Enrollment
449
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palm Harbor, FL
Highland Lakes Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Highland Lakes Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120156002884
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Lakes Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Florida schools.
- #1 of 6
- schools in Palm Harbor · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Florida
- 38.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Lakes Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Lakes Elementary School ranks #1 of 6 schools in Palm Harbor, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Lakes Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Lakes Elementary School
Highland Lakes Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palm Harbor, Florida, enrolling 449 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, Highland Lakes Elementary School is leaner than roughly 90% of Florida schools and 34% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 449 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 387 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #82.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 449 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pinellas also operates Palm Harbor University High (2,413 students) and Largo High School (2,058 students) alongside Highland Lakes 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 Lakes Elementary School compares
Highland Lakes 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 34% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▼ 26% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 449 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
449
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 10% in Florida - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,582
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 449 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 5.6%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 71.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.7, Highland Lakes Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pinellas, which includes Highland Lakes Elementary School.
$11,582
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.7%
State 25.1%
Federal 18.3%
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 Lakes Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Harbor University High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Largo High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Lake High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dixie M. Hollins High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| St. Petersburg High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Lakes Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,413
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,058
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,980
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,934
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,736
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~449 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Lakes Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Highland Lakes Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Pinellas'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 Lakes Elementary School
How many students attend Highland Lakes Elementary School?
Highland Lakes Elementary School has 449 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palm Harbor, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Lakes Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Lakes Elementary School is 11.8:1, which is 34% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 25% 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 Lakes Elementary School?
38.6% of students at Highland Lakes Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Lakes Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highland Lakes Elementary School is White at 71.0% of enrollment, in Palm Harbor, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Lakes Elementary School?
Highland Lakes Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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).
How does Highland Lakes Elementary School rank among schools in Palm Harbor?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Lakes Elementary School ranks #1 of 6 schools in Palm Harbor, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palm Harbor on the city page.
Is Highland Lakes Elementary School a good school?
Highland Lakes Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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 Pinellas?
Besides Highland Lakes Elementary School, Pinellas also operates Palm Harbor University High (2,413 students), Largo High School (2,058 students), and East Lake High School (1,980 students). See the Pinellas 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.