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Alumni: what's one memory from Highcliff El Sch that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
519
Elementary
DISTRICT 514 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH HILLS SD·NCES 421722007348
Highcliff Elementary School
156 Peony Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15229 · (412) 318-1582 · Allegheny County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL519 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 68% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-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 Pennsylvania public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.5:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
32%
164 students
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 75%
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 | 67 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 91 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 80 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 98 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 88 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 95 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (67) is 29% smaller than its 5th grade class (95).
Student demographics
30%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 59% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within North Hills SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
67.4%
PA avg 51.1% . -1.5pp since 2023
Math
66.4%
PA avg 43.0% . +8.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 67 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 66 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 8 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 67.4% | 66.4% |
| 2023-24 | 68.9% | 58.0% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. 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
68.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
64.1%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 64% typical for Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania'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 Highcliff Elementary School
Highcliff Elementary School's state test result (68.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highcliff Elementary School this school | 519 | 31.6% | 68.3% |
| Southern Elementary School Glen Rock | 527 | 32.6% | 64.7% |
| North East Elementary School North East | 589 | 29.9% | 70.7% |
| Dallas Intermediate School Dallas | 561 | 30.7% | 70.4% |
| North Coventry Elementary School Pottstown | 532 | 32.9% | 70.0% |
| Shrewsbury Elementary School Shrewsbury | 482 | 26.8% | 56.5% |
Matched among Pennsylvania 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 Highcliff Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Allegheny County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.3% | #346 of 1,396 | #60 of 129 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 66.4% | #359 of 1,511 ▲ 176 | #57 of 141 ▲ 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 67.4% | #260 of 1,511 ▲ 108 | #54 of 141 ▲ 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 519 | #480 of 1,638 | #32 of 156 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.7:1 | #347 of 1,528 | #33 of 141 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 30.3% | #976 of 1,531 | #104 of 141 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 31.6% | #1,308 of 1,600 | #102 of 152 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.9% | #412 of 1,045 | #29 of 73 |
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
519
-4 (-1%) vs 2020
-1% since 2010-11, when it was 524
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
was 12.8:1
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 | 519 | 44.4 | 11.7:1 | 32% (164) |
| 2023-24 | 549 | 43.4 | 12.7:1 | 30% (164) |
| 2022-23 | 540 | 42.4 | 12.8:1 | 28% (152) |
| 2020-21 | 523 | 41 | 12.8:1 | 24% (127) |
| 2017-18 | 617 | 38.7 | 15.9:1 | 27% (168) |
| 2015-16 | 507 | 37 | 13.7:1 | 30% (154) |
| 2010-11 | 524 | 36 | 14.6:1 | 20% (107) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highcliff Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 16% (617 to 519); teachers up 15% (38.7 to 44.4).
About Highcliff Elementary School
Highcliff Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has 519 students in 2024-25 across kindergarten through 5.
North Hills SD serves 4,627 students across 6 schools.
Highcliff Elementary School is 83% White by enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 8% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, and 4% Black. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Highcliff Elementary School scores 30%.
There are 44.4 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 11.7:1. Compared with the 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania, this school's ratio is lower. On the income side, 32% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Compared with the 54% average for public schools in Allegheny County, the school's rate is lower.
Highcliff Elementary School holds a B+ allk12 Grade, placing it above 68% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools.
Highcliff Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 68.3% and a predicted 64.1%.
In Allegheny County, the median household earns about $78,548 a year, about 46% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. Across Allegheny County, 277 public schools serve about 141,392 students.
A public school about 1.3 miles away, West View Elementary School, is the closest to Highcliff Elementary School. Highcliff Elementary School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Highcliff Elementary School comes in 3rd of 9 nearby schools on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies Highcliff Elementary School's location as Suburb: Large.
The school's size has been steady, with 523 students in 2020-21 and 519 in 2024-25. The number of students per teacher dropped from 12.8 to 11.7 over 4 years.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on athletics, class schedules, and weather closures here. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Allegheny County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,238,177
Census ACS
Median income
$78,548
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
277
141,392 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Hills SD
- North Hills High SchoolHigh · 1,443 students
- North Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,127 students
- McIntyre Elementary SchoolElementary · 594 students
- Ross Elementary SchoolElementary · 498 students
- West View Elementary SchoolElementary · 446 students
Other schools in Pittsburgh
- Mt Lebanon SHSHigh · 1,772 students
- Baldwin SHSHigh · 1,657 students
- North Hills High SchoolHigh · 1,443 students
- Pittsburgh Allderdice High SchoolHigh · 1,386 students
- Fox Chapel Area High SchoolHigh · 1,360 students
- Upper Saint Clair High SchoolHigh · 1,269 students
Nearby schools
- West View Elementary School1.3 mi · 446
- Avonworth High School1.3 mi · 579
- Avonworth Middle School1.3 mi · 446
- Northgate MSHS1.3 mi · 476
- North Hills High School1.6 mi · 1,443
- North Hills Middle School1.6 mi · 1,127
Frequently asked questions
About Highcliff Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Highcliff Elementary School?
Highcliff Elementary School enrolls approximately 519 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Highcliff Elementary School serve?
Highcliff Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highcliff Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Highcliff Elementary School is approximately 11.7:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Highcliff Elementary School?
At Highcliff Elementary School, the student body is approximately 83% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Black, 8% Two or more.
What district is Highcliff Elementary School in?
Highcliff Elementary School is part of North Hills SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.