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What do you wish you knew before starting at Highland Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
854
Elementary
DISTRICT 589 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARNETT COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370201002630
Highland Elementary
1915 Buffalo Lake Road, Sanford, NC 27330 · (919) 499-2200 · Harnett County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL854 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 43% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
15.1:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
55%
466 students
DISTRICT 76% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 18 | 2% |
| Kindergarten | 113 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 140 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 155 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 159 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 126 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 143 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (113) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (143).
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · 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
52.8%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
62.0%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 62 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
58.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.2%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% 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
Highland Elementary's state test result (58.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary this school | 854 | 54.6% | 58.0% |
| American Renaissance School Statesville | 823 | 51.3% | N/A |
| Morton Elementary Jacksonville | 715 | 59.9% | 59.0% |
| R Brown McAllister Elementary Concord | 698 | 55.0% | 56.7% |
| Iredell Charter Academy of Arts &Science Troutman | 795 | 55.3% | N/A |
| Lake Myra Elementary Wendell | 722 | 55.4% | 52.5% |
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 Harnett County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.0% | #569 of 1,297 | #4 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #560 of 1,296 | #3 of 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.8% | #522 of 1,300 | #4 of 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 854 | #49 of 1,485 | #3 of 18 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #768 of 1,377 | #10 of 17 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.4% | #285 of 1,379 | #8 of 17 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 54.6% | #1,138 of 1,414 | #12 of 16 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -22.7% | #215 of 937 | #3 of 12 |
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
854
-21 (-2%) vs 2020
-1% since 2010-11, when it was 862
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 14.1:1
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 | 854 | 56.7 | 15.1:1 | 55% (466) |
| 2023-24 | 894 | 62.9 | 14.2:1 | 55% (490) |
| 2022-23 | 891 | 61.8 | 14.4:1 | 53% (473) |
| 2020-21 | 875 | 62 | 14.1:1 | 33% (291) |
| 2017-18 | 1,105 | 63.8 | 17.3:1 | 39% (428) |
| 2015-16 | 973 | 54 | 18.0:1 | 44% (427) |
| 2010-11 | 862 | 50 | 17.2:1 | 37% (321) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highland Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (1,105 to 854); teachers down 11% (63.8 to 56.7).
About Highland Elementary
Students in Sanford, North Carolina, attend Highland Elementary, a high-enrollment elementary school. The school counts 854 students across pre-K through 5. The typical figure for elementary schools in North Carolina is about 467 students.
Harnett County Schools runs Highland Elementary along with 28 other schools, enrolling 20,095 students in total.
White students form the largest group at Highland Elementary, 45% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 28% Hispanic, 18% Black, and 7% multiracial. Among people living in Harnett County, the White share is about 62%. Highland Elementary has a diversity index of 68%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Dividing enrollment by its 56.7 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 15.1:1. Elementary schools in North Carolina average about 14.9:1, a similar figure. Eligible students account for 55% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. For comparison, public schools in Harnett County average 74%.
allk12 grades Highland Elementary a C+. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Highland Elementary is -4.2 points: 58.0% actual, 62.2% predicted.
Highland Elementary is located in Harnett County, where median household income is about $71,287, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 25%, and roughly 11% of residents are in poverty. Highland Elementary is one of 31 public schools in Harnett County, which together enroll about 20,611 students.
The closest public school, Highland Middle, is about 0.2 miles from Highland Elementary. Within five miles are 6 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Highland Elementary ranks 2nd of 8 on average proficiency.
Federal data place Highland Elementary in the Rural: Fringe locale, which means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Compared with 2020-21, when it had 875 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 854.
Community posts for Highland Elementary can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Harnett County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
139,150
Census ACS
Median income
$71,287
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
31
20,611 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harnett County Schools
- Overhills HighHigh · 1,981 students
- Harnett Central HighHigh · 1,522 students
- Western Harnett HighHigh · 1,324 students
- Triton HighHigh · 1,274 students
- Benhaven ElementaryElementary · 1,065 students
- Harnett Central MiddleMiddle · 1,059 students
Other schools in Sanford
- Lee County HighHigh · 1,459 students
- Southern Lee High SchoolHigh · 1,180 students
- Benhaven ElementaryElementary · 1,065 students
- SanLee Middle SchoolMiddle · 792 students
- Highland MiddleMiddle · 762 students
- Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee CountyHigh · 628 students
Other Highland Elementary schools
55 other US public schools in 26 states are named Highland Elementary. Highland Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 56.
- Highland ElementaryBurlington, NC · 661 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
- Highland Middle0.2 mi · 762
- Benhaven Elementary3.1 mi · 1,065
- Johnsonville Elementary3.2 mi · 489
- Western Harnett Middle3.6 mi · 700
- Western Harnett High4.0 mi · 1,324
- Anderson Creek Academy4.2 mi · 305
Frequently asked questions
About Highland ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary enrolls approximately 854 students in grades PK-05.
Is Highland Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highland Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Highland Elementary?
Approximately 15.1:1 students per teacher at Highland Elementary.
How diverse is Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary reports a student body of 45% White, 28% Hispanic, 18% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Highland Elementary in?
Highland Elementary is part of Harnett County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.