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Hillcrest School

Q: Is Hillcrest School a good school?

Hillcrest School ranks 71 st of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

71^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Hillcrest School is an elementary school located in Butte, Montana, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 412 students. The school is part of the Butte Elementary District, which is ranked 226 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. However, Hillcrest School has consistently performed well, ranking among the top elementary schools in Montana over the past several years, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hillcrest School consistently outperforms the Butte Elementary District and the state of Montana in academic assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, Hillcrest School had 54.11% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 39.96% for the district and 43.09% for the state. In Mathematics, Hillcrest School had 59.31% of students proficient or better, compared to 35.16% for the district and 36.77% for the state. This trend of higher academic achievement is consistent across multiple years and subject areas.

Additionally, Hillcrest School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, with 19 students per teacher in the 2024-2025 school year. This is lower than the nearby West Elementary School (16.3 students per teacher) and Kennedy School (13.1 students per teacher), which may contribute to the school's academic success. Hillcrest School also has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (28.64% in 2024-2025) compared to the nearby schools, which all have 100% of their students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

412

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,859

Per pupil spending ?

28.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3000 Continental Drive
Butte, MT 59701

(406) 533-2850

District: Butte Elementary

Students who attend Hillcrest School usually attend:

Middle:	East Middle School
High:	Butte High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.6%

Two or more races:

4.6%

Hispanic:

4.4%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 76th percentile in 2021 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Montana average (55% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Montana elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 82nd (2025) from a 76th-percentile low (2021)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg37%

Montana avg40%

71^st of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Butte Elementary

226^th of 387Butte Elementary among Montana 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	Montana percentile	Rating
2025	76.0	71 of 401	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	48 of 332	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	88.1	40 of 329	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	77.6	87 of 356	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	28 of 123	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	86.7	7 of 116	94.0%	★★★★★
2017	79.7	16 of 109	85.3%	★★★★☆
2016	91.4	17 of 191	91.1%	★★★★★
2015	89.6	25 of 287	91.3%	★★★★★
2013	78.5	30 of 246	87.8%	★★★★☆
2012	79.6	21 of 244	91.4%	★★★★★
2011	69.9	58 of 247	76.5%	★★★★☆
2010	81.4	11 of 241	95.4%	★★★★★
2007	71.4	49 of 230	78.7%	★★★★☆
2006	78.1	18 of 234	92.3%	★★★★★
2005	86.7	16 of 218	92.7%	★★★★★
2004	55.8	100 of 217	53.9%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics59%+23 vs state

English Language Arts54%+11 vs state

Science43%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hillcrest School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAST English Language Arts (2025)	MAST Mathematics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	MAST English Language Arts All Grades	MAST Mathematics All Grades	Total
Hillcrest School	Public	PK, KG-6	3000 Continental Drive	Butte	59701	Silver Bow County	Butte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 533-2850	412	22	19.0	28.6%	369 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.4%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.6%)	76	71^st of 401 public elementary schools	82.3%					(n/a)	54.1	59.3	$9,859
Whittier School	Public	PK, KG-6	2500 Sherman	Butte	59701	Silver Bow County	Butte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 533-2890	383	25	15.4	100.0%	341 (89.0%)	4 (1.0%)	22 (5.7%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.9%)	72.6	88^th of 401 public elementary schools	78.1%		80	42^nd of 212 public elementary schools	80.2%	46	50.7	62.1	$10,930
Emerson School	Public	PK, KG-6	1924 Phillips Ave	Butte	59701	Silver Bow County	Butte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 533-2800	389	25	15.7	100.0%	328 (84.3%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.6%)	30.4	301^st of 401 public elementary schools	24.9%					(n/a)	37.8	17.2	$9,657
Margaret Leary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1301 4 Mile Vue Rd	Butte	59701	Silver Bow County	Butte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 533-2550	359	22	16.0	100.0%	301 (83.8%)	2 (0.6%)	38 (10.6%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.6%)	49.6	210^th of 401 public elementary schools	47.6%					(n/a)	37.4	44.9	$11,299
West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	800 S Emmett	Butte	59701	Silver Bow County	Butte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 533-2700	503	31	16.3	100.0%	416 (82.7%)	9 (1.8%)	43 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	14 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	35.5	273^rd of 401 public elementary schools	31.9%					(n/a)	35.3	26.7	$12,321
Kennedy School	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 N Emmett	Butte	59701	Silver Bow County	Butte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 533-2450	219	17	13.1	100.0%	151 (68.9%)	1 (0.5%)	27 (12.3%)	5 (2.3%)	12 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (10.5%)	22	337^th of 401 public elementary schools	16.0%					(n/a)	23.4	14.8	$11,983
Ramsay School	Public	PK, KG-5	3 Russell St	Ramsay	59748	Silver Bow County	Ramsay Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 782-5470	116	7	16.4	31.0%	106 (91.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.4%)	39.3	254^th of 401 public elementary schools	36.7%		62.9	90^th of 212 public elementary schools	57.5%	164	37.9	27.6	$11,776

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillcrest School

What district is Hillcrest School in?

Butte Elementary

How many students attend Hillcrest School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended Hillcrest School.

What is the racial makeup of Hillcrest School?

Students at Hillcrest School are 90% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Hillcrest School attend?

Students who attend Hillcrest School usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Middle School
High : Butte High School

Is Hillcrest School a good school?

Hillcrest School ranks 71^st of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Hillcrest 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 Montana Office of Public Instruction.

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.