Home > Florida > Highlands County

Highlands School District

Item: Highlands School District
Rating: 3
Author: Public School Review

426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870-4048

(District boundaries shown in map)

Rating

Bottom 50%

Tel: (863) 471-5000

www.highlands.k12.fl.us

For the 2023 school year, there are 23 public schools serving 12,111 students in Highlands School District. This district's average testing ranking is 3/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public schools in Florida.

Public Schools in Highlands School District have an average math proficiency score of 45% (versus the Florida public school average of 48%), and reading proficiency score of 43% (versus the 52% statewide average).

Minority enrollment is 59% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the Florida public school average of 64% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

2020-2021 School Year Data

This School District

This State (FL)

# Schools

23 Schools

4,230 Schools

# Students

12,111 Students

2,793,837 Students

# Teachers

630 Teachers

159,666 Teachers

Student : Teacher Ratio

17:1

District Rank

Highlands School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 73 school districts in Florida (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2020-2021 school year.

The school district's graduation rate of 83% has increased from 64% over five school years.

Definition of Terms 2020-2021 School Year Data

This School District

State Average (FL)

Overall District Rank

#53 out of 73 school districts
(Bottom 50%)

Math Test Scores (% Proficient)

45%

48%

This chart display the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Highlands School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of FL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)

43%

52%

This chart display the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Highlands School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of FL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Graduation Rate

83%

89%

This chart display public school graduation rate of Highlands School District and public school graduation rate of FL by year, with the latest 2019-20 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

Diversity Score

0.68

0.70

# American Indian Students

48 Students

7,460 Students

% American Indian Students

n/a

# Asian Students

198 Students

78,576 Students

% Asian Students

# Hispanic Students

4,400 Students

972,347 Students

% Hispanic Students

36%

35%

# Black Students

2,016 Students

597,729 Students

% Black Students

17%

22%

# White Students

4,954 Students

1,012,770 Students

% White Students

41%

36%

# Hawaiian Students

6 Students

4,723 Students

% Hawaiian Students

n/a

# Two or more races Students

489 Students

107,206 Students

% of Two or more races Students

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:

198

49,807

# Students in K Grade:

890

186,478

# Students in 1st Grade:

934

200,571

# Students in 2nd Grade:

889

202,019

# Students in 3rd Grade:

853

206,766

# Students in 4th Grade:

929

215,086

# Students in 5th Grade:

882

208,252

# Students in 6th Grade:

986

217,206

# Students in 7th Grade:

1,064

224,079

# Students in 8th Grade:

976

221,329

# Students in 9th Grade:

990

228,739

# Students in 10th Grade:

903

219,955

# Students in 11th Grade:

823

209,725

# Students in 12th Grade:

794

203,825

# Ungraded Students:

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $10,703 in this school district is less than the state median of $12,724. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.

The school district's spending/student of $10,568 is less than the state median of $13,576. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.

Definition of Terms 2019-2020

This School District

This State (FL)

Total Revenue

$130 MM

$154 MM

This chart display total revenue of Highlands School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in FL by year, with the latest 2019-20 school year data.

Spending

$128 MM

$164 MM

This chart display total spending of Highlands School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in FL by year, with the latest 2019-20 school year data.

Revenue / Student

$10,703

$12,724

This chart display average revenue per public school student in Highlands School District and median value from average revenue per public school student of all school districts in FL by year, with the latest 2019-20 school year data.

Spending / Student

$10,568

$13,576

This chart display average spending per public school student in Highlands School District and median value from average spending per public school student of all school districts in FL by year, with the latest 2019-20 school year data.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools belong to Highlands School District?

Highlands School District manages 23 public schools serving 12,111 students.

What is the rank of Highlands School District?

Highlands School District is ranked #54 out of 73 school districts in Florida (bottom 50%) based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data for the 2020-2021 school year.

What is the racial composition of students in Highlands School District?

41% of Highlands School District students are White, 36% of students are Hispanic, 17% of students are Black, 4% of students are Two or more races, and 2% of students are Asian.

What is the student/teacher ratio of Highlands School District?

Highlands School District has a student/teacher ratio of 17:1, which is equal to the Florida state average of 17:1.

What is Highlands School District's spending/student ratio?

The school district's spending/student of $10,568 is less than the state median of $13,576. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.

Recent Articles

May 17, 2023

A Story of Overcoming Common Reading Difficulties

Follow the story of Sarah, a fictional character who overcame common reading difficulties with the help of the three cueing system. This blog post explores the advantages and disadvantages of the three cueing system and provides strategies for implementing it effectively.

May 17, 2023

Voucher Program Update: Florida

Many states now offer voucher programs. We look at the voucher program available in Florida.

May 17, 2023

Standardized Tests

Standardized tests have a long history in American K-12 education. We examine what standardized tests evaluate and more.

Quick Stats (2023)

District size: 23 schools
Grades: PK-12
Enrollment: 12,111 students
Student:Teacher Ratio: 17:1
Minority Enrollment: 59%
Graduation Rate
: 83% (Btm 50% in FL)
Overall District Rank
: Bottom 50%
Math Proficiency
: 45% (Btm 50%)
Reading Proficiency
: 43% (Btm 50%)
Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), FL Dept. of Education