Enrollment
149
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Riverside, IA
Highland High School
Federal NCES profile for Highland High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191401000839
👥 S:T ratio 60
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Riverside · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 22.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland High School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Riverside, IA.
School address
District: Highland Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191401000839 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland High School
Highland High School is a small high school in Riverside, Iowa, enrolling 149 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.9:1, Highland High School is leaner than roughly 94% of Iowa schools and 33% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 149 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 171 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #28.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 149 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Highland Comm School District also operates Highland Elementary School (242 students) and Highland Middle School (119 students) alongside Highland High 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 High School compares
Highland High School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.9:1 | ▼ 33% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 37% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 149 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
149
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 6% in Iowa - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$12,824
per pupil, district-wide
- below Iowa avg of $12,854
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 149 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 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 85.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 85.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.9, Highland High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland Comm School District, which includes Highland High School.
$12,824
Per student
0%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.1%
State 43.5%
Federal 7.5%
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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 119
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~149 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland High School's federal record.
- Compare Highland High School against another school. Compare schools
- Highland Comm 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 High School
How many students attend Highland High School?
Highland High School has 149 students enrolled. It is a high school in Riverside, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland High School is 9.9:1, which is 33% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 37% 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 High School?
22.8% of students at Highland High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland High School?
The largest demographic group at Highland High School is White at 85.8% of enrollment, in Riverside, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland High School?
Highland High School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Highland High School rank among public schools in Riverside?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Riverside, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Riverside on the city page.
Is Highland High School a good school?
Highland High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa 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 Comm School District?
Besides Highland High School, Highland Comm School District also operates Highland Elementary School (242 students) and Highland Middle School (119 students). See the Highland Comm 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.