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Hill City Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-4

704^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Hill City Elementary is a small, rural public school in Hill City, MN, serving about 112 students in grades PK–4 as part of the Hill City Public School District.

In 2025–2026, Hill City Elementary ranked 704th of 869 Minnesota schools (19th percentile, 1 star), down from 389th of 872 (55th percentile, 3 stars) in 2024–2025. That is a sharp one-year drop from a mid-to-upper state percentile to a low one. For 2025–2026, math proficiency was 28.9% and reading was 36.8%, above the district’s all-grade averages of 12.5% in math and 31.3% in reading, but below the state’s 44.9% in math and 48.6% in reading. Math had been a relative strength, with 67.74% proficiency in 2024–2025, 54.29% in 2023–2024, and 67.74% in 2022–2023, all above state math averages. Reading lagged the state in each of those years, making it the more persistent concern. The school’s 12:1 student-teacher ratio is favorable, and 62.5% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025; with only 112 students, small cohorts can cause large percentage swings.

Compared with nearby schools, Hill City Elementary is the smallest in its comparison group. In 2025–2026, its results were closer to Northland Elementary (16.9% math, 22.1% reading) than to Cohasset Elementary (54.4% math, 61.3% reading) or East Rapids Elementary (58.7% math, 62.2% reading). The district context is also weak: Hill City Public School District ranks 386th of 458 (16th percentile, 1 star), while Grand Rapids Public School District ranks 202nd of 458 (56th percentile, 3 stars) and Northland Community Schools ranks 380th of 458. The key question for parents is whether 2025–2026 was an unusual small-cohort year or the start of a sustained decline; reading and support for student groups whose effectiveness has weakened deserve the closest attention.

112

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,261

Per pupil spending ?

62.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 Ione Ave
Hill City, MN 55748-9600

(218) 697-2394

District: Hill City Public School District

Students who attend Hill City Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hill City Middle School
High:	Hill City Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.7%

Two or more races:

12.5%

Hispanic:

1.8%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 56th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (33% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 37 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg22%

Minnesota avg47%

704^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

386^th of 458Hill City Public School District 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	23.0	704 of 869	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	58.5	389 of 872	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	575 of 881	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.4	364 of 845	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	449 of 858	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.7	653 of 869	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	712 of 870	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.0	699 of 847	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	49.2	517 of 853	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	61.0	376 of 848	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.7	491 of 840	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	57.4	415 of 826	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	41.5	578 of 824	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	29.0	686 of 820	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.0	666 of 814	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	53.7	477 of 803	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.7	188 of 434	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.8	301 of 781	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.3	394 of 777	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	32.0	637 of 756	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.2	587 of 685	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	27.2	569 of 676	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	37.1	511 of 674	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	593 of 790	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	36.0	530 of 740	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.0	475 of 728	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	6.0	697 of 710	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	47.9	396 of 714	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	519 of 712	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.9	459 of 725	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	4.8	702 of 710	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.3	714 of 722	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	706 of 712	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)28th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)25th percentile+6 vs school

White (2026)2nd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading37%-12 vs state

Math29%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hill City 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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)				MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	Total
Hill City Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	500 Ione Ave	Hill City	55748	Aitkin County	Hill City Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 697-2394	112	9	12.0	62.5%	96 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (12.5%)	23	704^th of 869 public elementary schools	19.0%		58.5	389^th of 872 public elementary schools	55.4%	315	38.9	35.0		36.8			33.3	25.0		28.9	$17,261
Northland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	316 Main St E	Remer	56672	Cass County	Northland Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 566-2351	185	23	8.0	77.3%	108 (58.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (36.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	12.5	771^st of 869 public elementary schools	11.3%		16.1	744^th of 872 public elementary schools	14.7%	27	0.0	23.8	32.4	22.1	10.8	10.8	0.0	28.6	18.9	16.9	$18,653
West Rapids Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	901 SW 22nd Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 327-5870	612	36	17.1	49.2%	513 (83.8%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.0%)	3 (0.5%)	12 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (11.4%)								(n/a)
Grand Rapids Virtual Elementary	Public	K-5	650 SW 7th Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(218) 327-5880	0																		(n/a)
East Rapids Elementary	Public	3-5	1195 NE 10th St	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 327-5880	639	39	16.4	46.5%	530 (82.9%)	2 (0.3%)	12 (1.9%)	6 (0.9%)	42 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.4%)	72.3	236^th of 869 public elementary schools	72.8%		74.7	210^th of 872 public elementary schools	75.9%	26	51.9	71.1	63.3	62.2	30.2	30.2	54.8	75.9	46.6	58.7
Cohasset Elementary	Public	K-5	450 Columbus Ave	Cohasset	55721	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5860	312	17	18.3	31.7%	279 (89.4%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.1%)	62.5	316^th of 869 public elementary schools	63.6%		68.5	285^th of 872 public elementary schools	67.3%	31	62.3	76.9	45.5	61.3	21.4	21.4	64.2	78.4	23.2	54.4	$12,849

Frequently Asked Questions about Hill City Elementary

What schools do graduates of Hill City Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hill City Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hill City Middle School
High : Hill City Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Hill City Elementary?

Students at Hill City Elementary are 86% White, 13% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Is Hill City Elementary a good school?

Hill City Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.0% of Minnesota elementary schools.

How many students attend Hill City Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 112 students attended Hill City Elementary.

What district is Hill City Elementary in?

Hill City Public School District

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Schools in Hill City, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

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

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

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.