Enrollment
778
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · North Highlands, CA
Highlands High
Federal NCES profile for Highlands High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060133201988
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highlands High earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in North Highlands · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 76.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Highlands High has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highlands High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in North Highlands, CA.
School address
District: Twin Rivers Unified · California
NCES ID 060133201988 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highlands High
Highlands High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in North Highlands, California, enrolling 778 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 778 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,646 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #493.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (52%) and White (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 389 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among North Highlands's high schools, it stands alongside Miles P. Richmond (79 students): Highlands High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19:1 vs 13.2:1).
Twin Rivers Unified also operates Grant Union High (1,987 students) and Rio Linda High (1,594 students) alongside Highlands High.
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 High compares
Highlands High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.7% | ▲ 38% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 778 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
778
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.8%
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
$17,365
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 389 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 109 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 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 52.3%
White 16.8%
African American 11.3%
Two or More 9.4%
Asian 8.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Highlands High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Twin Rivers Unified, which includes Highlands High.
$17,365
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 59.8%
Federal 21.0%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Union High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rio Linda High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Foothill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Las Palmas Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highlands High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,987
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,594
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,001
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar high schools in North Highlands
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~778 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highlands High's federal record.
- Compare Highlands High against another school. Compare schools
- Twin Rivers Unified'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 High
How many students attend Highlands High?
Highlands High has 778 students enrolled. It is a high school in North Highlands, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands High?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands High is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% higher 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 High?
76.7% of students at Highlands High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands High?
The largest demographic group at Highlands High is Hispanic or Latino at 52.3% of enrollment, in North Highlands, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands High?
Highlands High has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Highlands High rank among high schools in North Highlands?
By Resource Investment Index, Highlands High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in North Highlands, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in North Highlands on the city page.
Is Highlands High a good school?
Highlands High earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California 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 Twin Rivers Unified?
Besides Highlands High, Twin Rivers Unified also operates Grant Union High (1,987 students), Rio Linda High (1,594 students), and Foothill High (1,417 students). See the Twin Rivers Unified 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.