Hillcrest Junior High

Hillcrest Junior High is a public school in the Murray, Utah, area serving grades 7–9 and about 696 students through the Murray District. The school ranks at the 41st percentile statewide and has improved substantially from the 18th percentile in 2020–21. Its student-teacher ratio is 21.7:1, and 46.26% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The biggest concern for families is attendance: 35.0% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25, well above the district’s 23.5% and Utah’s 23.8%. This is also much higher than nearby Riverview Junior High, which reported 13.1%. Academic results are uneven. Seventh- and eighth-grade students generally perform below state averages, with especially weak results in eighth-grade math, where proficiency was 34.7%. By contrast, ninth-grade math and science are strengths: proficiency reached 45.8% and 57.2%, respectively, both above state results. Hillcrest also performs relatively well with English Language Learners, whose subgroup ranking reached the 71st percentile, while outcomes for economically disadvantaged students were much weaker, at the 17th percentile.

Compared with nearby schools, Riverview Junior High is the most useful local benchmark because it is similar in size, grades, staffing, and district—but it generally has stronger results and far lower absenteeism. Evergreen Junior High also ranks higher and has much lower chronic absenteeism, while Olympus Junior High is a particularly strong performer. On the positive side, Hillcrest ranks above Bennion Junior High, West Jordan Middle, Eisenhower Junior High, and Granite Park Junior High. Overall, the clearest priorities are reducing absenteeism, strengthening eighth-grade math and grades 7–8 science, and expanding the practices associated with ninth-grade success and ELL support.