Enrollment
976
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake Worth, FL
Highland Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120150001514
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elementary School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 71% of Florida schools.
- #8 of 8
- schools in Lake Worth · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.6:1
- small classes for Florida
- 85.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 schools in Lake Worth, FL.
School address
District: Palm Beach · Florida
NCES ID 120150001514 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elementary School
Highland Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake Worth, Florida, enrolling 976 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 85.1% of students qualify for free meals, 64% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 976 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 255 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #218, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 488 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students) and Jupiter High School (3,122 students) alongside Highland 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 Elementary School compares
Highland 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.1% | ▲ 64% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 976 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
976
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 29% in Florida - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$12,727
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 488 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 70.0%
African American 19.9%
White 5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.3%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.6, Highland Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes Highland Elementary School.
$12,727
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John I. Leonard High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jupiter High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park Vista Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Boca Raton Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palm Beach Lakes High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
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 (~976 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Palm Beach'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School has 976 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake Worth, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School is 14.6:1, which is 18% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 7% 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 Elementary School?
85.1% of students at Highland Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.0% of enrollment, in Lake Worth, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower 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 Elementary School rank among schools in Lake Worth?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 schools in Lake Worth, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lake Worth on the city page.
Is Highland Elementary School a good school?
Highland Elementary School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 71% 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 Palm Beach?
Besides Highland Elementary School, Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students), Jupiter High School (3,122 students), and Park Vista Community High School (2,881 students). See the Palm Beach 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.