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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PINELLAS·NCES 120156002884

HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

1230 HIGHLANDS BLVD, PALM HARBOR, FL 34684 · (727) 724-1429 · Pinellas County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL449 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% 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
449
Elementary
DISTRICT 484 · STATE 604
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
178 students
DISTRICT 48% · 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-K368%
Kindergarten5612%
Grade 16915%
Grade 25512%
Grade 37116%
Grade 47316%
Grade 58920%

This year's kindergarten class (56) is 37% smaller than its 5th grade class (89).

Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 70% · US 70%
White
31971%
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 33% · US 43%
Hispanic
6514%
DISTRICT 21% · STATE 38% · US 30%
Black
256%
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 21% · US 15%
Asian
123%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 3% · US 6%
Two+
276%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 4% · US 5%
Native American
10%
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
22350%
Female
22650%

Discussions

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Test scores

FAST / B.E.S.T. 2024-25 . % at Level 3 or Above
English Language Arts
57.0%
FL avg 56.7% . -3.5pp since 2023
Math
67.2%
FL avg 58.9% . -1.1pp since 2023

What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 57 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 67 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 3 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 1 points.

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

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2557.0%67.2%
2023-2460.4%68.3%
% 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
63.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
61.3%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.7pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 61% 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 LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (63.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school44939.6%63.0%
SUNSET HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
TARPON SPRINGS
42839.7%72.3%
GENEVA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
GENEVA
48642.2%70.4%
FELIX A WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
STUART
50040.2%68.3%
COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMY AT WELLEN PARK
FORT LAUDERDALE
40944.0%60.8%
ORANGE GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SEMINOLE
40536.3%87.1%
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 LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn FloridaIn Pinellas County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
63.0%#728 of 2,136#45 of 90
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
67.2%#766 of 2,149
▼ 165
#43 of 90
▼ 9
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
57.0%#982 of 2,149
▼ 285
#61 of 90
▼ 18
Enrollment
ranked largest first
449#1,614 of 2,267#49 of 90
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
14.5:1#493 of 2,077#64 of 90
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
46.7%#1,489 of 2,108#69 of 90
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
39.6%#1,590 of 2,188#57 of 90
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-20.1%#495 of 1,374#29 of 75
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
449
-38 (-8%) vs 2020
-36% since 2000-01, when it was 707
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 13.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-254493114.5:140% (178)
2023-244683314.2:141% (191)
2022-235293813.9:144% (231)
2020-214873513.9:136% (176)
2017-185624113.7:140% (226)
2015-166224214.8:141% (258)
2010-116254314.5:129% (183)
2000-017073918.1:123% (164)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

About HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Located in PALM HARBOR, Florida, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a low-enrollment elementary school. The school enrolls 449 students, from pre-K through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Florida is about 604, so this school runs 26% smaller than that.

PINELLAS has 87,955 students spread across 151 schools.

HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is 71% White by enrollment. Other reported shares: 14% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 6% Black, and 3% Asian. The White share in Pinellas County as a whole is similar, at about 74%. The school's diversity index is 47%, meaning two students picked at random have a 47% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

Teachers at the school number 31 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 14.5:1. This ratio sits 3.0 below the 17.5:1 average for elementary schools in Florida. Roughly 40% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is graded B by allk12, scoring above 59% of Florida public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.

When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is 1.7 points above its prediction. Actual: 63.0%. Predicted: 61.3%.

Across Pinellas County, the median household income is $72,646, roughly 37% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Pinellas County is home to 155 public schools and about 87,955 public school students.

Of nearby public schools, JOSEPH L. CARWISE MIDDLE SCHOOL is the closest, at about 0.9 miles. HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL comes in 9th of 9 nearby schools on average proficiency.

The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Suburb: Large, meaning it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.

Enrollment dropped 8% from its 2020-21 level of 487.

The discussion area below is open to posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Pinellas County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
963,481
Census ACS
Median income
$72,646
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
155
87,955 students

Quick facts

School name
HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
District
PINELLAS
Address
1230 HIGHLANDS BLVD, PALM HARBOR, FL 34684
Phone
(727) 724-1429
County
Pinellas County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
449
Teachers (FTE)
31
Student–teacher ratio
14.5:1
Free and reduced lunch
178 (40%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
120156002884
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in PINELLAS
Other schools in PALM HARBOR
Other Highland Lakes Elementary schools

One other US public school is named Highland Lakes Elementary. HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the 2nd largest of the 2.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
How large is HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 449 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL have?
HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL employs 31 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.5:1.
What is the student diversity at HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Student demographics at HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are roughly 71% White, 14% Hispanic, 6% Black, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in?
HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is part of PINELLAS.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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