Enrollment
216
Elementary
DISTRICT 367 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ETOWAH COUNTY·NCES 010138000503
Highland Elementary School
3156 Tabor Rd, Gadsden, AL 35904 · (256) 546-7409 · Etowah County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL216 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
18.0:1
12 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.7:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
54%
116 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 58%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 52 | 24% |
| Kindergarten | 22 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 24 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 16 | 7% |
| Grade 3 | 22 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 30 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 31 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 19 | 9% |
This year's kindergarten class (22) is 16% larger than its 6th grade class (19).
Student demographics
26%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ACAP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
60.8%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
24.7%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alabama schools, those numbers are about 53 and 32.
Source: ACAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.9%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% typical for Alabama schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Alabama's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Highland Elementary School
Highland Elementary School's state test result (42.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary School this school | 216 | 53.7% | 42.6% |
| Fruithurst Elementary School Fruithurst | 226 | 52.7% | 63.6% |
| PollardMcCall Junior High School Brewton | 200 | 53.5% | 51.6% |
| Meek Elementary School Arley | 211 | 54.0% | 73.2% |
| Wilsonville Elementary School Wilsonville | 229 | 55.5% | 59.9% |
| Bridgeport Elementary School Bridgeport | 224 | 52.2% | 45.1% |
Matched among Alabama elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Highland Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Etowah County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.6% | #394 of 626 | #15 of 20 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 24.7% | #460 of 626 | #16 of 20 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.8% | #347 of 626 | #13 of 20 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 216 | #642 of 709 | #18 of 21 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.0:1 | #456 of 655 | #14 of 20 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 25.8% | #526 of 658 | #16 of 20 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 53.7% | #431 of 696 | #14 of 20 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
216
+26 (+14%) vs 2020
-28% since 1990-91, when it was 300
Student : Teacher
18.0:1
was 14.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 216 | 12 | 18.0:1 | 54% (116) |
| 2023-24 | 223 | 16 | 13.9:1 | 68% (151) |
| 2022-23 | 225 | 15 | 15.0:1 | 69% (156) |
| 2020-21 | 190 | 13 | 14.6:1 | 61% (116) |
| 2017-18 | 189 | 12.2 | 15.5:1 | 66% (125) |
| 2015-16 | 188 | 13 | 14.5:1 | 63% (119) |
| 2010-11 | 244 | 23 | 10.6:1 | 71% (173) |
| 2000-01 | 305 | 19 | 16.1:1 | 66% (201) |
| 1990-91 | 300 | 15 | 20.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highland Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 14% (189 to 216); teachers down 2% (12.2 to 12).
About Highland Elementary School
Located in Gadsden, Alabama, Highland Elementary School is a low-enrollment elementary school. The school's enrollment of 216 students covers pre-K through 6. Enrollment is 55% lower than the average for elementary schools in Alabama, which is about 480.
Highland Elementary School is one school in a 22-school district, Etowah County, which enrolls 8,739 students.
White students are the large majority at Highland Elementary School, with 86% of enrollment. Other groups make up 8% multiracial, 3% Black, and 3% Hispanic. County-wide, 77% of Etowah County residents are White. Highland Elementary School has a diversity index of 26%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The teaching staff at Highland Elementary School is 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 18.0:1. That ratio is over the 17.0:1 average for elementary schools in Alabama. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 54%.
After adjusting for student poverty, Highland Elementary School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Alabama schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 42.6%; the prediction is 44.9%.
Etowah County has these Census figures: median household income is about $54,563, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 18%, and roughly 12% of residents are in poverty. Highland Elementary School is among the 42 public schools in Etowah County.
Of nearby public schools, Thompson Elementary School is the closest, at about 3.1 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Among 8 nearby schools that report test results, Highland Elementary School ranks 4th on proficiency.
The federal government classifies Highland Elementary School's location as Rural: Fringe.
Enrollment was 190 in 2020-21 and 216 in 2024-25, a rise of 26 students. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 14.6:1; by 2024-25 it was 18.0:1.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Etowah County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
103,105
Census ACS
Median income
$54,563
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
42
15,139 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Etowah County
- Southside High SchoolHigh · 825 students
- John S Jones Elementary SchoolElementary · 745 students
- Rainbow Middle SchoolMiddle · 634 students
- Hokes Bluff Elementary SchoolElementary · 610 students
- Southside Elementary SchoolElementary · 585 students
- Sardis High SchoolHigh · 546 students
Other schools in Gadsden
- Gadsden City High SchoolHigh · 1,361 students
- Gadsden Middle SchoolMiddle · 438 students
- Adams Elementary SchoolElementary · 433 students
- W E Striplin Elementary SchoolElementary · 400 students
- Floyd Elementary SchoolElementary · 384 students
- Gaston High SchoolHigh · 380 students
Other Highland Elementary schools
55 other US public schools in 26 states are named Highland Elementary. Highland Elementary School is the 52nd largest of the 56.
- HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLLAKE WORTH, FL · 976 students
- Highland ElementarySanford, NC · 854 students
- Highland Elementary SchoolMarengo, OH · 836 students
- Highland Elementary SchoolEvansville, IN · 814 students
- Highland ElementaryBakersfield, CA · 778 students
Nearby schools
- Thompson Elementary School3.1 mi · 288
- Mitchell Elementary School3.4 mi · 262
- Gaston Elementary School3.7 mi · 290
- Gaston High School3.7 mi · 380
- Duck Springs Elementary School4.4 mi · 207
- Floyd Elementary School4.5 mi · 384
Frequently asked questions
About Highland Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School enrolls approximately 216 students in grades PK-06.
Is Highland Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highland Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School is approximately 18.0:1 (12 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Highland Elementary School?
At Highland Elementary School, the student body is approximately 86% White, 3% Hispanic, 3% Black, 8% Two or more.
What district is Highland Elementary School in?
Highland Elementary School is part of Etowah County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.