Enrollment
698
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Beaver Falls, PA
Highland Ms
Federal NCES profile for Highland Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420368806558
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Ms earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Beaver Falls · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 31.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Ms has class sizes larger than 78% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Ms ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Beaver Falls, PA.
School address
District: Blackhawk Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420368806558 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Ms
Highland Ms is a mid-sized elementary school in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, enrolling 698 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 698 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 569 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #415, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 698 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Beaver Falls's elementary schools, it stands alongside Blackhawk Intermediate Sch (708 students): Highland Ms is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.2:1 vs 15.7:1).
Blackhawk Sd also operates Blackhawk Hs (763 students) and Blackhawk Intermediate Sch (708 students) alongside Highland Ms.
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 Ms compares
Highland Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.9% | ▼ 45% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 698 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
698
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 78% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,357
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 698 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 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 90.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 1.6%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 90.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.0, Highland Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blackhawk Sd, which includes Highland Ms.
$15,357
Per student
-15%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 43.8%
Federal 5.4%
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 Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhawk Hs | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blackhawk Intermediate Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Patterson Primary Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 141
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools in Beaver Falls
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~698 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Ms's federal record.
- Compare Highland Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Blackhawk Sd'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 Ms
How many students attend Highland Ms?
Highland Ms has 698 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Beaver Falls, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Ms is 15.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Ms?
31.9% of students at Highland Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Ms?
The largest demographic group at Highland Ms is White at 90.4% of enrollment, in Beaver Falls, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Ms?
Highland Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Ms rank among elementary schools in Beaver Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Ms ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Beaver Falls, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Beaver Falls on the city page.
Is Highland Ms a good school?
Highland Ms earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Pennsylvania 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 Blackhawk Sd?
Besides Highland Ms, Blackhawk Sd also operates Blackhawk Hs (763 students), Blackhawk Intermediate Sch (708 students), and Patterson Primary Sch (141 students). See the Blackhawk Sd 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.