Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 3238 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Highlands Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 446 students attended Highlands Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Elementary?

Students at Highlands Elementary are 63% Hispanic, 17% White, 9% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Spring Valley Academy High : Monte Vista High

Highlands Elementary

Summary:

Highlands Elementary is a public elementary school in Spring Valley, CA, serving 496 students in grades K-6 and part of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.

Highlands Elementary faces significant challenges compared to other schools in the district. The school consistently performs below district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments, with only 39.67% of students proficient or better in ELA and 27.05% in Mathematics, compared to 46.51% and 36.79% for the district, respectively. Highlands also has a much higher chronic absenteeism rate of 45.0%, well above the district average of 33.6%. Additionally, 78.23% of Highlands students come from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, significantly higher than the 41.25% at nearby Murdock Elementary.

Highlands Elementary's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as male students, White students, and students with disabilities, who rank significantly lower than their peers at the state level. The school's relatively high student-teacher ratio of 26.1, compared to the district average of 27.0, may also be a contributing factor to its lower academic achievement. Addressing these issues will be crucial for improving the educational outcomes for the students at Highlands Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

3131 South Barcelona St.
Spring Valley, CA 91977-3003

(619) 668-5780

District: La Mesa-Spring Valley

SchoolDigger Rank:
3238^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,951

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Spring Valley Academy
High:	Monte Vista High

Student/teacher ratio: 27.8

Number of students: 446

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.2%

White:

17.0%

African American:

9.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Highlands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Highlands Elementary ranks worse than 55.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 10^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.86. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (63.2%), White (17%), African American (9.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary is 27.8. 16 elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Highlands Elementary employs 16 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highlands Elementary is $5,951. 9 elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highlands Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Highlands Elementary 3238^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Highlands Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

La Mesa-Spring Valley:

SchoolDigger ranks La Mesa-Spring Valley 766^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Highlands Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	77.97	983^rd	4809	79.6%
2005	68.40	1404^th	4822	70.9%
2006	60.77	1710^th	4818	64.5%
2007	60.14	1821^st	5113	64.4%
2008	70.45	1379^th	5113	73.0%
2009	58.25	2018^th	5193	61.1%
2010	48.18	2678^th	5314	49.6%
2011	50.72	2557^th	5377	52.4%
2012	42.13	3128^th	5390	42.0%
2013	52.50	2539^th	5530	54.1%
2015	36.43	3238^th	5611	42.3%
2016	39.14	3131^st	5614	44.2%
2017	30.31	3806^th	5692	33.1%
2018	27.95	4002^nd	5662	29.3%
2019	34.16	3597^th	5789	37.9%
2022	28.75	3972^nd	5883	32.5%
2023	33.27	3621^st	5874	38.4%
2024	38.86	3238^th	5862	44.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.69	1222^nd	3246	62.4%
2019	62.56	749^th	3275	77.1%
2022	48.21	1303^rd	3311	60.6%
2023	44.53	1513^th	3250	53.4%
2024	47.49	1321^st	3160	58.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	39.24	1245^th	2420	48.6%
2024	35.52	1528^th	2634	42.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.59	3348^th	5084	34.1%
2019	43.69	2847^th	5173	45.0%
2022	37.43	3222^nd	5264	38.8%
2023	38.42	3188^th	5374	40.7%
2024	43.21	2881^st	5511	47.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.78	3849^th	5413	28.9%
2019	35.13	3406^th	5492	38.0%
2022	32.97	3492^nd	5635	38.0%
2023	32.96	3506^th	5617	37.6%
2024	50.07	2407^th	5605	57.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.35	1995^th	2128	6.3%
2019	43.63	1172^nd	2585	54.7%
2022	20.19	2011^th	2227	9.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.98	3942^nd	5431	27.4%
2019	33.58	3499^th	5510	36.5%
2022	27.45	4005^th	5663	29.3%
2023	35.10	3405^th	5650	39.7%
2024	29.08	3907^th	5636	30.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.04	2480^th	4830	48.7%
2019	41.39	2859^th	4963	42.4%
2022	32.92	3449^th	5084	32.2%
2023	45.31	2539^th	5098	50.2%
2024	55.66	1909^th	5102	62.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	21.20	2360^th	2834	16.7%
2022	26.69	2105^th	2726	22.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Highlands Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	395	34	18	44	1	n/a	n/a	0	492
1989	428	29	16	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	515
1990	428	24	17	56	2	n/a	n/a	0	527
1991	418	25	14	70	3	n/a	n/a	0	530
1992	396	32	12	80	3	n/a	n/a	0	523
1993	379	27	16	91	2	n/a	n/a	0	515
1994	327	39	14	88	5	n/a	n/a	0	473
1995	311	53	19	107	4	n/a	n/a	0	494
1996	311	53	19	107	4	n/a	n/a	0	494
1997	317	83	23	88	3	n/a	n/a	0	514
1998	317	92	20	93	8	n/a	n/a	0	530
1999	287	87	19	98	9	n/a	n/a	12	512
2000	271	90	21	108	7	n/a	n/a	31	528
2001	269	85	18	120	6	n/a	n/a	47	545
2002	254	62	17	133	7	n/a	n/a	44	517
2003	254	62	17	133	7	n/a	n/a	44	517
2004	243	65	15	132	6	n/a	n/a	37	498
2005	204	52	14	130	3	n/a	n/a	46	449
2006	184	43	16	133	2	n/a	n/a	60	438
2007	163	43	13	132	2	n/a	n/a	47	400
2008	156	36	12	119	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	323
2009	150	66	9	198	1	6	95	0	525
2010	157	70	10	222	1	7	50	0	517
2011	139	59	10	241	4	4	41	0	498
2012	140	60	5	276	3	4	45	0	533
2013	127	55	6	264	1	6	38	0	497
2014	133	74	5	261	1	5	41	0	520
2015	122	74	9	263	2	2	40	0	512
2016	128	70	19	283	1	8	27	0	536
2017	106	74	16	301	1	7	30	0	535
2018	98	93	12	290	1	6	44	0	544
2019	97	79	17	280	1	8	48	0	530
2020	105	73	13	308	1	7	48	0	555
2021	89	74	12	292	1	8	47	0	523
2022	82	72	16	297	3	4	47	0	521
2023	88	55	9	299	1	5	39	0	496
2024	76	41	13	282	1	6	26	1	446

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Highlands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	492	19.5	25.2	n/a
1989	515	20.3	25.3	n/a
1990	527	22.3	23.6	n/a
1991	530	23.3	22.7	n/a
1992	523	23.7	22.0	25.8
1993	515	22.8	22.6	0
1994	473	21.4	22.1	35.3
1995	494	22.6	21.9	38.3
1996	494	22.6	21.9	38.3
1997	514	22.6	22.7	44.4
1998	530	26.0	20.4	48.9
1999	512	27.2	18.8	47.6
2000	528	24.0	22.0	46.9
2001	545	26.0	21.0	48.2
2002	517	26.8	19.3	40.4
2003	517	26.8	19.3	40.4
2004	498	24.3	20.5	42.3
2005	449	23.3	19.3	49.4
2006	438	20.8	21.1	53.4
2007	400	19.6	20.4	51.3
2008	323	25.2	12.8	58.2
2009	525	27.0	17.9	65.7
2010	517	25.0	20.6	65.8
2011	498	n/a	n/a	63.7
2012	533	18.0	29.6	n/a
2013	497	18.0	27.6	61.8
2014	520	18.1	28.6	72.1
2015	512	20.0	25.6	74.8
2016	536	20.0	26.8	75.7
2017	535	20.5	26.0	76.1
2018	544	19.0	28.6	78.9
2019	530	19.0	27.8	76.6
2020	555	n/a	n/a	78.4
2021	523	20.0	26.1	72.8
2022	521	18.0	28.9	81.2
2023	496	19.0	26.1	78.2
2024	446	16.0	27.8	77.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Highlands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	492	19.5	25.2	n/a
1989	515	20.3	25.3	n/a
1990	527	22.3	23.6	n/a
1991	530	23.3	22.7	n/a
1992	523	23.7	22.0	25.8
1993	515	22.8	22.6	0
1994	473	21.4	22.1	35.3
1995	494	22.6	21.9	38.3
1996	494	22.6	21.9	38.3
1997	514	22.6	22.7	44.4
1998	530	26.0	20.4	48.9
1999	512	27.2	18.8	47.6
2000	528	24.0	22.0	46.9
2001	545	26.0	21.0	48.2
2002	517	26.8	19.3	40.4
2003	517	26.8	19.3	40.4
2004	498	24.3	20.5	42.3
2005	449	23.3	19.3	49.4
2006	438	20.8	21.1	53.4
2007	400	19.6	20.4	51.3
2008	323	25.2	12.8	58.2
2009	525	27.0	17.9	65.7
2010	517	25.0	20.6	65.8
2011	498	n/a	n/a	63.7
2012	533	18.0	29.6	n/a
2013	497	18.0	27.6	61.8
2014	520	18.1	28.6	72.1
2015	512	20.0	25.6	74.8
2016	536	20.0	26.8	75.7
2017	535	20.5	26.0	76.1
2018	544	19.0	28.6	78.9
2019	530	19.0	27.8	76.6
2020	555	n/a	n/a	78.4
2021	523	20.0	26.1	72.8
2022	521	18.0	28.9	81.2
2023	496	19.0	26.1	78.2
2024	446	16.0	27.8	77.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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