Highland Ranch Elementary

Located at 14840 Waverley Downs Way, in San Diego, California, Highland Ranch Elementary is a moderately sized primary school that teaches 661 students (grades K through 5), one of the schools within Poway Unified. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 42% larger than typical.

Poway Unified comprises 39 schools with combined enrollment of 34,259 students; Highland Ranch Elementary is among them.

Demographically, Highland Ranch Elementary logs that the largest single group is Asian at 40%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school lists 29% White, 15% Hispanic, 12% multiracial, 3% Black. By comparison, San Diego County as a whole is about 12% Asian, so the school skews noticeably more Asian than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 23.2:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. An estimated 15% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably below San Diego County's rate of about 54%.

After controlling for student poverty, Highland Ranch Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 70.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 64.5%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for San Diego County indicate median household income runs about $106,268, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, San Diego County runs 766 public schools (combined enrollment of about 467,437 students), of which Highland Ranch Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Rancho Bernardo High, roughly 0.8 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Highland Ranch Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Highland Ranch Elementary at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 66.8%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Highland Ranch Elementary's enrollment has ticked down 7% since 2018, when it stood at 709 (now 661). White enrollment moved from 40% to 29% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 25.1:1 in 2018 to 23.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Highland Ranch Elementary community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.