Hillcrest Elementary School

Hillcrest Elementary School is a modestly sized K-5 school in Ruston, Louisiana, part of Lincoln Parish. The school hosts 326 students in grades K through 2. By comparison, Louisiana's public schools average about 453 students each, so Hillcrest Elementary School sits 28% leaner than that benchmark.

Lincoln Parish runs 12 schools in total, collectively educating 5,601 students. Hillcrest Elementary School is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Hillcrest Elementary School logs that 44% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest breaks down as 29% White, 17% Hispanic, 7% multiracial.

On the resource side, Hillcrest Elementary School lists 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.4:1. The state averages about 14.0:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 67% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Lincoln Parish's rate of about 57%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Lincoln Parish) records that median household earnings sit near $39,172, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 21%. Across Lincoln Parish's 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,360 students), Hillcrest Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Glen View Elementary School, around 1.3 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Hillcrest Elementary School operates from a small-town location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 7%: 352 students in 2018 compared to 326 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 58% to 44% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 18.4:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.