Enrollment
292
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saint Paul, MN
Highwood Hills Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highwood Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 273384001593
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highwood Hills Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #58 of 86
- schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 86.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Highwood Hills Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highwood Hills Elementary ranks #58 of 86 schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: Saint Paul Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 273384001593 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+103% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highwood Hills Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highwood Hills Elementary
Highwood Hills Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 292 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 86.8% of students qualify for free meals, 103% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 292 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 72 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #41.
Its student body is led by African American (40%) and Asian (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 292 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Saint Paul Public Schools spends $20,457 per pupil, 34% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Saint Paul Public Schools also operates Central Senior High (1,682 students) and Harding Senior High (1,591 students) alongside Highwood Hills 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 Highwood Hills Elementary compares
Highwood Hills 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.8% | ▲ 103% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 292 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
292
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 103% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 64% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.7%
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
$20,457
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 292 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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
African American 39.7%
Asian 28.1%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
White 10.6%
Two or More 3.8%
Largest group: African American at 39.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.9, Highwood Hills Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saint Paul Public Schools, which includes Highwood Hills Elementary.
$20,457
Per student
+34%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 53.2%
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 Highwood Hills Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harding Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland Park Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johnson Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highwood Hills Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,682
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,591
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,392
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,066
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other 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 (~292 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highwood Hills Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highwood Hills Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Saint Paul Public Schools'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 Highwood Hills Elementary
How many students attend Highwood Hills Elementary?
Highwood Hills Elementary has 292 students enrolled. It is a public school in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highwood Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highwood Hills Elementary is 16.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highwood Hills Elementary?
86.8% of students at Highwood Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highwood Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highwood Hills Elementary is African American at 39.7% of enrollment, in Saint Paul, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highwood Hills Elementary?
Highwood Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Highwood Hills Elementary rank among schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, Highwood Hills Elementary ranks #58 of 86 schools in Saint Paul, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is Highwood Hills Elementary a good school?
Highwood Hills Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota 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 Saint Paul Public Schools?
Besides Highwood Hills Elementary, Saint Paul Public Schools also operates Central Senior High (1,682 students), Harding Senior High (1,591 students), and Highland Park Senior High (1,392 students). See the Saint Paul Public Schools 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.