HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Set in PALM HARBOR, Florida, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a compact elementary-level community, overseen by PINELLAS. It instructs 449 students across grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 26% below the state mean of about 604.

Within PINELLAS, which oversees 151 schools and 87,955 students, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

On demographics, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records that the largest single group is White, at 71% of enrollment. The remainder consists of 14% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 6% Black, 3% Asian. That composition is broadly in line with Pinellas County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.5:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.5:1 average. Roughly 40% of students at HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 61.3%; this one delivers 63.0%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Pinellas County put the typical household earns roughly $72,646 per year, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Pinellas County runs 155 public schools (combined enrollment of about 87,955 students), of which HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one.

Nearest neighbor: JOSEPH L. CARWISE MIDDLE SCHOOL, around 0.9 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 74.9%.

The school occupies a residential site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 20%: 562 students in 2018 compared to 449 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the HIGHLAND LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.