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Highland, Indiana - 6 schools
An equity score of 29/100 ranks School Town of Highland #311 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,643 per pupil, School Town of Highland ranks #314 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,007
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$10,643
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
School Town of Highland operates 6 public schools serving 3,007 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lake County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,643 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 26.5% local, 62.8% state, and 10.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 29/100, ranked #311 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 341.6:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 45.6% White, 37.4% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Allen J Warren Elementary School, with a diversity index of 70.0/100.
Its largest campus is Highland High School, enrolling 971 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mildred Merkley Elementary School, at 290 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Highland High School accounts for 30.7% of all School Town of Highland student enrollment
That dominant concentration means School Town of Highland-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.
School Town of Highland school enrollment varies 3.3× across entities
School Town of Highland school enrollment ranges from 290 students (lowest) to 971 students (highest), a spread of 681 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
School Town of Highland student-counselor ratio is 342:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within School Town of Highland is typically wider than the School Town of Highland-aggregate figure suggests.
School Town of Highland chronic absenteeism rate is 21.6% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within School Town of Highland is typically wider than the School Town of Highland-aggregate figure suggests.
School Town of Highland has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 3,007 students.
How much does School Town of Highland spend per student?
School Town of Highland spends $10,643 per student. The district has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #311 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of School Town of Highland?
School Town of Highland students are 45.6% White, 37.4% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% African American, 2.1% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for School Town of Highland?
School Town of Highland has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #311 out of 373 districts in Indiana.