Highland High School

Highland High School, a very small four-year high school in Riverside, Iowa, overseen by Highland Comm School District, teaches 149 students, covering grades 9 through 12. That puts it 68% smaller than the typical public school in Iowa, which averages around 468 students.

Highland Comm School District runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 510 students. Highland High School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Highland High School records that nearly all students (85%) are White. Beyond that, the school records 12% Hispanic.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.3:1 average. Around 21% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Washington County runs at roughly 32%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Highland High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 81.2%; this one delivers 73.9%.

In the area at large, census data for Washington County shows the typical household earns roughly $75,647 per year, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Highland High School is one of 13 public schools in Washington County (combined enrollment of about 3,820 students).

Highland Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 5 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Highland High School at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 65.6%.

Highland High School operates from a small-town location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Highland High School has contracted 23%, going from 193 students in 2018 to 149 in 2025. Class-load math has loosened: from 9.3:1 in 2018 to 10.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.