HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Located at 1600 SHEPARD RD, in WINTER SPRINGS, Florida, HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a compact elementary-level community that teaches 503 students (grades pre-K through 5), run under SEMINOLE.

HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 74 schools operated by SEMINOLE, a district that hosts 63,934 students overall.

Demographically, HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (41%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Other groups include 40% White, 9% multiracial, 7% Black, 3% Asian. By comparison, Seminole County as a whole is about 24% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.6:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.5:1 average. An estimated 62% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Seminole County (around 47%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks in the top 10% of Florida public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 50.0%; HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL posts 67.7%, +17.7 points above that line.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Seminole County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $85,761 per year, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Seminole County's 77 public schools (combined enrollment of about 63,934 students), HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: LONGWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, around 1.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL comes 3rd of 7 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 63.0%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 16%: 601 students in 2018 compared to 503 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 54% to 40% across the same window.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.