Enrollment
2,972
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Dallas, TX
Lake Highlands H S
Federal NCES profile for Lake Highlands H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 483702004138
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake Highlands H S earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas.
- #21 of 53
- high schools in Dallas · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 51.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Lake Highlands H S has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Highlands H S ranks #21 of 53 high schools in Dallas, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
215.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Highlands H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake Highlands H S
Lake Highlands H S is a higher-need, large high school in Dallas, Texas, enrolling 2,972 students.
At 13.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 51.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,972 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 138 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (33%) and White (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 23 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 330 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 47 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Richardson Isd also operates Richardson H S (2,669 students) and Berkner H S (2,350 students) alongside Lake Highlands H S.
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 Lake Highlands H S compares
Lake Highlands H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.7% | ▼ 16% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,972 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
2,972
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 45% in Texas - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.2%
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
$11,721
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 330 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
327
in-school suspensions + 130 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 47 expulsions.
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 33.0%
White 29.9%
African American 27.1%
Asian 7.4%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 33.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.2, Lake Highlands H S is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 23
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richardson Isd, which includes Lake Highlands H S.
$11,721
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.7%
State 15.3%
Federal 15.0%
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 Lake Highlands H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richardson H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Berkner H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pearce H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest Meadow J H | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Highlands J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake Highlands H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,669
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,350
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,317
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,114
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~2,972 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake Highlands H S's federal record.
- Compare Lake Highlands H S against another school. Compare schools
- Richardson Isd'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 Lake Highlands H S
How many students attend Lake Highlands H S?
Lake Highlands H S has 2,972 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dallas, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Highlands H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Highlands H S is 13.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 12% 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 Lake Highlands H S?
51.7% of students at Lake Highlands H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Highlands H S?
The largest demographic group at Lake Highlands H S is Hispanic or Latino at 33.0% of enrollment, in Dallas, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Highlands H S?
Lake Highlands H S has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Lake Highlands H S rank among high schools in Dallas?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Highlands H S ranks #21 of 53 high schools in Dallas, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Dallas on the city page.
Is Lake Highlands H S a good school?
Lake Highlands H S earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas. 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 Richardson Isd?
Besides Lake Highlands H S, Richardson Isd also operates Richardson H S (2,669 students), Berkner H S (2,350 students), and Pearce H S (2,317 students). See the Richardson Isd 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.