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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Highland Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
661
Elementary
DISTRICT 503 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALAMANCE-BURLINGTON SCHOOLS·NCES 370003002838
Highland Elementary
3720 Bonnar Bridge Parkway, Burlington, NC 27215 · (336) 538-8700 · Alamance County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL661 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 31% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
54%
355 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 104 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 114 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 117 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 121 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 93 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 112 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (104) is 7% smaller than its 5th grade class (112).
Student demographics
74%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
48.4%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
54.6%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
53.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 62% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Highland Elementary
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary this school | 661 | 53.7% | 53.4% |
| Dillard Drive Elementary Raleigh | 648 | 56.5% | 46.6% |
| Rolesville Charter Academy Rolesville | 716 | 59.1% | N/A |
| Johnston Charter Academy Clayton | 677 | 50.5% | N/A |
| Matthews Charter Academy Matthews | 771 | 57.5% | N/A |
| Harris Creek Elementary Raleigh | 827 | 51.6% | 53.8% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Highland Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Alamance County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.4% | #721 of 1,297 | #9 of 20 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.6% | #770 of 1,296 | #8 of 20 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 48.4% | #670 of 1,300 | #5 of 20 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 661 | #233 of 1,485 | #4 of 21 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.3:1 | #1,089 of 1,377 | #17 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 73.6% | #44 of 1,379 | #2 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 53.7% | #1,143 of 1,414 | #18 of 20 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.6% | #684 of 937 | #12 of 14 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
661
+70 (+12%) vs 2020
+5% since 2010-11, when it was 629
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
was 12.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 661 | 40.5 | 16.3:1 | 54% (355) |
| 2023-24 | 630 | 41.6 | 15.1:1 | 52% (326) |
| 2022-23 | 648 | 43.6 | 14.9:1 | 47% (302) |
| 2020-21 | 591 | 48 | 12.3:1 | 22% (130) |
| 2017-18 | 715 | 46.6 | 15.3:1 | 37% (263) |
| 2015-16 | 659 | 46 | 14.3:1 | 38% (251) |
| 2010-11 | 629 | 36 | 17.5:1 | 34% (212) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highland Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (715 to 661); teachers down 13% (46.6 to 40.5).
About Highland Elementary
Highland Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Burlington, North Carolina, (ZIP code 27215). Enrollment totals 661 students across kindergarten through 5. The school is 42% bigger than the average for elementary schools in North Carolina.
Highland Elementary is run by Alamance-Burlington Schools, whose 37 schools enroll 22,661 students.
No group is above 50% at Highland Elementary; the largest is White, at 33%. The rest of enrollment is 32% Black, 19% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 6% Asian. Among all residents of Alamance County, the White share is about 60%. The diversity index for Highland Elementary is 74%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Its staff includes 40.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 16.3 students per teacher. The average for elementary schools in North Carolina, 14.9:1, is lower. Highland Elementary has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 54%. The average for public schools in Alamance County is 80%.
On the allk12 Grade, Highland Elementary lands at C, ahead of 31% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
The model predicts 62.5% for a school in North Carolina with Highland Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. Highland Elementary posts 53.4%.
Alamance County is the school's county. There, the median household earns about $65,651 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 29% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. Highland Elementary shares Alamance County with 41 other public schools.
Highland Elementary's closest public school neighbor is Marvin B Smith Elementary, about 2.5 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Highland Elementary's average proficiency of 53.4% compares with 46.0% for its nearest scored neighbors.
NCES assigns Highland Elementary the locale Rural: Fringe, meaning in rural territory close to an urban area.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 661, up from 591 in 2020-21. By 2024-25, the school had 16.3 students per teacher, compared with 12.3 in 2020-21.
On allk12, people connected to Highland Elementary can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Alamance County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
176,893
Census ACS
Median income
$65,651
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
42
25,737 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Alamance-Burlington Schools
- Walter M Williams HighHigh · 1,206 students
- Southern Alamance HighHigh · 1,148 students
- Western Alamance HighHigh · 1,138 students
- Southeast Alamance HighHigh · 1,079 students
- Eastern Alamance HighHigh · 952 students
- Hawfields MiddleMiddle · 864 students
Other schools in Burlington
- Walter M Williams HighHigh · 1,206 students
- Clover GardenCombined · 963 students
- Hugh M Cummings HighHigh · 807 students
- Turrentine MiddleMiddle · 739 students
- Hillcrest ElementaryElementary · 556 students
- Marvin B Smith ElementaryElementary · 556 students
Other Highland Elementary schools
55 other US public schools in 26 states are named Highland Elementary. Highland Elementary is the 10th largest of the 56.
- Highland ElementarySanford, NC · 854 students
- HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLLAKE WORTH, FL · 976 students
- Highland Elementary SchoolMarengo, OH · 836 students
- Highland Elementary SchoolEvansville, IN · 814 students
- Highland ElementaryBakersfield, CA · 778 students
Nearby schools
- Marvin B Smith Elementary2.5 mi · 556
- Edwin M Holt Elementary3.0 mi · 505
- Grove Park Elementary3.5 mi · 437
- Gibsonville Elementary3.8 mi · 595
- Turrentine Middle3.8 mi · 739
- Walter M Williams High4.2 mi · 1,206
Frequently asked questions
About Highland ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary enrolls approximately 661 students in grades KG-05.
Is Highland Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highland Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Highland Elementary have?
Highland Elementary employs 41 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.3:1.
What is the student diversity at Highland Elementary?
Student demographics at Highland Elementary are roughly 33% White, 19% Hispanic, 32% Black, 6% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Highland Elementary in?
Highland Elementary is part of Alamance-Burlington Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.