Highlands Elementary School

Set in Renton, Washington, Highlands Elementary School is an average-sized K-5 school, run under Renton School District. It instructs 386 students across grades K through 5.

Renton School District runs 29 schools in total, collectively educating 14,873 students. Highlands Elementary School is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Highlands Elementary School reports that 58% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Beyond that, the school records 11% Asian, 11% Black, 10% multiracial, 9% White. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 11%.

On the resource side, On paper, Highlands Elementary School has 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.3:1, putting Highlands Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 70% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, King County runs at roughly 38%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Highlands Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 33.1%; this one delivers 25.6%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for King County put median household earnings sit near $124,746, roughly 57% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, King County runs 544 public schools (combined enrollment of about 278,492 students), of which Highlands Elementary School is one.

YouthSource and RTC is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Highlands Elementary School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 46.6%.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Highlands Elementary School has fell 25%, going from 514 students in 2018 to 386 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share rose from 47% to 58%.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.