HIGHLANDS operates 22 public schools serving 12,362 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Florida. The school portfolio breaks down into 16 other, 3 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 12,040 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Highlands County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,125 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 30.5% local, 39.8% state, and 29.7% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $58,596 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 60/100, ranked #20 of 67 in Florida against a state average of 51 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 22 schools offering Advanced Placement (42 AP courses district-wide), a 568:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 41.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 39.6% Hispanic or Latino, 35.7% White, 19.6% African American across the district's schools.
Sebring High School accounts for 15.4% of all HIGHLANDS student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means HIGHLANDS-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
HIGHLANDS school enrollment varies 925× across entities
HIGHLANDS school enrollment ranges from 2 students (lowest) to 1,849 students (highest), a spread of 1,847 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
HIGHLANDS has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 66.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
HIGHLANDS student-counselor ratio is 568:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
HIGHLANDS chronic absenteeism rate is 41.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
HIGHLANDS has 22 schools, including 3 high, 2 middle, 16 other, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,362 students.
How much does HIGHLANDS spend per student?
HIGHLANDS spends $13,125 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #20 in Florida.
What is the average teacher salary in HIGHLANDS?
The average teacher salary in HIGHLANDS is $58,596 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near HIGHLANDS?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Highlands County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of HIGHLANDS?
HIGHLANDS students are 39.6% Hispanic or Latino, 35.7% White, 19.6% African American, 1.2% Asian, averaged across 22 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for HIGHLANDS?
HIGHLANDS has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #20 out of 67 districts in Florida. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.