Highland El Sch

Highland El Sch operates as a mid-sized elementary school in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, one of the schools within Ephrata Area SD. Current enrollment sits at 438 students spanning grades K through 4.

Ephrata Area SD comprises 7 schools with combined enrollment of 3,904 students; Highland El Sch is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Highland El Sch records that 78% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school lists 14% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. Compared to Lancaster County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, Highland El Sch lists 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.1:1. The state averages around 13.1:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 55% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Highland El Sch tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 54.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 67.3%.

Around the school, census data for Lancaster County shows median household earnings sit near $86,959, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Lancaster County runs 114 public schools (combined enrollment of about 62,719 students), of which Highland El Sch is one.

The closest other public school is Fulton El Sch, roughly 0.5 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Highland El Sch ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 60.0%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Highland El Sch has showed little movement, going from 448 students in 2018 to 438 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Highland El Sch community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.