Is Highland Elementary a good school?

Highland Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Highland Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 438 students attended Highland Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary?

Students at Highland Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% White.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Divisadero Middle High : Mt. Whitney High

Highland Elementary

Summary:

Highland Elementary is a public elementary school in Visalia, California, serving 459 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Visalia Unified School District, which has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Highland Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 15.5% in 2017-2018 to 46.7% in 2021-2022, well above the district and state averages. Academically, the school consistently performs below the district and state in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with only 28.09% of students proficient or better in ELA and just 18.11% in Mathematics in 2023-2024. The school also struggles to support certain student subgroups, such as English Language Learners and Special Education students, who rank significantly lower compared to their peers at the district and state levels.

These issues are likely exacerbated by the school's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 92.81% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. When compared to other nearby elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District, such as Manuel F. Hernandez and Conyer Elementary, Highland Elementary consistently performs worse academically and has higher chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, the school's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past decade, suggesting that its academic performance and overall quality have been deteriorating compared to other schools in the state.

Detail:

Public K-6

701 North Stevenson St.
Visalia, CA 93291-4811

(559) 730-7769

District: Visalia Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4672^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,072

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Divisadero Middle
High:	Mt. Whitney High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.8

Number of students: 438

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.6%

Two or more races:

5.5%

White:

3.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Highland Elementary ranks worse than 79.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 24^th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 22. (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 (88.6%), two or more races (5.5%), White (3.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 88.1% 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 18.8, which is the 2^nd best among 27 elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Highland Elementary employs 23.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highland Elementary is $8,072, which is the 10^th highest among 27 elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highland Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland Elementary 4672^nd 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:

Visalia Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Visalia Unified 894^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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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	7.72	4760^th	4809	1.0%
2005	7.40	4753^rd	4822	1.4%
2006	5.72	4778^th	4818	0.8%
2007	5.59	5079^th	5113	0.7%
2008	5.44	5079^th	5113	0.7%
2009	2.77	5180^th	5193	0.3%
2010	4.24	5282^nd	5314	0.6%
2011	2.45	5364^th	5377	0.2%
2012	23.52	4414^th	5390	18.1%
2013	26.64	4301^st	5530	22.2%
2015	28.97	3786^th	5611	32.5%
2016	31.48	3645^th	5614	35.1%
2017	19.96	4696^th	5692	17.5%
2018	16.16	4990^th	5662	11.9%
2019	5.97	5729^th	5789	1.0%
2022	14.55	5397^th	5883	8.3%
2023	17.78	5076^th	5874	13.6%
2024	22.00	4672^nd	5862	20.3%

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	27.34	2577^th	3246	20.6%
2019	26.23	2760^th	3275	15.7%
2022	40.41	1778^th	3311	46.3%
2023	31.58	2420^th	3250	25.5%
2024	37.89	1965^th	3160	37.8%

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	17.97	2266^th	2420	6.4%
2024	22.98	2237^th	2634	15.1%

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	21.47	4366^th	5084	14.1%
2019	7.81	5103^rd	5173	1.4%
2022	19.36	4691^st	5264	10.9%
2023	23.78	4397^th	5374	18.2%
2024	27.85	4156^th	5511	24.6%

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	16.57	4804^th	5413	11.3%
2019	6.58	5441^st	5492	0.9%
2022	14.42	5235^th	5635	7.1%
2023	17.99	4886^th	5617	13.0%
2024	26.86	4076^th	5605	27.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.69	4769^th	5431	12.2%
2019	6.61	5458^th	5510	0.9%
2022	16.55	5070^th	5663	10.5%
2023	18.97	4818^th	5650	14.7%
2024	19.89	4731^st	5636	16.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.29	4298^th	4830	11.0%
2019	7.91	4904^th	4963	1.2%
2022	20.35	4479^th	5084	11.9%
2023	24.15	4177^th	5098	18.1%
2024	34.22	3405^th	5102	33.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 Highland Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	62	13	198	214	6	n/a	n/a	493
1989	75	11	222	182	2	n/a	n/a	492
1990	67	10	209	200	0	n/a	n/a	486
1991	68	11	252	273	2	n/a	n/a	606
1992	82	8	252	266	2	n/a	n/a	610
1993	63	7	200	277	2	n/a	n/a	549
1994	49	9	189	278	0	n/a	n/a	525
1995	28	6	171	356	0	n/a	n/a	561
1996	28	6	171	356	0	n/a	n/a	561
1997	50	7	142	343	0	n/a	n/a	542
1998	36	9	126	349	0	n/a	n/a	520
1999	32	9	112	335	4	n/a	n/a	492
2000	34	7	119	326	5	n/a	n/a	491
2001	25	11	100	331	2	n/a	n/a	469
2002	47	14	125	499	6	n/a	n/a	691
2003	47	14	125	499	6	n/a	n/a	691
2004	52	11	105	521	7	n/a	n/a	696
2005	51	20	98	511	3	n/a	n/a	683
2006	27	17	77	465	3	n/a	n/a	589
2007	30	15	67	468	4	n/a	n/a	584
2008	36	17	64	455	2	n/a	n/a	574
2009	31	15	52	407	6	0	0	511
2010	25	9	42	413	7	0	3	499
2011	23	7	32	441	4	0	2	509
2012	19	11	14	417	4	0	7	472
2013	7	10	12	451	5	0	35	520
2014	9	7	6	471	3	0	35	531
2015	6	6	5	518	4	0	39	578
2016	6	3	5	508	2	0	39	563
2017	5	2	5	478	1	0	43	534
2018	2	2	8	506	1	0	35	554
2019	7	5	6	472	3	0	29	522
2020	17	3	4	450	3	0	23	500
2021	17	1	4	435	3	0	19	479
2022	16	1	3	392	2	2	25	441
2023	19	2	3	411	2	0	22	459
2024	15	3	3	388	3	2	24	438

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	493	20.8	23.7	n/a
1989	492	20.6	23.8	n/a
1990	486	22.6	21.5	n/a
1991	606	26.6	22.7	n/a
1992	610	27.0	22.5	71.3
1993	549	24.0	22.9	95.1
1994	525	23.6	22.2	94.9
1995	561	25.0	22.4	94.1
1996	561	25.0	22.4	94.1
1997	542	28.8	18.8	94.1
1998	520	34.3	15.2	95
1999	492	31.8	15.5	94.9
2000	491	30.8	15.9	97.1
2001	469	29.8	15.7	96.8
2002	691	33.0	20.9	86.7
2003	691	33.0	20.9	86.7
2004	696	32.0	21.8	90.9
2005	683	34.0	20.1	73.2
2006	589	29.0	20.3	99.5
2007	584	29.0	20.1	99.5
2008	574	27.0	21.3	77.4
2009	511	22.0	21.3	95.9
2010	499	20.0	24.9	88.4
2011	509	n/a	n/a	94.1
2012	472	17.0	27.7	n/a
2013	520	19.0	27.3	97.3
2014	531	20.0	26.5	85.9
2015	578	22.0	26.2	87.7
2016	563	20.0	28.1	85.3
2017	534	19.0	28.1	96.4
2018	554	20.0	27.7	95.7
2019	522	20.5	25.3	95
2020	500	n/a	n/a	93.4
2021	479	21.3	22.4	92.3
2022	441	21.3	20.7	95.7
2023	459	23.3	19.6	92.8
2024	438	23.2	18.8	88.1

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	493	20.8	23.7	n/a
1989	492	20.6	23.8	n/a
1990	486	22.6	21.5	n/a
1991	606	26.6	22.7	n/a
1992	610	27.0	22.5	71.3
1993	549	24.0	22.9	95.1
1994	525	23.6	22.2	94.9
1995	561	25.0	22.4	94.1
1996	561	25.0	22.4	94.1
1997	542	28.8	18.8	94.1
1998	520	34.3	15.2	95
1999	492	31.8	15.5	94.9
2000	491	30.8	15.9	97.1
2001	469	29.8	15.7	96.8
2002	691	33.0	20.9	86.7
2003	691	33.0	20.9	86.7
2004	696	32.0	21.8	90.9
2005	683	34.0	20.1	73.2
2006	589	29.0	20.3	99.5
2007	584	29.0	20.1	99.5
2008	574	27.0	21.3	77.4
2009	511	22.0	21.3	95.9
2010	499	20.0	24.9	88.4
2011	509	n/a	n/a	94.1
2012	472	17.0	27.7	n/a
2013	520	19.0	27.3	97.3
2014	531	20.0	26.5	85.9
2015	578	22.0	26.2	87.7
2016	563	20.0	28.1	85.3
2017	534	19.0	28.1	96.4
2018	554	20.0	27.7	95.7
2019	522	20.5	25.3	95
2020	500	n/a	n/a	93.4
2021	479	21.3	22.4	92.3
2022	441	21.3	20.7	95.7
2023	459	23.3	19.6	92.8
2024	438	23.2	18.8	88.1

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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