Enrollment
124
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Highland, WI
Highland Community Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highland Community Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 550642000698
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Community Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Wisconsin schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Highland · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 30.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Community Elementary has class sizes smaller than 77% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Community Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Highland, WI.
School address
District: Highland School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 550642000698 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.3%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Community Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Community Elementary
Highland Community Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Highland, Wisconsin, enrolling 124 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 30.3% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 124 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 224 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #32.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 376 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Highland School District also operates Highland Community High (94 students) and Highland Community Middle (58 students) alongside Highland Community Elementary.
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 Community Elementary compares
Highland Community Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.3% | ▼ 21% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 124 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
124
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 23% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,006
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 85.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 85.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.8, Highland Community Elementary is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland School District, which includes Highland Community Elementary.
$14,006
Per student
-6%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 60.5%
Federal 8.5%
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 Community Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Community High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Community Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Community Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 58
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~124 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Community Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highland Community Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Highland School District'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 Community Elementary
How many students attend Highland Community Elementary?
Highland Community Elementary has 124 students enrolled. It is a public school in Highland, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Community Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Community Elementary is 11.3:1, which is 22% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 28% 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 Community Elementary?
30.3% of students at Highland Community Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Community Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highland Community Elementary is White at 85.5% of enrollment, in Highland, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Community Elementary?
Highland Community Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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).
How does Highland Community Elementary rank among public schools in Highland?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Community Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Highland, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Highland on the city page.
Is Highland Community Elementary a good school?
Highland Community Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Wisconsin 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 Highland School District?
Besides Highland Community Elementary, Highland School District also operates Highland Community High (94 students) and Highland Community Middle (58 students). See the Highland School District 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.