Highland Prep

Q: Is Highland Prep a good school?

Highland Prep ranks 73 rd of 259 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Highland Prep is a public charter high school serving grades 9-12 in Surprise, Arizona, with a diverse student population of 46.5% White, 37.16% Hispanic, 7.78% African American, and smaller percentages of other racial groups. The school has consistently ranked highly among Arizona high schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Highland Prep stands out for its exceptional academic performance, with students consistently outperforming the state average in standardized test scores, particularly in mathematics. In 2023-2024, 54% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in AASA Mathematics, compared to the state average of 30% and nearby schools like Willow Canyon High School (38% proficient) and Valley Vista High School (33% proficient). The school also maintains exceptional graduation rates, with 97.8% and 100% four-year graduation rates in the last two school years, higher than nearby schools.

Additionally, Highland Prep has shown strong performance across various student subgroups, ranking highly for Asian, White, and Special Education students, as well as for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The school also maintains a 0% dropout rate, significantly lower than the nearby Willow Canyon High School (0.4%) and Valley Vista High School (2.3%). While Highland Prep outperforms nearby schools on many metrics, there are some areas where other schools excel, such as the performance of certain student subgroups.

Detail:

Public, Charter 9-12

15600 W Hearn Rd
Surprise, AZ 85379-5172

(623) 300-8385

District: Highland Prep

SchoolDigger Rank:
73^rd of 259 Arizona High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: n/a

Number of students: 514

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.5%

Hispanic:

37.2%

African American:

7.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Highland Prep ranks better than 71.8% of high schools in Arizona. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 68.54. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Highland Prep who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (46.5%), Hispanic (37.2%), African American (7.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 33.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highland Prep:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland Prep 73^rd of 259 Arizona public high schools. (See Highland Prep in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Highland Prep:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland Prep 89^th of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Highland Prep

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Rank History for all students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2021	86.50	59^th	509	88.4%
2022	79.97	63^rd	464	86.4%
2023	66.38	132^nd	469	71.9%
2024	68.54	73^rd	259	71.8%

See the entire list of Arizona High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2021	47.31	184^th	374	50.8%
2022	46.65	143^rd	282	49.3%
2023	57.67	77^th	199	61.3%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	44.58	29^th	312	90.7%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2021	83.44	27^th	422	93.6%
2022	55.48	81^st	380	78.7%
2023	63.09	40^th	172	76.7%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	70.45	68^th	347	80.4%
2024	81.19	30^th	168	82.1%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2019	79.81	32^nd	247	87.0%
2021	85.05	61^st	492	87.6%
2022	82.78	51^st	456	88.8%
2023	57.18	145^th	406	64.3%
2024	65.80	65^th	193	66.3%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	56.99	38^th	102	62.7%
2022	89.90	1^st	125	99.2%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2019	87.32	23^rd	238	90.3%
2021	84.13	60^th	492	87.8%
2022	75.07	85^th	455	81.3%
2023	67.51	114^th	429	73.4%
2024	62.74	76^th	207	63.3%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2021	71.48	66^th	231	71.4%
2022	73.89	54^th	238	77.3%
2023	71.88	32^nd	146	78.1%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2021	66.81	54^th	306	82.4%
2022	31.06	189^th	301	37.2%
2023	56.72	72^nd	201	64.2%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2019	83.93	14^th	183	92.3%
2021	73.72	74^th	479	84.6%
2022	73.43	77^th	441	82.5%
2023	52.74	151^st	379	60.2%
2024	48.91	67^th	164	59.1%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	27.21	41^st	94	56.4%
2022	57.12	36^th	129	72.1%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Highland Prep

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AZ State Percentile
2019	87.10	20^th	217	90.8%
2021	89.97	37^th	448	91.7%
2022	77.82	60^th	409	85.3%
2023	59.15	134^th	371	63.9%
2024	78.97	35^th	174	79.9%

See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Review counts

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by a student
Friday, February 1, 2019

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Enrollment information for Highland Prep

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2018	38	5	4	23	0	0	5	75
2019	102	10	8	78	1	1	6	206
2020	164	19	10	127	2	3	13	338
2021	214	26	13	153	5	2	15	428
2022	241	34	15	180	1	3	21	495
2023	239	40	18	191	1	1	24	514

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Highland Prep

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	75	n/a	n/a	28
2019	206	n/a	n/a	32.5
2020	338	n/a	n/a	28.7
2021	428	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	495	n/a	n/a	12.1
2023	514	n/a	n/a	33.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Highland Prep

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	75	n/a	n/a	28
2019	206	n/a	n/a	32.5
2020	338	n/a	n/a	28.7
2021	428	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	495	n/a	n/a	12.1
2023	514	n/a	n/a	33.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Highland Prep

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$8,562
2020	$8,444

Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Highland Prep

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	206	514	149.5%
African American	10	40	300%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	8	18	125%
Hispanic	78	191	144.9%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	102	239	134.3%
Two or More Races	6	24	300%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	32.5%	33.9%	1.3%

Schools Near Highland Prep

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				AASA English Language Arts (2024)	AASA Mathematics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Highland Prep	Public, Charter	9-12	15600 W Hearn Rd	Surprise	85379	Maricopa County	Highland Prep	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 300-8385	514			33.9%	239 (46.5%)	40 (7.8%)	191 (37.2%)	18 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.7%)	68.5	73^rd of 259 public high schools	71.8%		66.4	132^nd of 469 public high schools	71.9%	59	46.0	54.0		$00			$00
Imagine Prep Surprise	Public, Charter	9-12	14850 N 156th Ave	Surprise	85379	Maricopa County	Imagine Prep Surprise Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 344-1770	290			31.7%	145 (50.0%)	21 (7.2%)	98 (33.8%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.2%)	31.5	168^th of 259 public high schools	35.1%		53.8	178^th of 469 public high schools	62.0%	10	31.0	27.0		$00			$00
Valley Vista High School	Public	7-12	15550 N Parkview Pl	Surprise	85374	Maricopa County	Dysart Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8800	2,464	102	24.1	44.0%	842 (34.2%)	223 (9.1%)	1,185 (48.1%)	32 (1.3%)	23 (0.9%)	8 (0.3%)	151 (6.1%)	45	131^st of 259 public high schools	49.4%		55.6	172^nd of 469 public high schools	63.3%	41	40.0	33.0	$8,069	$243	$877	$1,362	$5,849	$1,100	$6,949
West-MEC - Valley Vista High School	Public	9-12	15550 N Parkview Pl	Surprise	85374	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8800	2				2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$00			$00
Dysart iSchool	Public, Virtual	7-12	15802 N Parkview Pl	Surprise	85374	Maricopa County	Dysart Unified District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(623) 876-7872	106	13	8.1		45 (42.5%)	2 (1.9%)	50 (47.2%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.6%)								(n/a)			$12,322	$134	$820	$1,088	$8,913	$2,455	$11,368
ThrivePoint High School at Surprise	Public, Charter	9-12	16578 W Greenway Rd Ste 204 Bl	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	ThrivePoint High School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 870-2000	243				123 (50.6%)	10 (4.1%)	96 (39.5%)	3 (1.2%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.3%)								(n/a)			$2,579	$00			$1,355	$1,224	$2,579
Paradise Honors High School	Public, Charter	9-12	12775 N 175th Ave	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	Paragon Management Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 455-7400	916			12.9%	590 (64.4%)	46 (5.0%)	192 (21.0%)	31 (3.4%)	6 (0.7%)	5 (0.5%)	46 (5.0%)	70.5	71^st of 259 public high schools	72.6%		75.9	91^st of 469 public high schools	80.6%	20	56.0	45.0	$9,204	$305	$639	$1,250	$6,442	$1,818	$8,259
West-MEC Paradise Honors	Public	9-12	12775 N 175th Ave	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(623) 738-0012	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
West-MEC - Willow Canyon High School	Public	9-12	17901 W Lundberg St	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8000	3				3 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$00			$00
Willow Canyon High School	Public	7-12	17901 W Lundberg St	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	Dysart Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8000	1,787	76	23.4	31.9%	878 (49.1%)	137 (7.7%)	574 (32.1%)	46 (2.6%)	20 (1.1%)	11 (0.6%)	121 (6.8%)	56.3	104^th of 259 public high schools	59.8%		60.7	154^th of 469 public high schools	67.2%	50	47.0	38.0	$9,902	$234	$875	$1,344	$7,392	$1,401	$8,793

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Prep

What district is Highland Prep in?

Highland Prep

Is Highland Prep a good school?

Highland Prep ranks 73^rd of 259 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Highland Prep?

In the 2022-23 school year, 514 students attended Highland Prep.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Prep?

Students at Highland Prep are 46% White, 37% Hispanic, 8% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.