Enrollment
269
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Providence, RI
Highlander Elementary Charter
Federal NCES profile for Highlander Elementary Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 440003100524Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highlander Elementary Charter earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Rhode Island schools.
- #3 of 10
- schools in Providence · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Rhode Island
- 67.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Highlander Elementary Charter has class sizes smaller than 90% of Rhode Island schools. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highlander Elementary Charter ranks #3 of 10 schools in Providence, RI.
School address
District: Highlander · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440003100524 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.3%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
+70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlander Elementary Charter compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highlander Elementary Charter
Highlander Elementary Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Providence, Rhode Island, enrolling 269 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.3:1, Highlander Elementary Charter is leaner than roughly 90% of Rhode Island schools and 25% under the state's 13.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the smaller third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 308 scored Rhode Island schools.
Against 27 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and African American (28%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 269 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Providence's public schools, it stands alongside Cornel Young & Charlotte Woods (635 students): Highlander Elementary Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.3:1 vs 16.7:1).
Its district, Highlander, also runs Highlander Secondary Charter S (340 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 Highlander Elementary Charter compares
Highlander Elementary Charter on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 25% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.3% | ▲ 70% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 70% above the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 10% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
52.4%
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
$19,094
per pupil, district-wide
- below Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 269 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 49.1%
African American 27.5%
White 17.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.6%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Highlander Elementary Charter is more mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highlander, which includes Highlander Elementary Charter.
$19,094
Per student
-6%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.2%
State 51.8%
Federal 26.1%
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 Highlander Elementary Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlander Secondary Charter S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highlander Elementary Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Providence
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Cornel Young & Charlotte Woods
Standard public school
635 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Asa Messer El. School
Standard public school
557 students 18:1 students per teacher
Anthony Carnevale Elementary
Standard public school
519 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Harry Kizirian Elementary
Standard public school
434 students 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant View School
Standard public school
433 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King El. School
Standard public school
430 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~269 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highlander Elementary Charter's federal record.
- Compare Highlander Elementary Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Highlander'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 Highlander Elementary Charter
How many students attend Highlander Elementary Charter?
Highlander Elementary Charter has 269 students enrolled. It is a public school in Providence, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlander Elementary Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlander Elementary Charter is 10.3:1, which is 25% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 34% 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 Highlander Elementary Charter?
67.3% of students at Highlander Elementary Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlander Elementary Charter?
The largest demographic group at Highlander Elementary Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 49.1% of enrollment, in Providence, RI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlander Elementary Charter?
Highlander Elementary Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Highlander Elementary Charter rank among schools in Providence?
By Resource Investment Index, Highlander Elementary Charter ranks #3 of 10 schools in Providence, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Providence on the city page.
Is Highlander Elementary Charter a good school?
Highlander Elementary Charter earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Rhode Island 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 Highlander?
Besides Highlander Elementary Charter, Highlander also operates Highlander Secondary Charter S (340 students). See the Highlander 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.