Enrollment
505
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Surprise, AZ
Highland Prep
Federal NCES profile for Highland Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 040096603572Charter school
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Prep earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #5 of 5
- high schools in Surprise · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 505
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Prep ranks #5 of 5 high schools in Surprise, AZ.
School address
District: Highland Prep (92982) · Arizona
NCES ID 040096603572 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
23.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-52% vs state
What stands out at Highland Prep
Highland Prep is a mid-sized charter high school in Surprise, Arizona, enrolling 505 students.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 505 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 245 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #245, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 505 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Highland Prep (92982) spends $7,513 per pupil, 43% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Highland Prep (92982) is a single-school charter district, so Highland Prep operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Prep compares
Highland Prep on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.0% | ▼ 52% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 505 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
505
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
37.6%
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
$7,513
per pupil, district-wide
- below Arizona avg of $13,145
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 505 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 46.5%
Hispanic or Latino 35.0%
African American 9.5%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 46.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.9, Highland Prep is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland Prep (92982), which includes Highland Prep.
$7,513
Per student
-43%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-55%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.3%
State 85.5%
Federal 13.2%
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.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Arizona, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Prep's federal record.
- Compare Highland Prep against another school. Compare schools
- Highland Prep (92982)'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 Prep
How many students attend Highland Prep?
Highland Prep has 505 students enrolled. It is a high school in Surprise, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Prep?
23.0% of students at Highland Prep are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Prep?
The largest demographic group at Highland Prep is White at 46.5% of enrollment, in Surprise, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Prep?
Highland Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (lower 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).
How does Highland Prep rank among high schools in Surprise?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Prep ranks #5 of 5 high schools in Surprise, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Surprise on the city page.
Is Highland Prep a good school?
Highland Prep earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Prep (92982)?
None; Highland Prep (92982) is a single-school charter district, and Highland Prep is its only campus.
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.