Hillsdale Preparatory School

Hillsdale Preparatory School, a minimally staffed K-5 school in HILLSDALE, Michigan, one of the schools within Hillsdale Preparatory School, serves 60 students, covering grades K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 84% leaner than the state mean of about 369.

Hillsdale Preparatory School is a school of Hillsdale Preparatory School, the district that handles curriculum, staffing, and budget for the campus.

On demographics, Hillsdale Preparatory School logs that nearly all students (92%) are White. Other groups include 5% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. Compared to Hillsdale County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 7.1:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 72% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is above Hillsdale County's rate of about 58%.

Around the school, Hillsdale County reports that median household earnings sit near $64,242, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Hillsdale County runs 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,067 students), of which Hillsdale Preparatory School is one.

Gier Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area. Hillsdale Preparatory School operates as a public charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but governed independently of the surrounding district's traditional schools.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Hillsdale Preparatory School has shrank 53%, going from 129 students in 2018 to 60 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 12.9:1 in 2018 to 7.1:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.