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If you had an hour of school board time for Highlands Elementary, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
357
Elementary
DISTRICT 397 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LA MESA-SPRING VALLEY·NCES 062025002429
Highlands Elementary
3131 South Barcelona St., Spring Valley, CA 91977 · (619) 668-5780 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL357 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
27.5:1
13 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 25.0:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
264 students
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 65%
Community
1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 69 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 55 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 58 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 52 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 70 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (69) is 30% larger than its 5th grade class (53).
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 62% · 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
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
44.4%
CA avg 49.1% . +11.4pp since 2014
Math
31.1%
CA avg 37.7% . +4.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 11 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 4 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 19.1% | 25.3% | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Math | 12.0% | 19.2% | 26.9% | 41.9% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 44.4% | 31.1% |
| 2023-24 | 39.7% | 27.1% |
| 2022-23 | 36.1% | 26.3% |
| 2021-22 | 32.4% | 23.2% |
| 2018-19 | 40.4% | 34.8% |
| 2017-18 | 35.7% | 27.8% |
| 2016-17 | 34.6% | 25.7% |
| 2015-16 | 34.0% | 38.0% |
| 2014-15 | 33.0% | 27.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. 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
35.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% typical for California 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 California'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 Highlands Elementary
Highlands Elementary's state test result (35.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Elementary this school | 357 | 73.9% | 35.2% |
| Casa de Oro Elementary Spring Valley | 320 | 73.8% | 28.4% |
| Sierra Vista Elementary Upland | 409 | 74.1% | 45.2% |
| Sycamore Elementary Upland | 412 | 75.0% | 42.3% |
| Laguna Vista Elementary Oxnard | 351 | 71.8% | 27.9% |
| Rancho Cordova Elementary Rancho Cordova | 407 | 77.6% | 19.4% |
Matched among California 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 Highlands Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.2% | #2,940 of 5,151 | #258 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.1% | #3,111 of 5,172 ▲ 262 | #265 of 393 ▲ 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.4% | #2,506 of 5,172 ▲ 262 | #235 of 393 ▲ 13 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.0pp | #614 of 5,116 | #36 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 357 | #4,209 of 5,915 | #335 of 453 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 27.5:1 | #5,181 of 5,352 | #409 of 418 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.5% | #2,571 of 5,354 | #261 of 418 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 73.9% | #2,694 of 5,625 | #139 of 442 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -34.4% | #323 of 3,837 | #16 of 279 |
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
357
-166 (-32%) vs 2020
-33% since 1990-91, when it was 530
Student : Teacher
27.5:1
was 26.1:1
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 | 357 | 13 | 27.5:1 | 74% (264) |
| 2023-24 | 446 | 16 | 27.9:1 | 78% (346) |
| 2022-23 | 496 | 19 | 26.1:1 | 78% (388) |
| 2020-21 | 523 | 20 | 26.1:1 | 73% (381) |
| 2017-18 | 544 | 19 | 28.6:1 | 79% (429) |
| 2015-16 | 536 | 19 | 28.2:1 | 76% (406) |
| 2010-11 | 498 | N/A | N/A | 64% (317) |
| 2000-01 | 545 | 26 | 21.0:1 | 44% (240) |
| 1990-91 | 530 | 23 | 23.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highlands Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 34% (544 to 357); teachers down 32% (19 to 13).
About Highlands Elementary
Highlands Elementary is one of the public schools in Spring Valley, California. It is a low-enrollment elementary school. Classes run from kindergarten through 5, and the school has 357 students. The average for elementary schools in California is about 465 students, so this school is 23% smaller than average.
Federal data list 22 schools in La Mesa-Spring Valley, with 10,491 students enrolled.
Hispanic students make up a majority at Highlands Elementary, at 66%. The remaining shares are 15% White, 7% Black, 7% multiracial, and 3% Asian. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of San Diego County's population at about 35%. Pick two students at random and there is a 52% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
With 13 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at Highlands Elementary was 27.5:1. This ratio sits 5.2 above the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 74%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in San Diego County is 54%.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Highlands Elementary would score about 36.2%. It scores 35.2%, 1.1 points below that figure.
San Diego County census figures show that the median household income is $106,268, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. There are 766 public schools in San Diego County, enrolling about 467,437 students in all.
The closest public school, Monte Vista High, is about 0.4 miles from Highlands Elementary. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Highlands Elementary places 5th out of 8 schools in its immediate area.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment declined 32% from its 2020-21 level of 523. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 26.1:1 to 27.5:1.
The Highlands Elementary community page is open for posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
San Diego County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,288,774
Census ACS
Median income
$106,268
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
766
467,437 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in La Mesa-Spring Valley
- La Mesa Arts AcademyMiddle · 1,059 students
- Parkway Sports and Health Science AcademyMiddle · 897 students
- Sci Tech Engr Arts and Math Acad at La PresaMiddle · 800 students
- Murdock ElementaryElementary · 608 students
- Spring Valley AcademyMiddle · 597 students
- Fletcher Hills ElementaryElementary · 540 students
Other schools in Spring Valley
- Steele Canyon HighHigh · 2,198 students
- Monte Vista HighHigh · 1,543 students
- Mount Miguel HighHigh · 1,539 students
- Sci Tech Engr Arts and Math Acad at La PresaMiddle · 800 students
- Spring Valley AcademyMiddle · 597 students
- Kempton Street Literacy AcademyElementary · 480 students
Other Highlands Elementary schools
24 other US public schools in 13 states are named Highlands Elementary. Highlands Elementary is the 20th largest of the 25.
- Highlands ElementarySaugus, CA · 666 students
- Highlands ElementaryConcord, CA · 512 students
- Highlands ElementaryPittsburg, CA · 480 students
- Highlands ElementarySan Mateo, CA · 379 students
- Highlands Elementary SchoolHIGHLANDS, TX · 868 students
Nearby schools
- Monte Vista High0.4 mi · 1,543
- Sweetwater Springs Elementary0.6 mi · 378
- Loma Elementary0.8 mi · 315
- College Preparatory Middle0.8 mi · 397
- Casa de Oro Elementary0.8 mi · 320
- Spring Valley Academy1.0 mi · 597
Frequently asked questions
About Highlands ElementaryHow many students attend Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary enrolls approximately 357 students in grades KG-05.
Is Highlands Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highlands Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Highlands Elementary have?
Highlands Elementary employs 13 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 27.5:1.
What is the student diversity at Highlands Elementary?
Student demographics at Highlands Elementary are roughly 15% White, 66% Hispanic, 7% Black, 3% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary is overseen by La Mesa-Spring Valley in San Diego County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.