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What's the best and worst thing about the food at Highlands Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
417
Elementary
DISTRICT 306 · STATE 323
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·APPLETON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550039000055
Highlands Elementary
2037 N Elinor St, Appleton, WI 54914 · (920) 852-5480 · Outagamie County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL417 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.1:1
42 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.5:1 · STATE 14.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
252 students
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 42%
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 | 12 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 63 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 68 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 61 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 77 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 66 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (63) is 10% smaller than its 5th grade class (70).
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 54% · 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
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
25.5%
WI avg 53.1% . -8.6pp since 2023
Math
30.0%
WI avg 54.8% . -5.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 30 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores are down about 9 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 6 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 25.5% | 30.0% |
| 2023-24 | 34.1% | 35.9% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. 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
32.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.6%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin'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
Highlands Elementary's state test result (32.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Elementary this school | 417 | 60.4% | 32.5% |
| Weston Elementary Weston | 519 | 58.0% | 57.6% |
| Johnston Elementary Appleton | 286 | 57.7% | 46.6% |
| G D Jones Elementary Wausau | 492 | 52.6% | 35.8% |
| Thomas Jefferson Elementary Wausau | 372 | 61.0% | 61.0% |
| Cooper Elementary Sheboygan | 256 | 71.9% | 37.3% |
Matched among Wisconsin 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 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Outagamie County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.5% | #823 of 982 | #31 of 31 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 30.0% | #832 of 992 ▼ 44 | #31 of 31 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 25.5% | #866 of 992 ▼ 66 | #31 of 31 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 417 | #306 of 1,157 | #14 of 37 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.1:1 | #53 of 901 | #5 of 30 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.4% | #55 of 901 | #4 of 30 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 60.4% | #269 of 1,064 | #5 of 35 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -28.6% | #94 of 664 | #4 of 21 |
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
417
-124 (-23%) vs 2020
-41% since 1990-91, when it was 705
Student : Teacher
10.1:1
was 12.3:1
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 | 417 | 41.5 | 10.1:1 | 60% (252) |
| 2023-24 | 499 | 48.2 | 10.3:1 | 67% (332) |
| 2022-23 | 530 | 42.8 | 12.4:1 | 62% (331) |
| 2020-21 | 541 | 44 | 12.3:1 | 65% (353) |
| 2017-18 | 584 | 46.3 | 12.6:1 | 56% (325) |
| 2015-16 | 582 | 45 | 12.9:1 | 100% (582) |
| 2010-11 | 621 | 43 | 14.4:1 | 57% (355) |
| 2000-01 | 713 | 49 | 14.6:1 | 18% (130) |
| 1990-91 | 705 | 50 | 14.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highlands Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 29% (584 to 417); teachers down 10% (46.3 to 41.5).
About Highlands Elementary
Highlands Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Appleton, Wisconsin. Federal data show 417 students enrolled in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25. On average, elementary schools in Wisconsin enroll around 323, and this school is 29% bigger than that mark.
The district for Highlands Elementary is Appleton Area School District, with 38 schools and 14,994 students.
About 41% of students at Highlands Elementary are White, the largest single group. After that, the student body is 29% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, and 5% Black. Among all residents of Outagamie County, the White share is about 86%. A diversity index of 71% means there is a 71% chance two randomly chosen students at Highlands Elementary are from different groups.
The school's 41.5 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.1:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Wisconsin average 14.7:1. Income data for the school show 60% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. On average, public schools in Outagamie County report 32%.
A school with Highlands Elementary's lunch-eligibility share in Wisconsin is predicted to score 40.6%. Highlands Elementary scores 32.5%, 8.0 points below that line.
The school is in Outagamie County, where median household income comes to about $85,069, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 4% of people live in poverty. Outagamie County's 73 public schools enroll about 31,330 students and include Highlands Elementary.
Less than a tenth of a mile separates Highlands Elementary from the closest public school, Odyssey-Magellan. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Highlands Elementary places 6th out of 8 schools in its immediate area.
Highlands Elementary has an NCES locale of City: Small.
Enrollment was 417 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 541. The ratio was 12.3:1 in 2020-21 and 10.1:1 in 2024-25.
This page is set up for the Highlands Elementary community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Outagamie County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
192,826
Census ACS
Median income
$85,069
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
73
31,330 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Appleton Area School District
- North HighHigh · 1,635 students
- East HighHigh · 1,238 students
- West HighHigh · 1,024 students
- Madison MiddleMiddle · 929 students
- Einstein MiddleMiddle · 851 students
- Wisconsin Connections AcademyCombined · 743 students
Other schools in Appleton
- North HighHigh · 1,635 students
- East HighHigh · 1,238 students
- West HighHigh · 1,024 students
- Madison MiddleMiddle · 929 students
- Einstein MiddleMiddle · 851 students
- Wisconsin Connections AcademyCombined · 743 students
Other Highlands Elementary schools
24 other US public schools in 13 states are named Highlands Elementary. Highlands Elementary is the 16th largest of the 25.
- Highlands Elementary SchoolHIGHLANDS, TX · 868 students
- Highlands ElementarySaugus, CA · 666 students
- HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLIMMOKALEE, FL · 599 students
- Highlands Elementary SchoolLa Grange Highlands, IL · 565 students
- HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLKISSIMMEE, FL · 564 students
Nearby schools
- Odyssey-Magellan0.0 mi · 214
- Ronald C Dunlap Elementary School0.7 mi · 314
- West High0.9 mi · 1,024
- Renaissance School0.9 mi · 151
- Appleton Technical Academy0.9 mi · 68
- Appleton Community 4K1.1 mi · 672
Frequently asked questions
About Highlands ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary enrolls approximately 417 students in grades PK-05.
Is Highlands Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highlands Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Highlands Elementary?
Approximately 10.1:1 students per teacher at Highlands Elementary.
How diverse is Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary reports a student body of 41% White, 16% Hispanic, 5% Black, 29% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary is overseen by Appleton Area School District in Outagamie County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.