Enrollment
103
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Monterey, VA
Highland High
Federal NCES profile for Highland High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510195000862
👥 S:T ratio 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Virginia.
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.4:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 26.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 103
- students enrolled
Highland High has class sizes smaller than 99% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Highland County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510195000862 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.2%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland High
Highland High is a small combined-grade school in Monterey, Virginia, enrolling 103 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.4:1, Highland High is leaner than roughly 99% of Virginia schools and 47% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of Virginia schools, with 103 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 103 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Highland County Public Schools spends $24,994 per pupil, 71% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Monterey's public schools, it stands alongside Highland Elementary (105 students): Highland High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7.4:1 vs 10.5:1).
Its district, Highland County Public Schools, also runs Highland Elementary (105 students).
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 compares
Highland High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.4:1 | ▼ 47% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.2% | ▼ 55% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 103 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.4:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
103
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
7.4:1
students per teacher
- 47% below state mean
Top 1% in Virginia - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$24,994
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 103 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 94.2%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 94.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.1, Highland High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland County Public Schools, which includes Highland High.
$24,994
Per student
+71%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+51%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 43.5%
Federal 9.3%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 105
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
Similar other schools in Monterey
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~103 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland High's federal record.
- Compare Highland High against another school. Compare schools
- Highland County Public Schools'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
How many students attend Highland High?
Highland High has 103 students enrolled. It is a public school in Monterey, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland High?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland High is 7.4:1, which is 47% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 53% 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?
26.2% of students at Highland High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland High?
The largest demographic group at Highland High is White at 94.2% of enrollment, in Monterey, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland High?
Highland High has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Highland High a good school?
Highland High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Virginia. 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 County Public Schools?
Besides Highland High, Highland County Public Schools also operates Highland Elementary (105 students). See the Highland County Public Schools 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.