Enrollment
414
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Highland City, FL
Highland City Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Highland City Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159001761
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland City Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Florida schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.4:1
- small classes for Florida
- 48.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 414
- students enrolled
Highland City Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 82% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland City Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland City Elementary School
Highland City Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Highland City, Florida, enrolling 414 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 48.2% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 414 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 457 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #310.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 414 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Highland City Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Highland City Elementary School compares
Highland City Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 25% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.2% | ▼ 7% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 414 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
414
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 18% in Florida - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
41.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,454
per pupil, district-wide
- above Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 414 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 47.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.6%
African American 9.9%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 47.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.6, Highland City Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Highland City Elementary School.
$11,454
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Highland City Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland City Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~414 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland City Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Highland City Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Highland City Elementary School
How many students attend Highland City Elementary School?
Highland City Elementary School has 414 students enrolled. It is a public school in Highland City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland City Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland City Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 25% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland City Elementary School?
48.2% of students at Highland City Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland City Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highland City Elementary School is White at 47.6% of enrollment, in Highland City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland City Elementary School?
Highland City Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Highland City Elementary School a good school?
Highland City Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Florida schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Polk?
Besides Highland City Elementary School, Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students), Davenport High School (2,731 students), and Winter Haven Senior High School (2,648 students). See the Polk district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.