Enrollment
564
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Edina, MN
Highlands Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highlands Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 271125002269
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highlands Elementary earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #6 of 9
- elementary schools in Edina · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 11.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Highlands Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highlands Elementary ranks #6 of 9 elementary schools in Edina, MN.
School address
District: Edina Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271125002269 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highlands Elementary
Highlands Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Edina, Minnesota, enrolling 564 students.
At 14.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.5% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the Minnesota average.
Enrollment of 564 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 297 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #16, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Two or More (7%) (diversity index 43/100).
11.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Edina Public School District also operates Edina Senior High (2,641 students) and South View Middle (1,021 students) alongside Highlands Elementary.
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 Highlands Elementary compares
Highlands Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.5% | ▼ 73% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
564
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 50% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.0%
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
$14,558
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 74.5%
Two or More 7.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Asian 6.2%
African American 5.7%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.9, Highlands Elementary is about as mixed as the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Edina Public School District, which includes Highlands Elementary.
$14,558
Per student
-5%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.6%
State 50.7%
Federal 4.8%
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 Highlands Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edina Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South View Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Valley View Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Concord Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Countryside Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highlands Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,641
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,021
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,003
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 741
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~564 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highlands Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highlands Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Edina Public School District'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 Highlands Elementary
How many students attend Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary has 564 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Edina, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary is 14.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 8% 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 Highlands Elementary?
11.5% of students at Highlands Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highlands Elementary is White at 74.5% of enrollment, in Edina, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands Elementary?
Highlands Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Highlands Elementary rank among elementary schools in Edina?
By Resource Investment Index, Highlands Elementary ranks #6 of 9 elementary schools in Edina, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Edina on the city page.
Is Highlands Elementary a good school?
Highlands Elementary earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Edina Public School District?
Besides Highlands Elementary, Edina Public School District also operates Edina Senior High (2,641 students), South View Middle (1,021 students), and Valley View Middle (1,003 students). See the Edina Public School District 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.