Highlands

Public school district · Highlands County · Florida · NCES district ID 1200840

Highlands spent $12,585 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 71% of the other Florida districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $11,744). Its 22 schools enrolled 12,040 students in 2024-25; 38.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,205 per student, up 4.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 80% (Florida: 88%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Florida districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Highlands in enrollment (8,929 to 15,951 students) and Highlands itself.

Current spending per student, Florida districts closest in size to Highlands, FY23Monroe County Schools $17,161; Walton $13,721; Putnam County $12,682; Highlands $12,585; Sumter County School $12,326; Citrus $11,410; Flagler Schools $10,757; Columbia $10,472; Nassau $10,049; Hendry County $9,323; State median, 1,000+ students $11,744.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5k20kMonroe County Schools$17,161Walton$13,721Putnam County$12,682Highlands$12,585Sumter County School$12,326Citrus$11,410Flagler Schools$10,757Columbia$10,472Nassau$10,049Hendry County$9,323State median, 1,000+ students $11,744
Current spending per student, Florida districts closest in size to Highlands, FY23Monroe County Schools $17,161; Walton $13,721; Putnam County $12,682; Highlands $12,585; Sumter County School $12,326; Citrus $11,410; Flagler Schools $10,757; Columbia $10,472; Nassau $10,049; Hendry County $9,323; State median, 1,000+ students $11,744.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5k20kMonroe County Schools$17,161Walton$13,721Putnam County$12,682Highlands$12,585Sumter County School$12,326Citrus$11,410Flagler Schools$10,757Columbia$10,472Nassau$10,049Hendry County$9,323State median, 1,000+ students $11,744
Current spending per student, Florida districts closest in size to Highlands, FY23Monroe County Schools $17,161; Walton $13,721; Putnam County $12,682; Highlands $12,585; Sumter County School $12,326; Citrus $11,410; Flagler Schools $10,757; Columbia $10,472; Nassau $10,049; Hendry County $9,323; State median, 1,000+ students $11,744.7.5k12.5k17.5k20kMonroe County Schools$17,161Walton$13,721Putnam County$12,682Highlands$12,585Sumter County School$12,326Citrus$11,410Flagler Schools$10,757Columbia$10,472Nassau$10,049Hendry County$9,323State median, 1,000+ students $11,744
Current spending per student, Florida districts closest in size to Highlands, FY23Monroe County Schools $17,161; Walton $13,721; Putnam County $12,682; Highlands $12,585; Sumter County School $12,326; Citrus $11,410; Flagler Schools $10,757; Columbia $10,472; Nassau $10,049; Hendry County $9,323; State median, 1,000+ students $11,744.7.5k12.5k17.5k20kMonroe County Schools$17,161Walton$13,721Putnam County$12,682Highlands$12,585Sumter County School$12,326Citrus$11,410Flagler Schools$10,757Columbia$10,472Nassau$10,049Hendry County$9,323State median, 1,000+ students $11,744

Where the money came from

$172,407,000 in revenue: 38.7% state, 33.0% local and 28.3% federal. Total spending including $10,651,000 of capital outlay was $168,540,000, or $13,634 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Highlands revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $66,662,000; Local $56,956,000; Federal $48,789,000; total $172,407,000.
  • State$66,662,000 39%
  • Local$56,956,000 33%
  • Federal$48,789,000 28%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 66 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

12,362 students in 2022-23, 12,175 students in 2023-24, 12,040 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Highlands enrollment by school year2022-23: 12,362, 2023-24: 12,175, 2024-25: 12,04005k10k15k2022-2312,3622023-2412,1752024-2512,040
Highlands enrollment by school year2022-23: 12,362, 2023-24: 12,175, 2024-25: 12,04005k10k15k2022-2312,3622023-2412,1752024-2512,040
Highlands enrollment by school year2022-23: 12,362, 2023-24: 12,175, 2024-25: 12,04005k10k15k2022-2312,3622023-2412,1752024-2512,040
Highlands enrollment by school year2022-23: 12,362, 2023-24: 12,175, 2024-25: 12,04005k10k15k2022-2312,3622023-2412,1752024-2512,040

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2312,362614.020.1
2023-2412,175644.518.9
2024-2512,040647.518.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$44,641,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,611 per student

Highlands booked $44,641,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 621 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $71,944 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 97 in 100 Florida districts with a figure (state median $58,157, 66 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Florida teacher salary at $51,230 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$37,853,00084.8%
Special education$6,788,00015.2%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,226 in 2018-19, $3,108 in 2019-20, $3,166 in 2020-21, $3,460 in 2021-22, $3,611 in 2022-23.

Highlands teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,226, 2019-20: $3,108, 2020-21: $3,166, 2021-22: $3,460, 2022-23: $3,61101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2262019-20$3,1082020-21$3,1662021-22$3,4602022-23$3,611
Highlands teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,226, 2019-20: $3,108, 2020-21: $3,166, 2021-22: $3,460, 2022-23: $3,61101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2262019-20$3,1082020-21$3,1662021-22$3,4602022-23$3,611
Highlands teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,226, 2019-20: $3,108, 2020-21: $3,166, 2021-22: $3,460, 2022-23: $3,61101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2262019-20$3,1082020-21$3,1662021-22$3,4602022-23$3,611
Highlands teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,226, 2019-20: $3,108, 2020-21: $3,166, 2021-22: $3,460, 2022-23: $3,61101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2262019-20$3,1082020-21$3,1662021-22$3,4602022-23$3,611

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Highlands scored proficient or above: 42% in reading and 50% in math, against 53% in reading and 55% in math across Florida. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Florida, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtFloridaStudents tested
Reading and language arts42%53%5,373
Math50%55%5,353

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

80% of the 929 students in Highlands' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 88% across Florida. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtFlorida
Four-year graduation rate80%88%
Students in the class929208,274

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

9 elementary schools, 5,407 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Woodlawn Elementary School83417.761.2%Schoolwide program
Cracker Trail Elementary School71016.149.7%Schoolwide program
Lake Country Elementary School60415.360.8%Schoolwide program
Sun 'N Lake Elementary School58817.858.5%Schoolwide program
Fred Wild Elementary School57616.272.7%Schoolwide program
Lake Placid Elementary School56916.565.6%Schoolwide program
Park Elementary School55716.667.7%Schoolwide program
Avon Elementary School50314.463.2%Schoolwide program
Memorial Elementary School46616.670.6%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 middle schools, 2,616 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Sebring Middle School84019.554.8%Schoolwide program
Hill-Gustat Middle School66919.750.1%Schoolwide program
Avon Park Middle School60016.765.0%Schoolwide program
Lake Placid Middle School50716.664.1%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

5 high schools, 3,717 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Sebring High School1,84924.745.9%Schoolwide program
Avon Park High School98019.253.7%Schoolwide program
Lake Placid High School82921.055.9%Schoolwide program
The Academy at Youth Care Lane57not reported71.9%Eligible, no program
Highlands County Schools Jail Program2not reportednot reportedNot Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 other schools, 300 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Highlands Virtual School141not reported54.6%Not Title I
Sebring Pre-K Center13617.059.6%Not reported
Highlands County Hospital/Homebound Program17not reported64.7%Not Title I
Non-Enrolled Pk Exceptional Ed Program6not reportednot reportedNot Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Sebring Pre-K Center

School in Sebring; open in 2024-25; 136 students; 17.0 students per teacher.

Highlands County Schools Jail Program

High school in Sebring; open in 2024-25; 2 students.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Highlands

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Highlands

  1. Florida districts by spending per studentHighlands ranks 20 of 66 Florida districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,585).#20 of 66
  2. Every school district in FloridaHighlands is the number 37 by size of 80 Florida districts, with 12,362 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#37 of 80
  3. NassauThe next larger Florida district: 12,668 students in fall 2022, $10,049 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,049
  4. WaltonThe next smaller Florida district: 11,575 students in fall 2022, $13,721 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,721
  5. Compare Highlands with NassauEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Sebring High School, its largest high school1,849 students in 2024-25, 24.7 per teacher.1,849
  7. Teacher salary spending across FloridaHighlands spent $71,944 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $58,157); spending, not a salary.$71,944
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Highlands

  1. How many schools and students are in Highlands?
    22 schools were open in 2024-25 (9 elementary, 4 middle, 5 high, 4 other), enrolling 12,040 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Highlands spend per student?
    $12,585 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Florida median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $11,744 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,205 per student, up 4.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Highlands' money come from?
    $172,407,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 38.7% state, 33.0% local and 28.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Highlands live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 2,771 of the 13,603 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 20.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Highlands spend on teacher salaries?
    $44,641,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,611 per student. Divided by the 621 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $71,944 per teacher, more than 97 in 100 Florida districts (state median $58,157). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Florida teacher salary at $51,230 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Highlands do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Highlands scored proficient or above: 42% in reading and 50% in math, against 53% in reading and 55% in math across Florida. Florida's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Highlands?
    80% of the 929 students in Highlands' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 88% across Florida. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Highlands' NCES district ID?
    1200840. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .