1
What clubs or activities at HIGHLANDS EL are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
419
Elementary
DISTRICT 447 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CEDAR HILL ISD·NCES 481323006374
Highlands Elementary School
131 SIMS DR, CEDAR HILL, TX 75104 · (972) 291-0496 · Dallas County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL419 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.8:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
80%
337 students
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 65%
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 | 41 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 50 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 63 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 66 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 63 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 57 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 79 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (50) is 37% smaller than its 5th grade class (79).
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 63% · 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
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
31.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +6.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
28.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -4.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 6 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 4 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 9.0% | 22.0% | 28.0% | 41.0% |
| Mathematics | 8.0% | 20.0% | 26.0% | 46.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 31.0% | 28.0% |
| 2024-25 | 42.0% | 40.0% |
| 2023-24 | 32.0% | 32.0% |
| 2022-23 | 38.0% | 52.0% |
| 2021-22 | 37.0% | 39.0% |
| 2020-21 | 25.0% | 32.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. 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
30.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.3%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 31% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% typical for Texas 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 Texas'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 Highlands Elementary School
Highlands Elementary School's state test result (30.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Elementary School this school | 419 | 80.4% | 30.9% |
| Central Elementary School DUNCANVILLE | 457 | 85.6% | 30.9% |
| Jane Long Elementary School RICHMOND | 443 | 78.3% | 39.5% |
| Calvert Elementary School HOUSTON | 408 | 86.0% | 44.4% |
| Trinity Heights Gifted and Talented School DALLAS | 398 | 76.6% | 77.7% |
| Preston Hollow Elementary School DALLAS | 402 | 85.6% | 41.3% |
Matched among Texas 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 Highlands Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Dallas County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.9% | #3,579 of 4,401 | #315 of 421 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #4,044 of 4,466 ▼ 1,363 | #391 of 429 ▼ 160 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 31.0% | #4,243 of 4,466 ▼ 952 | #400 of 429 ▼ 116 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -15.5pp | #145 of 3,998 | #19 of 399 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 419 | #3,331 of 4,938 | #313 of 448 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #3,170 of 4,622 | #297 of 432 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 43.7% | #2,866 of 4,628 | #230 of 433 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 80.4% | #1,927 of 4,789 | #283 of 437 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -31.0% | #456 of 2,838 | #58 of 274 |
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
419
-70 (-14%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 478
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 419 | 26.4 | 15.8:1 | 80% (337) |
| 2023-24 | 436 | 30.3 | 14.4:1 | 87% (378) |
| 2022-23 | 488 | 30.9 | 15.8:1 | 84% (412) |
| 2020-21 | 489 | 34 | 14.4:1 | 75% (367) |
| 2017-18 | 607 | 36.7 | 16.6:1 | 78% (476) |
| 2015-16 | 661 | 37 | 17.9:1 | 77% (511) |
| 2010-11 | 664 | 38 | 17.5:1 | 79% (523) |
| 2000-01 | 414 | 30 | 13.8:1 | 38% (158) |
| 1990-91 | 478 | 32 | 14.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highlands Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 31% (607 to 419); teachers down 28% (36.7 to 26.4).
About Highlands Elementary School
Highlands Elementary School is a small elementary school in Texas, located in CEDAR HILL. The school counted 419 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 5.
CEDAR HILL ISD has 12 schools and 6,253 students, and Highlands Elementary School is one of those schools.
The largest group at Highlands Elementary School is Hispanic students, at 70%. Enrollment also includes 26% Black. Among people living in Dallas County, the Hispanic share is about 41%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Highlands Elementary School scores 44%.
There are 26.4 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 15.8:1. Compared with the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas, this school's ratio is higher. On the income side, 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Dallas County is similar, at 77%.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Highlands Elementary School falls in the middle 80% of Texas schools: 30.9% actual against 39.3% predicted.
American Community Survey estimates for Dallas County show that median household income comes to about $76,547, roughly 36% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. The county's public schools total 771, with about 459,645 students.
Waterford Oaks Elementary School is about 1.1 miles from Highlands Elementary School, the shortest distance to any other public school. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 8 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Highlands Elementary School is 6th on average proficiency.
In the federal locale system, Highlands Elementary School is coded Suburb: Large, for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
From 489 students in 2020-21, enrollment decreased to 419 by 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 15.8 students per teacher, compared with 14.4 in 2020-21.
On allk12, people connected to Highlands Elementary School can post about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Dallas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,621,179
Census ACS
Median income
$76,547
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
771
459,645 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in CEDAR HILL ISD
- Cedar Hill High SchoolHigh · 1,974 students
- Waterford Oaks Elementary SchoolElementary · 521 students
- Cedar Hill Collegiate PrepElementary · 520 students
- Bessie Coleman Middle SchoolMiddle · 488 students
- Lakeridge Elementary SchoolElementary · 466 students
- W S Permenter Middle SchoolMiddle · 456 students
Other schools in CEDAR HILL
- Cedar Hill High SchoolHigh · 1,974 students
- Newman International at Cedar HillCombined · 897 students
- Waterford Oaks Elementary SchoolElementary · 521 students
- Cedar Hill Collegiate PrepElementary · 520 students
- Bessie Coleman Middle SchoolMiddle · 488 students
- Lakeridge Elementary SchoolElementary · 466 students
Other Highlands Elementary schools
24 other US public schools in 13 states are named Highlands Elementary. Highlands Elementary School is the 15th largest of the 25.
- Highlands Elementary SchoolHIGHLANDS, TX · 868 students
- Highlands Elementary SchoolSUGAR LAND, TX · 541 students
- Highlands ElementarySaugus, CA · 666 students
- HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLIMMOKALEE, FL · 599 students
- Highlands Elementary SchoolLa Grange Highlands, IL · 565 students
Nearby schools
- Waterford Oaks Elementary School1.1 mi · 521
- Cedar Hill Collegiate Prep1.1 mi · 520
- Cedar Hill High School1.2 mi · 1,974
- Bessie Coleman Middle School1.4 mi · 488
- W S Permenter Middle School1.4 mi · 456
- Plummer Elementary School1.7 mi · 347
Frequently asked questions
About Highlands Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Highlands Elementary School?
Highlands Elementary School enrolls approximately 419 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Highlands Elementary School serve?
Highlands Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary School is approximately 15.8:1 (26 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Highlands Elementary School?
Student demographics at Highlands Elementary School are roughly 1% White, 70% Hispanic, 26% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Highlands Elementary School in?
Highlands Elementary School is part of CEDAR HILL ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.