Highlands Elementary

Summary:

Highlands Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school in Edina Public School District, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Minnesota, with exceptional academic performance, particularly in Math and Reading.

Highlands Elementary outperforms the state and district averages in proficiency rates for MCA-III assessments across all grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, 72.96% of Highlands students were proficient or better in Math, compared to 71.67% for the Edina district and 45.47% for the state of Minnesota. Similarly, 74.35% of Highlands students were proficient or better in Reading, compared to 75.39% for the district and 49.85% for the state. The school's performance is especially strong in 5th grade, with 85.06% of students proficient or better in Reading, significantly higher than the district (81.21%) and state (57.45%) averages.

While Highlands Elementary's academic performance is generally on par with or slightly higher than other top-performing Edina elementary schools, such as Countryside Elementary and Normandale Elementary, it has a higher percentage of White students and a lower percentage of African American and Hispanic students compared to the other Edina schools. Additionally, the school's performance for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is relatively lower, ranking 337th out of 793 Minnesota elementary schools in this category.


Detail:

Public K-5

 5505 Doncaster Way
       Edina, MN  55436-2017


(952) 848-4500

District: Edina Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
42nd of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,265 Help


Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    South View Middle
High:    Edina Senior High

Student/teacher ratio:  14.7 Help
Number of students:  554

Racial breakdown:

White:
72.2%
Two or more races:
8.1%
African American:
7.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  14.4% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Highlands Elementary ranks better than 95.2% of elementary schools in Minnesota. It also ranks 3rd among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Edina Public School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 89.7. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (72.2%), two or more races (8.1%), African American (7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 14.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary is 14.7. 4 elementary schools in the Edina Public School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Highlands Elementary employs 37.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highlands Elementary is $13,265. 3 elementary schools in the Edina Public School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highlands Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Highlands Elementary 42nd of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Highlands Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Edina Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Edina Public School District 11th of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Highlands Elementary.

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Your rating for Highlands Elementary?

Rank History for Highlands Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Highlands Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 78.13 95th 674 85.9%
2004 92.02 4th 676 99.4%
2005 83.39 41st 685 94.0%
2006 88.51 18th 756 97.6%
2007 88.22 16th 777 97.9%
2008 88.78 11th 781 98.6%
2009 86.09 17th 434 96.1%
2010 83.75 39th 803 95.1%
2011 87.46 30th 814 96.3%
2012 83.58 49th 820 94.0%
2013 89.42 22nd 824 97.3%
2014 88.01 25th 826 97.0%
2015 88.78 21st 840 97.5%
2016 89.33 22nd 848 97.4%
2017 88.17 31st 853 96.4%
2018 88.56 30th 847 96.5%
2019 89.84 27th 870 96.9%
2021 88.53 46th 869 94.7%
2022 85.69 82nd 858 90.4%
2023 87.44 65th 845 92.3%
2024 89.70 42nd 881 95.2%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Highlands Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 73.44 16th 81 80.2%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Highlands Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.57 106th 463 77.1%
2019 80.67 55th 515 89.3%
2021 89.83 14th 417 96.6%
2022 93.99 8th 500 98.4%
2023 95.40 7th 524 98.7%
2024 97.24 3rd 572 99.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota 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 MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 64.26 205th 663 69.1%
2023 41.08 487th 774 37.1%
2024 56.40 337th 793 57.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota 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 MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 84.27 70th 774 91.0%
2019 88.16 24th 787 97.0%
2021 84.26 65th 783 91.7%
2022 82.28 95th 799 88.1%
2023 86.75 59th 787 92.5%
2024 89.97 29th 809 96.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Highlands Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.46 17th 779 97.8%
2019 88.63 32nd 798 96.0%
2021 87.85 41st 784 94.8%
2022 84.37 75th 808 90.7%
2023 84.27 79th 799 90.1%
2024 84.09 84th 826 89.8%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Highlands Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.87 28th 134 79.1%
2019 83.81 27th 136 80.1%
2021 94.87 1st 88 98.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for White students at Highlands Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 86.50 34th 712 95.2%
2019 85.09 44th 722 93.9%
2021 79.17 91st 710 87.2%
2022 76.73 119th 725 83.6%
2023 82.42 87th 712 87.8%
2024 87.79 34th 730 95.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota 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.

Highlands Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)
75%

0%

0%

0%

25%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Monday, September 5, 2016

Open Quote This is a fantastic school. Kids feel at home here and they all learn to love learning. The teachers are second to none. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, August 18, 2016

Open Quote Spooky place, staff and teachers seem self important, strange stories coming from the students.
Definitely a sense of disorganization and structure, children look confused by lack of leadership. Close Quote


by a parent
Sunday, March 23, 2014

Open Quote Highlands Elementary is a true Gem. It is one of the smaller elementary schools in Edina and the Principal and staff have a philosophy of active, hands-on experience based learning for kids. This is not a rote memorization school. Highlands teaches kids to be self-directed and allows for creativity and fosters critical thinking. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, March 18, 2010

Open Quote fantastic staff and great programs for kids!!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Highlands Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1991 0 0 17 5 0 n/a n/a 0 22
1993 391 7 12 5 0 n/a n/a 0 415
1994 445 5 20 3 1 n/a n/a 0 474
1995 434 5 15 3 2 n/a n/a 0 459
1996 434 5 15 3 2 n/a n/a 0 459
1997 451 4 17 6 2 n/a n/a 0 480
1998 464 5 18 11 2 n/a n/a 0 500
1999 478 6 14 10 1 n/a n/a 0 509
2000 484 6 15 11 0 n/a n/a 0 516
2001 471 4 13 10 1 n/a n/a 0 499
2002 492 10 14 5 3 n/a n/a 0 524
2003 492 10 14 5 3 n/a n/a 0 524
2004 461 13 19 5 3 n/a n/a 0 501
2005 458 12 21 6 3 n/a n/a 0 500
2006 465 13 29 9 3 n/a n/a 0 519
2007 475 9 38 12 1 n/a n/a 0 535
2008 499 4 36 11 0 n/a n/a 0 550
2009 489 5 39 11 0 n/a n/a 0 544
2010 493 2 41 14 0 n/a n/a 0 550
2011 481 5 43 8 0 0 15 0 552
2012 461 14 42 12 0 0 19 0 548
2013 445 23 46 18 0 0 26 0 558
2014 439 23 55 16 0 0 32 0 565
2015 439 26 55 20 0 0 26 0 566
2016 430 30 60 17 0 0 30 0 567
2017 413 32 64 21 1 0 37 0 568
2018 431 26 60 22 1 0 40 0 580
2019 424 19 48 28 1 0 41 0 561
2020 399 28 57 23 1 0 45 0 553
2021 374 38 53 18 1 0 46 0 530
2022 380 47 42 30 1 0 41 0 541
2023 410 42 38 29 1 0 44 0 564
2024 400 39 37 33 0 0 45 0 554

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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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1991 22 28.1 0.7 9.1
1993 415 25.5 16.3 0
1994 474 26.2 18.1 1.5
1995 459 25.3 18.1 1.5
1996 459 25.3 18.1 1.5
1997 480 28.4 16.9 0.8
1998 500 n/a 0.0 1.4
1999 509 32.5 15.7 1
2000 516 29.3 17.6 1.2
2001 499 29.3 17.0 1.2
2002 524 26.6 19.7 1.5
2003 524 26.6 19.7 1.5
2004 501 26.6 18.8 3.8
2005 500 26.4 18.9 2.6
2006 519 28.0 18.5 2.3
2007 535 27.9 19.2 2.4
2008 550 28.2 19.5 1.8
2009 544 30.7 17.7 2.4
2010 550 30.0 18.2 3.3
2011 552 29.6 18.6 2.5
2012 548 29.4 18.6 4.6
2013 558 31.7 17.6 6.3
2014 565 32.8 17.2 5.5
2015 566 34.0 16.6 6.2
2016 567 35.0 16.2 6.3
2017 568 33.4 16.9 6
2018 580 34.8 16.6 5
2019 561 35.8 15.6 5
2020 553 32.7 16.8 6.5
2021 530 29.1 18.1 6.6
2022 541 35.9 15.0 8.3
2023 564 39.9 14.1 14.5
2024 554 37.5 14.7 14.4

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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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1991 22 28.1 0.7 9.1
1993 415 25.5 16.3 0
1994 474 26.2 18.1 1.5
1995 459 25.3 18.1 1.5
1996 459 25.3 18.1 1.5
1997 480 28.4 16.9 0.8
1998 500 n/a 0.0 1.4
1999 509 32.5 15.7 1
2000 516 29.3 17.6 1.2
2001 499 29.3 17.0 1.2
2002 524 26.6 19.7 1.5
2003 524 26.6 19.7 1.5
2004 501 26.6 18.8 3.8
2005 500 26.4 18.9 2.6
2006 519 28.0 18.5 2.3
2007 535 27.9 19.2 2.4
2008 550 28.2 19.5 1.8
2009 544 30.7 17.7 2.4
2010 550 30.0 18.2 3.3
2011 552 29.6 18.6 2.5
2012 548 29.4 18.6 4.6
2013 558 31.7 17.6 6.3
2014 565 32.8 17.2 5.5
2015 566 34.0 16.6 6.2
2016 567 35.0 16.2 6.3
2017 568 33.4 16.9 6
2018 580 34.8 16.6 5
2019 561 35.8 15.6 5
2020 553 32.7 16.8 6.5
2021 530 29.1 18.1 6.6
2022 541 35.9 15.0 8.3
2023 564 39.9 14.1 14.5
2024 554 37.5 14.7 14.4

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Highlands Elementary

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $13,265

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Highlands Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 27th of 870 Elementary schoolsRanks 65th of 845 Elementary schools
 4.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Highlands Elementary)9179.8
 11.2%
   3rd Grade Math (Edina Public School District)86.280.8
 5.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)65.659.1
 6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Highlands Elementary)80.966.7
 14.2%
   3rd Grade Reading (Edina Public School District)75.566.7
 8.8%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)54.647.4
 7.2%
4th Grade Math (Highlands Elementary)8373
 10%
   4th Grade Math (Edina Public School District)82.280.9
 1.3%
   4th Grade Math (Minnesota)63.957.1
 6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Highlands Elementary)71.373
 1.8%
   4th Grade Reading (Edina Public School District)71.873.8
 2%
   4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)55.448.4
 7.1%
5th Grade Math (Highlands Elementary)73.761.6
 12.1%
   5th Grade Math (Edina Public School District)73.767.5
 6.2%
   5th Grade Math (Minnesota)5244.4
 7.6%
5th Grade Reading (Highlands Elementary)87.979.1
 8.8%
   5th Grade Reading (Edina Public School District)8679
 7%
   5th Grade Reading (Minnesota)65.858.7
 7%
5th Grade Science (Highlands Elementary)77.867.1
 10.7%
   5th Grade Science (Edina Public School District)69.565.9
 3.6%
   5th Grade Science (Minnesota)54.948.4
 6.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students561564
 0.5%
African American1942
 121.1%
American Indian11
Asian4838
 20.8%
Hispanic2829
 3.6%
Pacific Islander00
White424410
 3.3%
Two or More Races4144
 7.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients5%14.5%
 9.5%


Schools Near Highlands Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Elementary

Students at Highlands Elementary are 72% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% African American, 7% Asian, 6% Hispanic.

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : South View Middle
High : Edina Senior High

Yes! Highlands Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 42nd of 881 Minnesota elementary schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 554 students attended Highlands Elementary.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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