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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Highland Jr High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
961
Middle
DISTRICT 914 · STATE 494
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GILBERT UNIFIED DISTRICT (4239)·NCES 040340001669
Highland Jr High School
6915 E GUADALUPE RD, MESA, AZ 85212 · (480) 632-4739 · Maricopa County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL961 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 96% of Arizona public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- A+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Arizona public middle schools
Student : Teacher
18.5:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.9:1 · STATE 17.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 515 | 54% |
| Grade 8 | 446 | 46% |
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 65% · 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
AASA 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
65.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . +10.0pp since 2017
Math
55.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -2.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arizona schools, those numbers are about 45 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 10 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 2 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 65.0% | 55.0% |
| 2023-24 | 54.0% | 50.0% |
| 2022-23 | 53.0% | 48.0% |
| 2021-22 | 55.0% | 47.0% |
| 2020-21 | 49.0% | 52.0% |
| 2018-19 | 55.0% | 52.0% |
| 2017-18 | 55.0% | 57.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Highland Jr High School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.0% | #11 of 190 ▲ 10 | #9 of 87 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #11 of 190 ▲ 15 | #9 of 87 ▲ 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +9.0pp | #11 of 160 | #7 of 78 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 961 | #7 of 214 | #6 of 96 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.5:1 | #87 of 179 | #38 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 54.5% | #81 of 182 | #48 of 86 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -20.5% | #65 of 139 | #37 of 69 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
961
-27 (-3%) vs 2020
-30% since 2000-01, when it was 1,378
Student : Teacher
18.5:1
was 16.8:1
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 | 961 | 52 | 18.5:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 956 | 57 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 979 | 46.8 | 20.9:1 | 30% (293) |
| 2020-21 | 988 | 59 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,209 | 54.5 | 22.2:1 | 22% (265) |
| 2015-16 | 1,232 | 58 | 21.2:1 | 0% (3) |
| 2010-11 | 1,283 | 58 | 22.1:1 | 24% (303) |
| 2000-01 | 1,378 | 62 | 22.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highland Jr High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 21% (1,209 to 961); teachers down 5% (54.5 to 52).
About Highland Jr High School
MESA, Arizona, is home to Highland Jr High School, a large middle-grades school. The school reports 961 students in grades 6 through 8. The school's enrollment is 95% larger than the 494 average for middle schools in Arizona.
Gilbert Unified District (4239) has 38 schools and 31,560 students, and Highland Jr High School is one of those schools.
Highland Jr High School is 63% White by enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 24% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 3% Asian, and 3% Black. Pick two students at random and there is a 55% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school reported 52 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 18.5:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 17.8:1 average for middle schools in Arizona.
The allk12 Grade for Highland Jr High School is A+. Compared with Arizona public middle schools, the school scored higher than 96% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Census estimates describe Maricopa County this way: the median household income is $89,300, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 37%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. Besides Highland Jr High School, Maricopa County has 1,351 other public schools.
The school nearest to Highland Jr High School is Canyon Valley High School, at a distance of about 0.2 miles. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools.
Highland Jr High School is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels City: Large.
Enrollment at Highland Jr High School dropped 3% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 988 to 961 students. Federal data show the ratio rising from 16.8:1 to 18.5:1.
Threads on this page can be about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Maricopa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
4,559,748
Census ACS
Median income
$89,300
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,352
725,139 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Gilbert Unified District (4239)
- Highland High SchoolHigh · 2,992 students
- Gilbert High SchoolHigh · 2,418 students
- Desert Ridge HighHigh · 2,103 students
- Campo Verde High SchoolHigh · 1,863 students
- Mesquite High SchoolHigh · 1,303 students
- Greenfield Junior High SchoolMiddle · 1,160 students
Other schools in MESA
- Mountain View High SchoolHigh · 3,421 students
- Red Mountain High SchoolHigh · 3,379 students
- Mesa High SchoolHigh · 3,233 students
- Westwood High SchoolHigh · 3,135 students
- Dobson High SchoolHigh · 2,284 students
- Desert Ridge HighHigh · 2,103 students
Other Highland Junior High schools
One other US public school is named Highland Junior High. Highland Jr High School is the largest of the 2.
- Highland Junior HighOGDEN, UT · 649 students
Nearby schools
- Canyon Valley High School0.2 mi · 283
- Liberty Arts Academy0.3 mi · 296
- Superstition Springs Elementary0.4 mi · 731
- Virtual School of Arizona0.5 mi · 849
- State Online School0.5 mi · 839
- Freedom Prep Academy - Mesa0.5 mi · 448
Frequently asked questions
About Highland Jr High SchoolHow many students attend Highland Jr High School?
Highland Jr High School enrolls approximately 961 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Highland Jr High School serve?
Highland Jr High School serves grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Highland Jr High School have?
Highland Jr High School employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.5:1.
How diverse is Highland Jr High School?
Highland Jr High School reports a student body of 63% White, 24% Hispanic, 3% Black, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Highland Jr High School in?
Highland Jr High School is part of Gilbert Unified District (4239).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.