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What do you wish you knew before starting at Highlands Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
745
Middle
DISTRICT 829 · STATE 577
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENNEWICK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530393000603
Highlands Middle School
425 SOUTH TWEEDT STREET, KENNEWICK, WA 99336 · (509) 222-6700 · Benton County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL745 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
42 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.1:1 · STATE 18.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
77%
570 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 51%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 256 | 34% |
| Grade 7 | 244 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 245 | 33% |
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 68% · 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
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2022-23 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
29.5%
WA avg 49.0% . -10.6pp since 2014
Math
19.2%
WA avg 39.2% . -7.2pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 30 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 49 and 39. Reading and writing scores are down about 11 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 29.5% | 19.2% |
| 2021-22 | 29.3% | 16.1% |
| 2018-19 | 39.8% | 25.8% |
| 2017-18 | 39.9% | 26.9% |
| 2016-17 | 33.6% | 22.8% |
| 2015-16 | 42.8% | 27.1% |
| 2014-15 | 40.1% | 26.4% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Highlands Middle School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Middle School this school | 745 | 76.5% | N/A |
| Mount Baker Middle School Mount Vernon | 569 | 70.8% | 21.2% |
| La Venture Middle School Mount Vernon | 663 | 69.8% | 32.1% |
| Pioneer Middle School WENATCHEE | 488 | 79.7% | N/A |
| Mcloughlin Middle School VANCOUVER | 849 | 81.2% | N/A |
| Wilson Middle School Yakima | 840 | 75.2% | 29.1% |
Matched among Washington middle 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 Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Benton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.2% | #297 of 357 ▲ 16 | #9 of 12 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 29.5% | #309 of 357 no change | #10 of 12 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 745 | #108 of 377 | #6 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.6:1 | #75 of 340 | #4 of 12 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.8% | #217 of 340 | #6 of 12 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 76.5% | #34 of 359 | #2 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.3% | #123 of 192 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle 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
745
-82 (-10%) vs 2020
-8% since 1990-91, when it was 811
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
was 17.2:1
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 | 745 | 42.3 | 17.6:1 | 77% (570) |
| 2023-24 | 723 | 44.2 | 16.4:1 | 76% (548) |
| 2022-23 | 750 | 46.1 | 16.3:1 | 84% (627) |
| 2020-21 | 827 | 48 | 17.2:1 | 80% (660) |
| 2017-18 | 812 | 42.7 | 19.0:1 | 83% (678) |
| 2015-16 | 947 | 48 | 19.7:1 | 79% (748) |
| 2010-11 | 895 | 42 | 21.3:1 | 67% (601) |
| 2000-01 | 699 | 39 | 17.9:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 811 | 41 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highlands Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (812 to 745); teachers down 1% (42.7 to 42.3).
About Highlands Middle School
Highlands Middle School is a public mid-sized middle school in KENNEWICK, Washington. Enrollment totals 745 students across grades 6 through 8. Across middle schools in Washington, the average enrollment is about 577.
The district for Highlands Middle School is Kennewick School District, with 31 schools and 18,826 students.
Hispanic students are 60% of those enrolled at Highlands Middle School. Next come 34% White and 4% multiracial. That compares with about 26% Hispanic among all Benton County residents. A diversity index of 53% means there is a 53% chance two randomly chosen students at Highlands Middle School are from different groups.
The school has 42.3 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of 17.6 students per teacher. The average for middle schools in Washington is 18.9:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. The school reported 77% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. It compares with 49% for public schools in Benton County.
In the wider Benton County area, the median household earns about $89,874 a year, about 33% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. Highlands Middle School shares Benton County with 68 other public schools.
Endeavor High School is the nearest public school to Highlands Middle School, about 0.5 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Highlands Middle School is coded as City: Small in federal locale data.
Enrollment figures show a decline of 82 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Benton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
212,905
Census ACS
Median income
$89,874
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
69
38,191 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Kennewick School District
- Kamiakin High SchoolHigh · 1,956 students
- Kennewick High SchoolHigh · 1,921 students
- Southridge High SchoolHigh · 1,612 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 950 students
- Desert Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 906 students
- Amistad Elementary SchoolElementary · 878 students
Other schools in KENNEWICK
- Kamiakin High SchoolHigh · 1,956 students
- Kennewick High SchoolHigh · 1,921 students
- Southridge High SchoolHigh · 1,612 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 950 students
- Desert Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 906 students
- Amistad Elementary SchoolElementary · 878 students
Other Highlands Middle schools
4 other US public schools in 5 states are named Highlands Middle. Highlands Middle School is the largest of the 5.
- Highlands Middle SchoolFort Thomas, KY · 717 students
- HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOLJACKSONVILLE, FL · 685 students
- Highlands Middle SchoolNatrona Heights, PA · 575 students
- Highlands Middle SchoolLa Grange Highlands, IL · 429 students
Nearby schools
- Endeavor High School0.5 mi · 93
- Legacy High School0.5 mi · 193
- Edison Elementary School0.6 mi · 378
- Kamiakin High School0.9 mi · 1,956
- Hawthorne Elementary School1.0 mi · 417
- Keewaydin Discovery Center1.0 mi · 143
Frequently asked questions
About Highlands Middle SchoolHow large is Highlands Middle School?
Highlands Middle School enrolls approximately 745 students in grades 06-08.
Is Highlands Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highlands Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Highlands Middle School have?
Highlands Middle School employs 42 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.6:1.
How diverse is Highlands Middle School?
Highlands Middle School reports a student body of 34% White, 60% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Highlands Middle School in?
Highlands Middle School is part of Kennewick School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.