Hillsboro Elem

Hillsboro Elem, a moderately sized elementary-level community in Hillsboro, Kansas, run under Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh, enrolls 286 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.

Hillsboro Elem is one of 2 schools operated by Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh, a district that works with 596 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Hillsboro Elem records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (88%). The remainder comes out to 7% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, 2% Black.

Looking at school resources, Hillsboro Elem shows 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.8:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 44% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Hillsboro Elem tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 41.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 54.7%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Marion County indicate median household earnings sit near $64,695, roughly 30% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. In all, Marion County runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,153 students), of which Hillsboro Elem is one.

The closest other public school is Hillsboro Middle/High School, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within ten miles, there are 3 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Hillsboro Elem at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 35.7%.

The school occupies an outlying site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Hillsboro Elem's enrollment has fell 10% since 2018, when it stood at 317 (now 286). Class-load math has tightened: from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 12.8:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.