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Hill City Senior High

Q: Is Hill City Senior High a good school?

Hill City Senior High ranks 317 th of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

317^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 473 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 33% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Hill City Senior High is a small, high-poverty rural public high school in Hill City, Minnesota, serving grades 9–12 with about 72 students as part of the Hill City Public School District, which ranks 386th of 458 Minnesota districts (16th percentile, 1 star). The school itself ranked 317th of 473 in 2025–2026 — 33rd percentile, 2 stars — a rebound from 2024–2025, when it placed 391st of 450 (13th percentile, 1 star).

Compared with nearby schools, Hill City is notably small and has a low student-teacher ratio of 11.1, well below Grand Rapids Senior High's 19.4 and Grand Rapids Area Learning Center's 26.7. Reading is a relative strength: 43.8% proficiency in 2025–2026 is close to Grand Rapids' 45.2% and the state's 48.6%, and well above Northland Secondary (31%) and Northern Lights Community School (22.9%). Science, at 18.8%, is also second among these nearby schools. The 2024–2025 graduation rate of 84.2% is nearly identical to the state's 84.9% and above the ALC, Northland and Northern Lights, though the 5.2% dropout rate is above the state's 4.2%. About 54.17% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. Test data for nearby Little Sand is suppressed, so it cannot be compared academically.

Math is the clearest concern: proficiency fell to 0% in 2025–2026, down from 28.57% in 2022–2023, 22.22% in 2023–2024 and 7.14% in 2024–2025, and 11th grade math was 0% against 35.3% statewide. Results also vary by student group — female students rank above the school overall (42nd percentile, 2 stars), while some other groups rank lower. Because enrollment is only 72, a handful of students can swing year-to-year rates dramatically; graduation has ranged from 76.0% to 96.3% over five years, so families should read single-year numbers with caution.

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,871

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

500 Ione Ave
Hill City, MN 55748-8888

(218) 697-2394

District: Hill City Public School District

Feeder schools for Hill City Senior High:

Elementary:	Hill City Elementary
Middle:	Hill City Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.7%

Two or more races:

12.5%

Hispanic:

1.4%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Hill City Senior High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (23% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg20%

Minnesota avg43%

317^th of 473

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High 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	34.4	317 of 473	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	15.8	391 of 450	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.1	321 of 480	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	325 of 476	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.5	381 of 472	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.4	401 of 428	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	382 of 492	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.4	311 of 494	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.3	298 of 489	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.1	301 of 489	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.7	352 of 504	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	67.3	169 of 483	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	42.4	351 of 534	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.4	376 of 539	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.3	320 of 545	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.5	337 of 540	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.4	169 of 234	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	44.8	323 of 460	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	41.7	329 of 463	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	37.5	335 of 450	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	62.5	254 of 452	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.8	316 of 433	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	229 of 398	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	225 of 403	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.4	314 of 396	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	354 of 388	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	48.1	249 of 395	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	35.9	274 of 393	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.2	318 of 370	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.3	256 of 374	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	12.5	370 of 411	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	332 of 398	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	12.1	360 of 394	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.9	359 of 376	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	331 of 402	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	345 of 398	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	362 of 401	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	0.6	362 of 364	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	373 of 412	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.4	332 of 414	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)42nd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)30th percentile~ school

Male (2019)10th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading44%-5 vs state

Science19%-7 vs state

Math0%-45 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hill City Senior High

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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/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 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Hill City Senior High	Public	9-12	500 Ione Ave	Hill City	55748	Aitkin County	Hill City Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 697-2394	72	6	11.1	54.2%	61 (84.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.5%)	34.4	317^th of 473 public high schools	33.0%		15.8	391^st of 450 public high schools	13.1%	74				43.8	43.8		18.8	18.8				0.0	0.0	$17,871
Northland Secondary	Public	6-12	316 Main St E	Remer	56672	Cass County	Northland Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 566-2351	149	11	13.4	71.8%	77 (51.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (46.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	28.7	346^th of 473 public high schools	26.8%		49.6	257^th of 450 public high schools	42.9%	89	42.9	38.9	28.0	17.4	31.0	12.0	30.8	18.4	23.8	11.1	20.0	23.1	19.5	$24,323
Little Sand	Public	7-12	316 Main St E	Remer	56672	Cass County	Northland Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 566-2351	10	1	11.7	70.0%	8 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$17,342
Grand Rapids Area Virtual Secondary	Public	6-12	650 SW 7th Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(218) 327-5760	0			—															(n/a)
Infinity: Minnesota Digital Academy	Public	9-12	601 SW 7th St	Grand Rapids	55722	Itasca County	Infinity: Minnesota Digital Academy	No	No	No	No	(800) 624-4072	0	7	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Grand Rapids Area Learning Center	Public	8-12	650 SW 7th Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5750	129	5	26.7	62.8%	106 (82.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (10.9%)	6.7	450^th of 473 public high schools	4.9%					(n/a)							5.0	5.0				0.0	0.0	$11,995
Grand Rapids Senior High	Public	9-12	800 Conifer Dr NW	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5760	1,091	56	19.4	35.8%	928 (85.1%)	7 (0.6%)	29 (2.7%)	2 (0.2%)	78 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (4.2%)	67.4	146^th of 473 public high schools	69.1%		64.2	171^st of 450 public high schools	62.0%	25				45.2	45.2		39.1	39.1				34.4	34.4	$13,413
Northern Lights Community School	Public, Charter	6-12	305 Bridge St	Warba	55793	Itasca County	Northern Lights Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 492-4400	91	10	9.4	71.4%	73 (80.2%)	5 (5.5%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.4%)	9.1	433^rd of 473 public high schools	8.5%					(n/a)			25.0	23.1	22.9	25.0	0.0	10.3			25.0		16.7	$21,176

Frequently Asked Questions about Hill City Senior High

What district is Hill City Senior High in?

Hill City Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Hill City Senior High?

Students at Hill City Senior High are 85% White, 13% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

What schools feed into Hill City Senior High?

Hill City Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hill City Elementary
Middle : Hill City Middle School

How many students attend Hill City Senior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 72 students attended Hill City Senior High.

Is Hill City Senior High a good school?

Hill City Senior High ranks 317^th of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Hill City Senior High!

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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 scoresSep 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.