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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POLK·NCES 120159001761

HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

5355 9TH STREET SE, HIGHLAND CITY, FL 33846 · (863) 648-3540 · Polk County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL414 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 60% of Florida public elementary schools
  • B-Test 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.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Florida public elementary schools

Enrollment
414
Elementary
DISTRICT 641 · STATE 604
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
263 students
DISTRICT 65% · 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
Pre-K154%
Kindergarten6516%
Grade 16516%
Grade 26816%
Grade 36716%
Grade 45814%
Grade 57618%

This year's kindergarten class (65) is 14% smaller than its 5th grade class (76).

Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 70% · US 70%
White
19748%
DISTRICT 31% · STATE 33% · US 43%
Hispanic
13934%
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 38% · US 30%
Black
4110%
DISTRICT 21% · STATE 21% · US 15%
Asian
61%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 3% · US 6%
Two+
297%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 4% · US 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
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
22254%
Female
19246%

Discussions

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Test scores

FAST / B.E.S.T. 2024-25 . % at Level 3 or Above
English Language Arts
50.7%
FL avg 56.7% . -6.3pp since 2023
Math
63.7%
FL avg 58.9% . +4.9pp since 2023

What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.

FAST / B.E.S.T. results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2550.7%63.7%
2023-2457.0%58.9%
% at Level 3 or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: FAST / B.E.S.T.. 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
56.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.3%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.5pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for Florida 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 Florida'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 HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (56.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school41463.5%56.9%
SUNRISE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
DELTONA
42862.4%36.8%
CALUSA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
NEW PORT RICHEY
41765.0%31.5%
MONTCLAIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ORANGE PARK
40264.7%50.8%
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
LAKELAND
50261.6%56.8%
CROTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MELBOURNE
46463.1%57.3%
Matched among Florida 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 CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn FloridaIn Polk County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
56.9%#1,012 of 2,136#22 of 85
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
63.7%#924 of 2,149
▲ 56
#19 of 86
▲ 5
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
50.7%#1,262 of 2,149
▼ 410
#34 of 86
▼ 12
Enrollment
ranked largest first
414#1,728 of 2,267#73 of 89
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
14.8:1#612 of 2,077#10 of 85
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
64.6%#595 of 2,108#45 of 85
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
63.5%#759 of 2,188#60 of 88
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-3.7%#1,221 of 1,374#33 of 39
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
414
-3 (-1%) vs 2020
-36% since 1990-91, when it was 647
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 12.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-254142814.8:164% (263)
2023-244152814.8:163% (260)
2022-234253113.7:148% (205)
2020-214173312.6:150% (209)
2017-184303213.4:151% (219)
2015-164403014.7:150% (219)
2010-114803613.3:159% (281)
2000-014842817.3:158% (280)
1990-916473220.2:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

About HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a small elementary school in Florida, with an address in HIGHLAND CITY. The latest federal count shows 414 students in pre-K through 5. Against the 604-student average for elementary schools in Florida, enrollment here is 31% lower.

POLK is responsible for 163 schools, HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL included, with 116,552 students in all.

HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's enrollment has no majority group, and White students are the largest at 48%. After that, the student body is 34% Hispanic, 10% Black, and 7% multiracial. HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has a diversity index of 65%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

Teachers at the school number 28 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 14.8:1. Among elementary schools in Florida, the typical ratio is 17.5:1. The school's lunch program data list 64% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Across public schools in Polk County, the average is about the same, 65%.

HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is graded B by allk12, scoring above 60% of Florida public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.

The model predicts 49.3% for a school in Florida with HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's free or reduced-price lunch share. HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL posts 56.9%.

Polk County census figures show that median household income is about $65,978, about 24% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 11%. A total of 172 public schools operate in Polk County, serving about 117,004 students.

The next-closest public school is MI ESCUELA MONTESSORI, about 1.1 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. In a group of 5 nearby schools with scores, HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 2nd on average proficiency.

Locale data from NCES put HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more (Suburb: Large).

Federal data show 417 students in 2020-21 and 414 in 2024-25, a difference of under 3%. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 12.6:1 to 14.8:1.

Discussions about HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Polk County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
790,694
Census ACS
Median income
$65,978
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
172
117,004 students

Quick facts

School name
HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
District
POLK
Address
5355 9TH STREET SE, HIGHLAND CITY, FL 33846
Phone
(863) 648-3540
County
Polk County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
414
Teachers (FTE)
28
Student–teacher ratio
14.8:1
Free and reduced lunch
263 (64%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
120159001761
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in POLK
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
How many students attend HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 414 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is approximately 14.8:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
At HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 48% White, 34% Hispanic, 10% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is overseen by POLK in Polk County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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