HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL operates as a compact middle school in HIGHLAND, New York, run under HIGHLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT. Current enrollment sits at 348 students spanning grades 6 through 9. By comparison, New York's public schools average about 531 students each, so HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL sits 34% smaller than that benchmark.

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

Demographically, HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL records that White students make up the majority at 69%. Beyond that, the school reports 16% Hispanic, 6% Black, 4% multiracial, 4% Asian.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 8.7:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 10.3:1 average. Around 35% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 62.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 51.8%.

In the area at large, census data for Ulster County shows median household income runs about $86,271, about 38% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. In all, Ulster County runs 45 public schools (combined enrollment of about 20,189 students), of which HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL is one.

HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 43.9%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Over the past 7-year window. HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL's enrollment has shrank 13% since 2018, when it stood at 399 (now 348). Class-load math has pulled in: from 12.7:1 in 2018 to 8.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.