 740	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.1	381 of 728	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	79.8	131 of 807	83.8%	★★★★☆
2025	57.1	381 of 812	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.5	312 of 826	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.4	486 of 799	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.0	461 of 808	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.0	453 of 784	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	532 of 798	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.5	325 of 779	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	23.3	64 of 77	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	59.9	191 of 579	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.4	358 of 562	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.9	398 of 572	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	310 of 524	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.6	408 of 500	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	207 of 710	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	57.7	299 of 714	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.9	274 of 730	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	314 of 712	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.3	368 of 725	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	431 of 710	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.9	516 of 722	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.8	299 of 712	58.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Male (2026)84th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2026)63rd percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)17th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading59%+10 vs state

Math57%+12 vs state

Science44%+18 vs state

5.0

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by a parent
Monday, February 17, 2020

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Schools Near Hillcrest Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)				MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Hillcrest Elementary	Public	K-5	9301 Thomas Rd	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 681-5300	373	26	14.3	20.9%	264 (70.8%)	47 (12.6%)	21 (5.6%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.1%)	72.8	230^th of 869 public elementary schools	73.5%		57.6	397^th of 872 public elementary schools	54.5%	167	57.3	54.9	65.6	59.0	43.8	43.8	67.9	64.8	33.3	56.7	93.5%	4.8%	$14,094
New Code Academy Elementary	Public, Virtual	K-5	1301 W 104th St	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(952) 444-1234	85	8	10.7	67.1%	33 (38.8%)	28 (32.9%)	11 (12.9%)	5 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.4%)								(n/a)				56.3						40.0
Normandale Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9501 Toledo Ave S	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-7000	440	29	14.9	48.4%	207 (47.0%)	83 (18.9%)	92 (20.9%)	20 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (8.4%)	40	563^rd of 869 public elementary schools	35.2%		48.3	491^st of 872 public elementary schools	43.7%	72	42.7	47.8	43.1	44.7	12.3	12.3	50.0	54.3	20.5	42.7	79.5%	16.7%	$13,924
Olson Elementary	Public	K-5	4501 W 102nd St	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-8800	524	32	16.4	40.5%	243 (46.4%)	109 (20.8%)	87 (16.6%)	39 (7.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (7.8%)	40.2	561^st of 869 public elementary schools	35.4%		47.7	499^th of 872 public elementary schools	42.8%	62	37.4	51.2	39.4	42.4	16.8	16.8	57.1	50.0	26.0	43.9	89%	11%	$13,140
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 W 104th St	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 681-6800	435	29	14.8	45.1%	182 (41.8%)	67 (15.4%)	68 (15.6%)	57 (13.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (13.6%)	59	361^st of 869 public elementary schools	58.5%		53.8	438^th of 872 public elementary schools	49.8%	77	46.1	41.5	58.1	48.8	42.4	42.4	61.3	42.7	44.7	49.2	90.2%	8.2%	$14,288
Poplar Bridge Elementary	Public	K-5	8401 Palmer Rd	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 681-5400	475	34	13.9	32.6%	279 (58.7%)	48 (10.1%)	74 (15.6%)	29 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (9.3%)	58.5	366^th of 869 public elementary schools	57.9%		60.4	364^th of 872 public elementary schools	58.3%	2	50.0	54.3	52.1	52.2	31.0	31.0	55.8	55.9	33.8	49.6	90.8%	5.7%	$14,294
Westwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3701 W 108th St	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-7200	339	26	12.8	50.7%	160 (47.2%)	75 (22.1%)	59 (17.4%)	13 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.4%)	31.1	635^th of 869 public elementary schools	26.9%		23.6	690^th of 872 public elementary schools	20.9%	55	26.3	32.0	45.8	35.8	24.3	24.3	44.1	26.0	30.6	33.7	79.5%	20.5%	$17,686
Compass Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	10640 Lyndale Ave S	Bloomington	55420	Hennepin County	New Century School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(952) 600-9250	245	14	17.5	89.0%	2 (0.8%)	240 (98.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	37.8	577^th of 869 public elementary schools	33.6%		29.9	647^th of 872 public elementary schools	25.8%	70	32.5	61.3	35.1	41.7	10.8	10.8	57.5	61.3	10.8	42.6	30.6%	58.1%
Ridgeview Elementary	Public	K-5	9400 Nesbitt Rd	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-7100	390	28	13.8	23.8%	265 (67.9%)	51 (13.1%)	23 (5.9%)	10 (2.6%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	37 (9.5%)	89.4	48^th of 869 public elementary schools	94.5%		86.7	77^th of 872 public elementary schools	91.2%	29	71.4	75.7	73.2	73.6	40.0	40.0	74.6	74.3	64.8	71.2	90.2%	9.8%	$13,266
Valley View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	351 E 88th St	Bloomington	55420	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 681-5700	487	33	14.5	83.4%	63 (12.9%)	117 (24.0%)	240 (49.3%)	23 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.8%)	4.5	843^rd of 869 public elementary schools	3.0%		6.1	825^th of 872 public elementary schools	5.4%	18	16.9	17.1	15.5	16.5	4.8	4.8	13.4	6.9	1.2	7.1	84.8%	11.4%	$17,291

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillcrest Elementary

What district is Hillcrest Elementary in?

Bloomington Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Hillcrest Elementary?

Students at Hillcrest Elementary are 71% White, 13% African American, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Is Hillcrest Elementary a good school?

Hillcrest Elementary ranks 230^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hillcrest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Hillcrest Elementary.

Rate Hillcrest Elementary!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2022–23 dropout ratesNewNov 13, 2026

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

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