HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

As a big elementary-level community in HIGHLAND, New York, HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL hosts 665 students from grades K through 5, one of the schools within HIGHLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT. By comparison, New York's public schools average about 443 students each, so HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits 50% above that benchmark.

Within HIGHLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, which oversees 3 schools and 1,526 students, HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports that the largest single group is White, at 66% of enrollment. Other groups include 18% Hispanic, 8% Black, 5% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Ulster County as a whole is about 75% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 54 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.3:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 35% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 61.9%; this one delivers 45.0%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Ulster County shows the typical household earns roughly $86,271 per year, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Ulster County runs 45 public schools (combined enrollment of about 20,189 students), of which HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one.

The closest other public school is HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, roughly 0.1 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 44.9%.

HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL operates from a residential location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 14%: 773 students in 2018 compared to 665 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 72% to 66% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 14.0:1 in 2018 to 12.3:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.