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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. RE-9·NCES 080231000049

Highland Elementary School

101 2ND STREET, PIERCE, CO 80650 · (970) 834-2853 · Weld County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL443 STUDENTS
Enrollment
443
Elementary
DISTRICT 325 · STATE 379
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
162 students
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 50%
Community
6
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

GradeStudentsShare
Kindergarten7116%
Grade 17016%
Grade 26515%
Grade 38619%
Grade 46815%
Grade 58319%

This year's kindergarten class (71) is 14% smaller than its 5th grade class (83).

Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
25056%
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 49% · US 43%
Hispanic
17640%
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 37% · US 30%
Two+
164%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 0% · 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
23553%
Female
20847%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
Highland Elementary School→Highland Middle School→Highland High School
Based on grade levels within Weld County School District No. Re-9. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded Expectations
English Language Arts
20.8%
CO avg 44.9% . -3.1pp since 2023

What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 21 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level. The Colorado average is about 45 of 100. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023.

CMAS results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2520.8%N/A
2023-2423.9%22.4%
% Met or Exceeded Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CMAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of CO schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
24.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.5%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-19.9pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 25% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 45% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.

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 (24.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Highland Elementary School this school44336.6%24.6%
Crystal River Elementary School
CARBONDALE
44540.9%25.4%
Cactus Valley Elementary School
SILT
46241.1%32.7%
Cedar Ridge Elementary School
PUEBLO WEST
45839.5%47.1%
Little Raven Elementary School
LITTLETON
47540.2%43.9%
Strasburg Elementary School
STRASBURG
54439.2%34.5%
Matched among Colorado 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
MeasureThis schoolIn ColoradoIn Weld County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
24.6%#687 of 931#35 of 53
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
22.4%#666 of 940#36 of 55
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
20.8%#814 of 946
▼ 65
#44 of 55
▼ 3
Enrollment
ranked largest first
443#338 of 1,056#36 of 62
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
17.0:1#666 of 896#30 of 56
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
52.2%#383 of 896#20 of 56
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
36.6%#630 of 983#38 of 57
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+3.5%#160 of 200#14 of 17
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 2024-25
Enrollment
443
+41 (+10%) vs 2020
+24% since 1990-91, when it was 358
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
was 16.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-254432617.0:137% (162)
2023-244322716.0:152% (223)
2022-234732717.5:141% (193)
2020-214022416.8:149% (195)
2017-1842825.716.7:146% (199)
2015-163662415.3:150% (184)
2010-113892416.2:159% (228)
2000-014263113.7:139% (166)
1990-913581918.8:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highland Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students up 4% (428 to 443); teachers up 1% (25.7 to 26).

About Highland Elementary School

Highland Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school in Colorado, located in PIERCE. Students in kindergarten through 5 attend the school, which enrolls 443 students.

Weld County School District No. Re-9 enrolls 976 students in 3 schools, including Highland Elementary School.

At Highland Elementary School, White students make up 56% of the student body. The school is also 40% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. That is lower than the 73% White share among all Weld County residents. The school's diversity index is 52%, meaning two students picked at random have a 52% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

The school has about 17.0 students per teacher and 26 full-time-equivalent teachers. That matches the 16.6:1 average for elementary schools in Colorado fairly closely. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 37%. The 47% average for public schools in Weld County is 10 points higher.

Compared with Colorado schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Highland Elementary School scores 19.9 points lower than predicted. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 24.6%; the prediction is 44.5%.

According to the American Community Survey, in Weld County, the median household income is $97,097, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Highland Elementary School is one of 116 public schools in the county.

The school nearest to Highland Elementary School is Highland Middle School, at a distance of about 4.1 miles. A five-mile radius around the school includes 2 other public schools. Highland Elementary School places 7th of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.

The school's locale code, Rural: Distant, means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.

Compared with 2020-21, the school had 41 more students in 2024-25.

Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Weld County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
350,396
Census ACS
Median income
$97,097
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
116
61,274 students

Quick facts

School name
Highland Elementary School
District
Weld County School District No. Re-9
Address
101 2ND STREET, PIERCE, CO 80650
Phone
(970) 834-2853
County
Weld County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
KG–05
Total enrollment
443
Teachers (FTE)
26
Student–teacher ratio
17.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
162 (37%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
080231000049
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Weld County School District No. Re-9
Other Highland Elementary schools

55 other US public schools in 26 states are named Highland Elementary. Highland Elementary School is the 26th largest of the 56.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Highland Elementary School
What is the total enrollment at Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School enrolls approximately 443 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Highland Elementary School serve?
Highland Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Highland Elementary School?
Approximately 17.0:1 students per teacher at Highland Elementary School.
How diverse is Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School reports a student body of 56% White, 40% Hispanic, 4% Two or more.
What district is Highland Elementary School in?
Highland Elementary School is part of Weld County School District No. Re-9.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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