HILLCREST PDS MAGNET

HILLCREST PDS MAGNET operates as a small primary school in WACO, Texas, operated by WACO ISD. Current enrollment sits at 431 students spanning grades pre-K through 5.

WACO ISD comprises 24 schools with combined enrollment of 13,476 students; HILLCREST PDS MAGNET is among them.

Demographically, HILLCREST PDS MAGNET records that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 56% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school lists 24% White, 14% Black, 5% multiracial. By comparison, McLennan County as a whole is about 27% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, On paper, HILLCREST PDS MAGNET has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.8:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 63% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, HILLCREST PDS MAGNET performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 46.2%, the actual is 39.9%, a residual of -6.3 points.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (McLennan County) logs that median household income runs about $66,643, roughly 29% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. HILLCREST PDS MAGNET is one of 124 public schools in McLennan County (combined enrollment of about 45,703 students).

Nearest neighbor: LAKE AIR MONTESSORI SCHOOL, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts HILLCREST PDS MAGNET at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 28.1%.

Geographically, the school is in an inner-city area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count showed little movement: 430 students in 2018 compared to 431 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 20% to 14% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for HILLCREST PDS MAGNET typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.