Is Highland Elementary a good school?

Highland Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Highland Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 664 students attended Highland Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary?

Students at Highland Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 15% African American, 9% White, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : University Heights Middle High : John W. North High High : Riverside STEM Academy

Highland Elementary

Summary:

Highland Elementary is a public elementary school located in Riverside, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 692 students. The school is part of the Riverside Unified School District, which is ranked 774 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Highland Elementary is struggling academically, with consistently low performance in English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments compared to the district and state averages. The school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 12% in 2017-2018 to 40.4% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school struggles to support its subgroups, with all subgroups performing significantly below state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 82.51% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, may be a contributing factor to the school's academic challenges.

Interestingly, the nearby schools within the same district, such as Patricia Beatty Elementary, Bryant Elementary, and Alcott Elementary, generally perform better than Highland Elementary in academic assessments. Additionally, the proximity of the higher-performing REACH Leadership STEAM Academy charter school highlights the potential for Highland Elementary to improve its academic outcomes through innovative approaches and targeted interventions.

Detail:

Public K-6

700 Highlander Dr.
Riverside, CA 92507-3064

(951) 788-7292

District: Riverside Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5106^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,197

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	University Heights Middle
High:	John W. North High
	Riverside STEM Academy

Student/teacher ratio: 22.1

Number of students: 664

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.9%

African American:

14.6%

White:

9.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Highland Elementary ranks worse than 87.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 29 ranked elementary schools in the Riverside Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.08. (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 (66.9%), African American (14.6%), White (9.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 64.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Highland Elementary is 22.1, which is the 6^th best among 29 elementary schools in the Riverside Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Highland Elementary employs 30 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highland Elementary is $8,197, which is the 9^th highest among 29 elementary schools in the Riverside Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highland Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland Elementary 5106^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Highland 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:

Riverside Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Riverside Unified 774^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Highland Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	43.32	2492^nd	4809	48.2%
2005	49.10	2240^th	4822	53.5%
2006	30.73	3257^th	4818	32.4%
2007	30.30	3553^rd	5113	30.5%
2008	41.33	2864^th	5113	44.0%
2009	40.95	2998^th	5193	42.3%
2010	33.09	3615^th	5314	32.0%
2011	37.17	3452^nd	5377	35.8%
2012	36.13	3514^th	5390	34.8%
2013	36.78	3544^th	5530	35.9%
2015	29.19	3768^th	5611	32.8%
2016	26.72	4035^th	5614	28.1%
2017	18.96	4790^th	5692	15.8%
2018	17.75	4865^th	5662	14.1%
2019	18.52	4940^th	5789	14.7%
2022	22.45	4608^th	5883	21.7%
2023	17.82	5070^th	5874	13.7%
2024	17.08	5106^th	5862	12.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	57.49	952^nd	3246	70.7%
2019	26.85	2719^th	3275	17.0%
2022	40.60	1763^rd	3311	46.8%
2023	37.68	1967^th	3250	39.5%
2024	29.23	2595^th	3160	17.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	28.46	1722^nd	2420	28.8%
2024	28.00	1939^th	2634	26.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.14	4258^th	5084	16.2%
2019	24.76	4243^rd	5173	18.0%
2022	28.17	3986^th	5264	24.3%
2023	21.87	4551^st	5374	15.3%
2024	20.83	4715^th	5511	14.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.69	4637^th	5413	14.3%
2019	23.86	4316^th	5492	21.4%
2022	24.75	4239^th	5635	24.8%
2023	16.86	4976^th	5617	11.4%
2024	16.82	4974^th	5605	11.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.73	1939^th	2128	8.9%
2019	19.96	2354^th	2585	8.9%
2022	23.04	1859^th	2227	16.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.39	4626^th	5431	14.8%
2019	16.00	4981^st	5510	9.6%
2022	21.37	4580^th	5663	19.1%
2023	20.13	4704^th	5650	16.7%
2024	18.52	4851^st	5636	13.9%

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

Rank History for African American students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.65	242^nd	700	65.4%
2019	49.12	330^th	747	55.8%
2022	28.92	487^th	663	26.5%
2023	32.00	437^th	662	34.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.66	4273^rd	4830	11.5%
2019	22.94	4179^th	4963	15.8%
2022	28.10	3864^th	5084	24.0%
2023	21.93	4334^th	5098	15.0%
2024	22.32	4317^th	5102	15.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	5.67	2654^th	2737	3.0%
2019	18.87	2411^th	2834	14.9%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, July 13, 2017

The teachers are horrible at this school. They don't teach the kids and expect parents to pickup for their slack. They don't even give homework related to what they are testing and expect the kids to know everything. In addition, the administrators are a joke! They don't care about the students growth and well being. They hinder and prevent children from having extracurricular activities as well. Their after school program also sucks because they lock your kids in like it is a prison and you CANNOT pick up before 6pm. The school is run like a GERMAN camp. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, October 19, 2009

It is a distinguished school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Highland Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	461	132	33	175	0	n/a	n/a	0	801
1989	470	133	32	215	0	n/a	n/a	0	850
1990	411	142	34	230	1	n/a	n/a	0	818
1991	359	116	35	247	2	n/a	n/a	0	759
1992	329	150	35	272	3	n/a	n/a	0	789
1993	338	156	43	293	7	n/a	n/a	0	837
1994	319	175	46	315	7	n/a	n/a	0	862
1995	311	180	40	356	9	n/a	n/a	0	896
1996	311	180	40	356	9	n/a	n/a	0	896
1997	302	175	42	378	11	n/a	n/a	0	908
1998	291	183	44	376	12	n/a	n/a	0	906
1999	287	174	48	387	6	n/a	n/a	0	902
2000	261	160	60	408	6	n/a	n/a	0	895
2001	238	177	59	419	4	n/a	n/a	1	898
2002	203	166	46	459	8	n/a	n/a	0	882
2003	203	166	46	459	8	n/a	n/a	0	882
2004	200	176	54	445	7	n/a	n/a	1	883
2005	175	153	50	403	7	n/a	n/a	1	789
2006	167	124	46	422	6	n/a	n/a	0	765
2007	161	138	45	479	4	n/a	n/a	6	833
2008	139	124	51	477	3	n/a	n/a	0	794
2009	135	129	40	475	3	12	10	0	804
2010	135	108	35	465	1	11	26	0	781
2011	130	107	23	492	4	11	26	0	793
2012	125	100	21	502	3	11	31	0	793
2013	123	111	45	404	5	6	29	0	723
2014	144	135	53	414	5	4	51	0	806
2015	148	137	56	424	8	5	39	0	817
2016	142	116	48	425	6	2	32	0	771
2017	144	102	44	456	10	1	21	0	778
2018	114	96	43	437	10	0	17	0	717
2019	106	82	35	453	11	0	17	0	704
2020	91	80	28	439	5	0	15	0	658
2021	68	78	34	415	1	0	15	0	611
2022	67	82	28	415	2	0	19	0	613
2023	75	97	32	458	6	0	24	0	692
2024	61	97	29	444	6	2	24	1	664

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 Highland Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	801	31.0	25.8	n/a
1989	850	33.0	25.7	n/a
1990	818	36.0	22.7	n/a
1991	759	32.4	23.4	n/a
1992	789	32.9	23.9	55.8
1993	837	34.0	24.6	56.2
1994	862	34.0	25.4	59.9
1995	896	35.6	25.2	71.7
1996	896	35.6	25.2	71.7
1997	908	39.0	23.3	70.6
1998	906	42.1	21.5	70.8
1999	902	47.6	18.9	71.1
2000	895	47.0	19.0	69.9
2001	898	46.5	19.3	74.7
2002	882	43.5	20.3	74.9
2003	882	43.5	20.3	74.9
2004	883	41.9	21.1	70.5
2005	789	40.3	19.6	72.3
2006	765	35.0	21.9	72.7
2007	833	35.5	23.5	77.4
2008	794	42.5	18.7	70.2
2009	804	40.0	18.3	81.3
2010	781	37.0	21.1	84.5
2011	793	n/a	n/a	72.4
2012	793	31.2	25.4	n/a
2013	723	28.4	25.4	80.4
2014	806	29.0	27.7	78.7
2015	817	31.0	26.3	79.4
2016	771	31.0	24.8	81.5
2017	778	31.2	24.9	80.3
2018	717	30.4	23.5	87.3
2019	704	29.0	24.2	91.5
2020	658	n/a	n/a	88.4
2021	611	26.9	22.6	83
2022	613	24.7	24.7	83.4
2023	692	27.0	25.6	82.5
2024	664	30.0	22.1	64.3

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 Highland Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	801	31.0	25.8	n/a
1989	850	33.0	25.7	n/a
1990	818	36.0	22.7	n/a
1991	759	32.4	23.4	n/a
1992	789	32.9	23.9	55.8
1993	837	34.0	24.6	56.2
1994	862	34.0	25.4	59.9
1995	896	35.6	25.2	71.7
1996	896	35.6	25.2	71.7
1997	908	39.0	23.3	70.6
1998	906	42.1	21.5	70.8
1999	902	47.6	18.9	71.1
2000	895	47.0	19.0	69.9
2001	898	46.5	19.3	74.7
2002	882	43.5	20.3	74.9
2003	882	43.5	20.3	74.9
2004	883	41.9	21.1	70.5
2005	789	40.3	19.6	72.3
2006	765	35.0	21.9	72.7
2007	833	35.5	23.5	77.4
2008	794	42.5	18.7	70.2
2009	804	40.0	18.3	81.3
2010	781	37.0	21.1	84.5
2011	793	n/a	n/a	72.4
2012	793	31.2	25.4	n/a
2013	723	28.4	25.4	80.4
2014	806	29.0	27.7	78.7
2015	817	31.0	26.3	79.4
2016	771	31.0	24.8	81.5
2017	778	31.2	24.9	80.3
2018	717	30.4	23.5	87.3
2019	704	29.0	24.2	91.5
2020	658	n/a	n/a	88.4
2021	611	26.9	22.6	83
2022	613	24.7	24.7	83.4
2023	692	27.0	25.6	82.5
2024	664	30.0	22.1	64.3

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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