Enrollment
745
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 530393000603
Highlands Middle School — Kennewick, WA
Federal NCES profile for Highlands Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 62/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 92
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Kennewick School District · Washington
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands Middle School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Highlands Middle School reports 745 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% above the Washington average and 50% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 248 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kennewick School District spends $16,581 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.1% from local sources (property taxes), 74.5% from the state, and 12.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Highlands Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.6% | ▲ 72% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 745 | top 87% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
77.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 48% in Washington — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
3.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,581
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 248 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 102 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 745 Top 87% in Washington — larger than 13% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.6% +72% vs state
NCES ID 530393000603
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 59.8%
White 33.6%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 1.2%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 248:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.2%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 102
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kennewick School District, which includes Highlands Middle School.
$16,581
Per student
-28%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.1%
State 74.5%
Federal 12.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,956
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,921
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 950
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 906
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
Similar middle schools in Kennewick
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Desert Hills Middle School
Standard public school
906 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Horse Heaven Hills Middle School
Standard public school
856 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Park Middle School
Standard public school
688 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Finley Middle School
Standard public school
204 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Highlands Middle School
How many students attend Highlands Middle School?
Highlands Middle School has 745 students enrolled. It is a middle school in KENNEWICK, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands Middle School is 16.3:1, which is 8% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highlands Middle School?
77.6% of students at Highlands Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Highlands Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 59.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in KENNEWICK, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands Middle School?
Highlands Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.