The bulletin board for America's public schools. Parents, teachers, students, and staff. One community per school.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TWIN RIVERS UNIFIED·NCES 060133201988

Highlands High

6601 Guthrie Way, North Highlands, CA 95660 · (916) 566-3465 · Sacramento County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL778 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 28% of California public high schools
  • DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • 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 California public high schools

Enrollment
778
High
DISTRICT 860 · STATE 838
Student : Teacher
19.0:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
89%
691 students
DISTRICT 87% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 920026%
Grade 1018223%
Grade 1121027%
Grade 1218624%
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
13017%
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 20% · US 43%
Hispanic
40452%
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 56% · US 30%
Black
8711%
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
668%
DISTRICT 16% · STATE 12% · US 6%
Two+
739%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
101%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
44157%
Female
33243%

Discussions

+ POST

Test scores

CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standard
English Language Arts
36.5%
CA avg 49.1% . -6.5pp since 2014
Math
20.3%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.3pp since 2014

What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 20 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 2 points.

Performance levels, 2024-25

SubjectStandard ExceededStandard MetStandard Nearly MetStandard Not Met
English Language Arts17.7%18.8%25.4%38.1%
Math7.7%12.6%16.5%63.2%
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 yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2536.5%20.3%
2023-2428.2%19.5%
2022-2327.4%13.8%
2021-2226.7%13.3%
2018-1935.4%19.6%
2017-1840.6%21.0%
2016-1734.4%14.0%
2015-1651.0%26.0%
2014-1543.0%18.0%
% 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
26.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.4pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 26% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 28% 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 High

Highlands High's state test result (26.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 3 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Highlands High this school77888.8%26.1%
Hollywood Senior High
Los Angeles
1,02592.7%46.0%
SAVA - Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy - SCUSD
Sacramento
67283.5%N/A
Madison High
San Diego
78080.8%30.6%
Options for Youth-Victor Valley Charter
Victorville
88685.6%N/A
Fairfax Senior High
Los Angeles
1,49587.4%39.1%
Matched among California high 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 High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn CaliforniaIn Sacramento County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
26.1%#902 of 1,052#35 of 45
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
20.3%#663 of 1,056
▼ 38
#26 of 45
▼ 3
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
36.5%#941 of 1,056
▲ 49
#36 of 45
▲ 5
3-year test score change
ranked biggest gain first
+8.4pp#192 of 1,044#6 of 44
Enrollment
ranked largest first
778#842 of 2,093#35 of 77
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
19.0:1#397 of 1,352#11 of 50
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
67.0%#198 of 1,351#31 of 50
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
88.8%#341 of 1,575#3 of 64
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+4.7%#210 of 327#12 of 23
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
778
+41 (+6%) vs 2020
-29% since 2010-11, when it was 1,100
Student : Teacher
19.0:1
was 21.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-257784119.0:189% (691)
2023-2475442.117.9:188% (660)
2022-2374441.817.8:190% (666)
2020-217373521.1:193% (684)
2017-187433819.5:186% (636)
2015-168083721.8:179% (635)
2010-111,100N/AN/A76% (834)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highlands High.

Since 2017-18: students up 5% (743 to 778); teachers up 8% (38 to 41).

About Highlands High

Highlands High is a mid-sized high school in North Highlands, California. There are 778 students enrolled, covering grades 9 through 12.

Twin Rivers Unified (44 schools, 24,770 students) runs Highlands High.

Of every 100 students at Highlands High, about 52 are Hispanic. Other reported shares: 17% White, 11% Black, 9% multiracial, and 8% Asian. Sacramento County's residents are about 24% Hispanic, 28 points below the school's share. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 67%.

Highlands High has 41 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.0:1. Across high schools in California, the average ratio is 18.2:1. The school has 89% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 63% average for public schools in Sacramento County is 26 points.

On the allk12 Grade, Highlands High lands at C, ahead of 28% of California public high schools.

Test results at Highlands High are 1.4 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (26.1% actual, 27.5% predicted).

In Sacramento County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $92,175, about 34% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 9%. The county has 387 public schools and about 259,342 students.

Highlands High's nearest public school is Hillsdale Elementary (about 0.2 miles). In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Highlands High. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, Highlands High ranks 5th on average proficiency.

Under the NCES locale system, Highlands High is Suburb: Large.

Enrollment figures show a gain of 41 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Its ratio of students to teachers was 21.1:1 in 2020-21, and 19.0:1 in 2024-25.

The discussion board for Highlands High is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.

Sacramento County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
1,594,006
Census ACS
Median income
$92,175
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
387
259,342 students

Quick facts

School name
Highlands High
District
Twin Rivers Unified
Address
6601 Guthrie Way, North Highlands, CA 95660
Phone
(916) 566-3465
County
Sacramento County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
778
Teachers (FTE)
41
Student–teacher ratio
19.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
691 (89%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
060133201988
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Twin Rivers Unified
Other schools in North Highlands
Other Highlands High schools

2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Highlands High. Highlands High is the 3rd largest of the 3.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Highlands High
How large is Highlands High?
Highlands High enrolls approximately 778 students in grades 09-12.
Is Highlands High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highlands High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Highlands High have?
Highlands High employs 41 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Highlands High?
Student demographics at Highlands High are roughly 17% White, 52% Hispanic, 11% Black, 8% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Highlands High public or private?
Highlands High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Twin Rivers Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
+ Post