Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 1518 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Highlands Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 385 students attended Highlands Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Elementary?

Students at Highlands Elementary are 29% Asian, 29% Hispanic, 26% White, 16% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Borel Middle

Highlands Elementary

Summary:

Highlands Elementary is a public elementary school in San Mateo, California, serving 385 students in grades K-5. It is part of the San Mateo-Foster City School District, which is ranked 452 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Highlands Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in standardized test scores, with 57.71% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 53.98% in Mathematics, compared to 55.03% and 50.65% for the district, and 47.04% and 35.54% for the state, respectively. However, the school struggles with achievement gaps, particularly for Hispanic and English Language Learner students, who rank in the bottom 40-50% of California elementary schools. Additionally, Highlands has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 3.2% in 2017-2018 to 15.7% in 2022-2023, higher than the district and state averages.

While Highlands Elementary outperforms other schools in the San Mateo-Foster City district, such as Laurel Elementary and San Mateo Park Elementary, it lags behind the high-performing schools in the neighboring Hillsborough City Elementary district, such as South Hillsborough, North Hillsborough, and West Hillsborough, which consistently rank among the top 5% of California elementary schools.

Detail:

Public K-5

2320 Newport St.
San Mateo, CA 94402-3838

(650) 312-7544

District: San Mateo-Foster City

SchoolDigger Rank:
1518^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,061

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Borel Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 21.3

Number of students: 385

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

28.8%

Hispanic:

28.8%

White:

26.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 19.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Highlands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Highlands Elementary ranks better than 74.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 9^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 71.56. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Highlands Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Asian (28.8%), Hispanic (28.8%), White (26.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 19.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary is 21.3. 10 elementary schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Highlands Elementary employs 18 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highlands Elementary is $7,061. 14 elementary schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highlands Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Highlands Elementary 1518^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Highlands Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

San Mateo-Foster City:

SchoolDigger ranks San Mateo-Foster City 452^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Highlands Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	90.40	491^st	4809	89.8%
2005	93.47	296^th	4822	93.9%
2006	91.46	411^th	4818	91.5%
2007	88.16	615^th	5113	88.0%
2008	77.93	1065^th	5113	79.2%
2009	72.76	1312^th	5193	74.7%
2010	70.45	1436^th	5314	73.0%
2011	71.06	1447^th	5377	73.1%
2012	68.92	1585^th	5390	70.6%
2013	66.63	1740^th	5530	68.5%
2015	88.13	720^th	5611	87.2%
2016	87.14	792^nd	5614	85.9%
2017	88.53	727^th	5692	87.2%
2018	82.62	999^th	5662	82.4%
2019	80.40	1153^rd	5789	80.1%
2021	77.91	296^th	1417	79.1%
2022	82.01	1098^th	5883	81.3%
2023	80.48	1153^rd	5874	80.4%
2024	71.56	1518^th	5862	74.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	54.39	188^th	339	44.5%
2019	75.32	97^th	445	78.2%
2022	68.77	202^nd	610	66.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.73	1521^st	3246	53.1%
2019	51.03	1195^th	3275	63.5%
2021	34.29	412^th	602	31.6%
2022	46.87	1374^th	3311	58.5%
2023	35.40	2126^th	3250	34.6%
2024	31.29	2472^nd	3160	21.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.28	3599^th	5084	29.2%
2019	28.32	4004^th	5173	22.6%
2021	34.89	734^th	1110	33.9%
2022	27.50	4040^th	5264	23.3%
2023	15.10	5034^th	5374	6.3%
2024	39.51	3172^nd	5511	42.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.94	1135^th	5413	79.0%
2019	79.24	1117^th	5492	79.7%
2021	74.68	293^rd	1267	76.9%
2022	81.08	1060^th	5635	81.2%
2023	73.25	1358^th	5617	75.8%
2024	71.82	1412^th	5605	74.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.20	871^st	5431	84.0%
2019	79.02	1128^th	5510	79.5%
2021	77.45	273^rd	1272	78.5%
2022	79.57	1122^nd	5663	80.2%
2023	82.53	991^st	5650	82.5%
2024	66.98	1658^th	5636	70.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.88	364^th	1071	66.0%
2019	72.19	319^th	1149	72.2%
2022	58.55	619^th	1154	46.4%
2023	66.74	481^st	1190	59.6%
2024	53.69	706^th	1203	41.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.08	2730^th	4830	43.5%
2019	40.33	2940^th	4963	40.8%
2022	35.84	3232^nd	5084	36.4%
2023	30.06	3701^st	5098	27.4%
2024	29.26	3787^th	5102	25.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	76.31	585^th	2737	78.6%
2019	67.27	930^th	2834	67.2%
2022	84.79	276^th	2726	89.9%
2023	85.97	222^nd	2662	91.7%
2024	77.36	527^th	2647	80.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California 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: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, February 5, 2016

Highlands lives off the reputation as historically being one of the better schools in the San Mateo / Foster City district. In my experience; however, I'd say it's a school in decline. Highlands has a basic California-wide standard approach to teaching, one that would work in non-tech cities like Fresno or Modesto. Because of its location, a large number of its kids come from silicon valley families and have higher expectations for learning than just a standard California education. Unfortunately this school does not adequately cater its teaching to meet the needs of this large demographic as the elite schools in the mid peninsula do (Fox, Baywood, etc). The typical classroom at highlands consists of 2 large groups of kids with different skill sets. One group is of advanced learners and the other is of those who perform "below basic standards". There really aren't many kids who have skills in the middle. The school's main principal to teaching is to "ensure all students learn the essential set of skills needed for basic life" and that "no kid is left behind". In each class, all kids are taught the same level of math. Given the class's wide disparity in aptitude levels, this means that math is taught at a lower level and at a slower pace (one thats catered for the slower learners). Advanced kids are not challenged in class and their potential is not realized. Many of the advanced learners, (especially the boys), tend to become distractions in class, tune out of the lessons, or have low self esteem because they 'can't focus'. This is all due to their lack of stimulation to the unchallenging curricula being taught them. I'll also mention that there's a significant bullying issue in the school (especially at the 3rd - 5th grade levels). The teachers and administration have never directly addressed it and, in many times, choose to ignore it. My kid has witnessed this many times first hand and I have friends who pulled their kids out of Highlands and into private institutions to get them away from the relentless bullying that they were experiencing. The school is pretty run down (50-60 yrs old) and is above its initial capacity. The capacity issue isn't from local kids, but from the kids bussed in from a lower-income north of downtown neighborhood. To handle this there are 2 'temp structures' that have been used for years as 'permanent' classrooms. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Highlands Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	203	8	98	23	1	n/a	n/a	0	333
1989	196	6	88	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	325
1990	193	9	87	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	325
1991	215	12	98	61	0	n/a	n/a	0	386
1992	212	11	105	76	1	n/a	n/a	0	405
1993	220	20	108	87	1	n/a	n/a	0	436
1994	227	15	119	86	1	n/a	n/a	0	448
1995	267	16	141	60	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1996	267	16	141	60	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1997	269	12	130	61	0	n/a	n/a	0	472
1998	284	9	117	58	2	n/a	n/a	0	470
1999	304	6	111	50	1	n/a	n/a	0	472
2000	274	4	121	61	0	n/a	n/a	0	460
2001	242	12	107	75	0	n/a	n/a	8	444
2002	215	16	109	60	0	n/a	n/a	22	422
2003	215	16	109	60	0	n/a	n/a	22	422
2004	210	15	105	56	0	n/a	n/a	15	401
2005	206	11	113	61	0	n/a	n/a	17	408
2006	185	9	115	76	0	n/a	n/a	24	409
2007	184	7	115	71	0	n/a	n/a	23	400
2008	177	8	108	70	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	363
2009	185	8	116	91	0	6	45	0	451
2010	205	8	135	130	0	3	34	0	515
2011	226	11	130	131	0	4	47	0	549
2012	230	5	134	141	0	9	58	0	577
2013	247	7	124	145	0	8	62	0	593
2014	240	10	125	167	1	6	57	0	606
2015	234	10	124	165	0	1	72	0	606
2016	223	8	118	176	0	0	69	0	594
2017	221	9	124	158	0	0	73	0	585
2018	216	5	115	146	0	0	72	0	554
2019	186	6	116	151	0	0	68	0	527
2020	179	0	126	148	0	1	71	0	525
2021	152	0	126	140	0	1	68	1	488
2022	127	0	114	121	0	1	67	0	430
2023	102	0	111	111	0	1	60	0	385

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 Highlands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	333	13.5	24.6	n/a
1989	325	12.5	26.0	n/a
1990	325	13.5	24.0	n/a
1991	386	15.5	24.9	n/a
1992	405	15.8	25.6	22.7
1993	436	18.4	23.7	21.1
1994	448	19.4	23.1	18.8
1995	484	20.5	23.6	14.7
1996	484	20.5	23.6	14.7
1997	472	22.5	21.0	13.1
1998	470	23.5	20.0	13.6
1999	472	24.0	19.7	13.6
2000	460	23.3	19.7	12.8
2001	444	22.3	19.9	14.2
2002	422	22.5	18.8	19
2003	422	22.5	18.8	19
2004	401	20.5	19.6	17.1
2005	408	20.5	19.9	13.6
2006	409	21.5	19.0	17.1
2007	400	20.0	20.0	15.9
2008	363	22.0	16.5	16.3
2009	451	22.5	18.4	21.3
2010	515	25.5	20.2	20.2
2011	549	n/a	n/a	19.7
2012	577	23.1	24.9	n/a
2013	593	25.0	23.7	20.1
2014	606	24.9	24.3	20.6
2015	606	24.0	25.2	18
2016	594	24.0	24.7	18.2
2017	585	24.0	24.3	18.8
2018	554	22.0	25.1	19
2019	527	20.8	25.3	20.7
2020	525	n/a	n/a	16.4
2021	488	20.0	24.4	18
2022	430	20.0	21.5	18.6
2023	385	18.0	21.3	19.2

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 Highlands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	333	13.5	24.6	n/a
1989	325	12.5	26.0	n/a
1990	325	13.5	24.0	n/a
1991	386	15.5	24.9	n/a
1992	405	15.8	25.6	22.7
1993	436	18.4	23.7	21.1
1994	448	19.4	23.1	18.8
1995	484	20.5	23.6	14.7
1996	484	20.5	23.6	14.7
1997	472	22.5	21.0	13.1
1998	470	23.5	20.0	13.6
1999	472	24.0	19.7	13.6
2000	460	23.3	19.7	12.8
2001	444	22.3	19.9	14.2
2002	422	22.5	18.8	19
2003	422	22.5	18.8	19
2004	401	20.5	19.6	17.1
2005	408	20.5	19.9	13.6
2006	409	21.5	19.0	17.1
2007	400	20.0	20.0	15.9
2008	363	22.0	16.5	16.3
2009	451	22.5	18.4	21.3
2010	515	25.5	20.2	20.2
2011	549	n/a	n/a	19.7
2012	577	23.1	24.9	n/a
2013	593	25.0	23.7	20.1
2014	606	24.9	24.3	20.6
2015	606	24.0	25.2	18
2016	594	24.0	24.7	18.2
2017	585	24.0	24.3	18.8
2018	554	22.0	25.1	19
2019	527	20.8	25.3	20.7
2020	525	n/a	n/a	16.4
2021	488	20.0	24.4	18
2022	430	20.0	21.5	18.6
2023	385	18.0	21.3	19.2

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.

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