Highlands Elem

Highlands Elem operates as a mid-tier primary school in Mission, Kansas, operated by Shawnee Mission Pub Sch. Current enrollment sits at 345 students spanning grades pre-K through 6.

Shawnee Mission Pub Sch comprises 45 schools with combined enrollment of 26,330 students; Highlands Elem is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Highlands Elem reports that the largest single group is White, at 77% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 10% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 3% Asian. That composition is broadly in line with Johnson County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.0:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 10% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is below Johnson County's rate of about 27%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Highlands Elem sits in the top 10% of Kansas schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 57.2%; actual is 77.8%, +20.6 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, census data for Johnson County shows median household earnings sit near $109,208, about 58% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 3%. Across Johnson County's 168 public schools (combined enrollment of about 93,598 students), Highlands Elem is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Indian Hills Middle, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Highlands Elem ranks 1st on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 56.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Looking at the recent track record. Highlands Elem's enrollment has edged up 6% since 2018, when it stood at 326 (now 345). The White share of enrollment shrank from 83% to 77% over that span.

On this page, the feed for Highlands Elem typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.