Highland Park High

Highland Park High is a big 9-12 campus in Topeka, Kansas, part of Topeka Public Schools. The school educates 835 students in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 104% bigger than the state mean of about 410.

Within Topeka Public Schools, which oversees 25 schools and 11,695 students, Highland Park High is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Highland Park High reports that 48% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 22% Black, 17% White, 12% multiracial. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 14%.

On the resource side, Highland Park High reports 58 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.9:1, putting Highland Park High higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 80% of students at Highland Park High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Shawnee County (around 54%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Highland Park High is in the bottom 10% of Kansas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 23.6%; Highland Park High posts 8.3%, -15.3 points below that line.

Across the wider county, census data for Shawnee County shows median household earnings sit near $67,104, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Shawnee County runs 54 public schools (combined enrollment of about 26,294 students), of which Highland Park High is one.

Highland Park Central is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Highland Park High. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Highland Park High at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 18.6%.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Highland Park High has decreased 3%, going from 863 students in 2018 to 835 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share contracted from 27% to 22%. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 12.2:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 today.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.