Is Highland Elementary School a good school?

Highland Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.8% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend Highland Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 418 students attended Highland Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary School?

Students at Highland Elementary School are 69% Hispanic, 29% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Rifle Middle School High : Rifle High School

Highland Elementary School

Summary:

Highland Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Rifle, Colorado, with a student population of 451. The school is part of the Garfield School District No. Re-2, which is ranked 90 out of 116 school districts in Colorado and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The student population at Highland Elementary is predominantly Hispanic (63.86%) and White (33.48%).

Highland Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the Garfield School District and the state of Colorado on standardized tests. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 27.2% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 32.5% for the district and 44.1% for the state. In math, only 15.9% of students were proficient or better, compared to 18.9% for the district and 34.2% for the state. The school also struggles to support its student subgroups, with low socioeconomic status students and Hispanic students underperforming their peers. Highland Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom third of Colorado elementary schools, with a ranking of 766 out of 943 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

The nearby schools in the Garfield School District, such as Kathryn Senor Elementary, Elk Creek Elementary, Cactus Valley Elementary, and Graham Mesa Elementary, generally outperform Highland Elementary on academic measures. However, the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the school's low ranking within the state suggest that Highland Elementary may face significant challenges in terms of resources, staffing, and support for its student population, which could be contributing to the school's underperformance.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

1500 East 7th Street
Rifle, CO 81650-2169

(970) 665-6800

District: Garfield School District No. Re-2

SchoolDigger Rank:
766^th of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,177

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Rifle Middle School
High:	Rifle High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.1

Number of students: 418

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.7%

White:

28.7%

Two or more races:

2.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 48.3%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Highland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Highland Elementary School ranks worse than 81.2% of elementary schools in Colorado. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Garfield School District No. Re-2. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.32. (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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (68.7%), White (28.7%), two or more races (2.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 48.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Garfield School District No. Re-2. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School is 13.1, which is the 2^nd best among 6 elementary schools in the Garfield School District No. Re-2. (See more...)

Compare Highland Elementary School employs 31.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highland Elementary School is $14,177, which is the 3^rd highest among 6 elementary schools in the Garfield School District No. Re-2.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highland Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland Elementary School 766^th of 943 Colorado public elementary schools. (See Highland Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Garfield School District No. Re-2:

SchoolDigger ranks Garfield School District No. Re-2 90^th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Highland Elementary School?

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Rank History for Highland Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Highland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CO State Percentile
2004	28.41	609^th	808	24.6%
2005	32.54	598^th	823	27.3%
2006	18.26	698^th	829	15.8%
2007	16.12	728^th	852	14.6%
2008	15.27	735^th	849	13.4%
2009	15.15	755^th	872	13.4%
2010	27.27	705^th	925	23.8%
2011	30.42	695^th	935	25.7%
2012	26.93	717^th	935	23.3%
2013	24.21	756^th	954	20.8%
2014	28.73	711^th	962	26.1%
2015	40.17	517^th	938	44.9%
2016	31.73	592^nd	914	35.2%
2017	27.59	651^st	929	29.9%
2018	43.58	483^rd	917	47.3%
2019	35.94	587^th	965	39.2%
2021	18.50	605^th	710	14.8%
2022	18.04	752^nd	921	18.3%
2023	25.39	667^th	933	28.5%
2024	18.32	766^th	943	18.8%

See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CO State Percentile
2018	49.09	156^th	308	49.4%
2019	31.66	251^st	332	24.4%
2022	31.99	140^th	203	31.0%
2023	32.64	191^st	265	27.9%
2024	15.64	337^th	365	7.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Highland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CO State Percentile
2018	28.07	499^th	690	27.7%
2019	29.13	516^th	758	31.9%
2023	15.33	561^st	642	12.6%
2024	20.45	540^th	684	21.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Highland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CO State Percentile
2018	44.00	349^th	693	49.6%
2019	31.34	504^th	764	34.0%
2022	16.45	504^th	594	15.2%
2023	21.15	514^th	649	20.8%
2024	19.92	537^th	683	21.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	56.21	65^th	172	62.2%
2024	28.23	180^th	242	25.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Highland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CO State Percentile
2019	30.61	427^th	596	28.4%
2022	12.38	428^th	454	5.7%
2023	24.58	432^nd	525	17.7%
2024	25.71	432^nd	539	19.9%

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

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

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Enrollment information for Highland Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2004	298	2	2	187	5	n/a	n/a	494
2005	294	3	4	194	2	n/a	n/a	497
2006	280	3	3	217	2	n/a	n/a	505
2007	252	4	5	255	1	n/a	n/a	517
2008	251	5	5	266	3	n/a	n/a	530
2009	263	3	1	263	4	n/a	n/a	534
2010	163	0	2	203	1	n/a	n/a	369
2011	160	0	0	229	3	0	3	395
2012	164	0	0	226	1	0	5	396
2013	159	1	0	226	2	0	6	394
2014	191	3	0	206	5	0	9	414
2015	206	2	1	220	1	0	6	436
2016	192	2	0	229	2	0	7	432
2017	176	1	2	250	1	0	8	438
2018	172	3	2	233	1	1	10	422
2019	198	2	2	270	1	1	9	483
2020	190	4	1	287	1	1	8	492
2021	156	4	0	278	1	1	9	449
2022	157	3	0	290	2	1	10	463
2023	151	2	0	288	1	0	9	451
2024	120	2	0	287	0	0	9	418

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 Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2004	494	25.3	19.5	41.1
2005	497	25.1	19.8	46.9
2006	505	29.2	17.3	46.1
2007	517	29.6	17.5	47.4
2008	530	27.6	19.2	43.4
2009	534	31.2	17.1	48.7
2010	369	25.0	14.7	55.6
2011	395	24.6	15.9	57.7
2012	396	25.5	15.5	64.4
2013	394	26.3	14.9	65.2
2014	414	24.2	17.0	64.5
2015	436	26.0	16.7	64.4
2016	432	25.0	17.2	65.5
2017	438	25.3	17.2	63
2018	422	25.0	16.8	60.7
2019	483	26.5	18.2	55.3
2020	492	30.0	16.4	53.9
2021	449	27.1	16.5	51.9
2022	463	29.7	15.5	41.7
2023	451	27.9	16.1	45.5
2024	418	31.7	13.1	48.3

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 Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2004	494	25.3	19.5	41.1
2005	497	25.1	19.8	46.9
2006	505	29.2	17.3	46.1
2007	517	29.6	17.5	47.4
2008	530	27.6	19.2	43.4
2009	534	31.2	17.1	48.7
2010	369	25.0	14.7	55.6
2011	395	24.6	15.9	57.7
2012	396	25.5	15.5	64.4
2013	394	26.3	14.9	65.2
2014	414	24.2	17.0	64.5
2015	436	26.0	16.7	64.4
2016	432	25.0	17.2	65.5
2017	438	25.3	17.2	63
2018	422	25.0	16.8	60.7
2019	483	26.5	18.2	55.3
2020	492	30.0	16.4	53.9
2021	449	27.1	16.5	51.9
2022	463	29.7	15.5	41.7
2023	451	27.9	16.1	45.5
2024	418	31.7	13.1	48.3

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 Elementary School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$10,194
2020	$10,387
2021	$12,405
2022	$12,360
2023	$14,177

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Highland Elementary School

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.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 587^th of 965 Elementary schools	Ranks 667^th of 933 Elementary schools	10.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Highland Elementary School)	26.3	24.6	1.7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	36.1	31.2	4.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)	41.3	39.9	1.4%
3rd Grade Math (Highland Elementary School)	33.3	26.5	6.8%
3rd Grade Math (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	35.8	27.8	8%
3rd Grade Math (Colorado)	41	39.4	1.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Highland Elementary School)	53.5	25	28.5%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	46.8	33.1	13.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)	48	43.8	4.2%
4th Grade Math (Highland Elementary School)	24.1	3.4	20.7%
4th Grade Math (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	20.4	18.5	1.9%
4th Grade Math (Colorado)	33.6	30.7	2.9%
5th Grade Science (Highland Elementary School)	24.4	19.3	5.1%
5th Grade Science (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	31.9	25.1	6.8%
5th Grade Science (Colorado)	35.9	33.9	2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Highland Elementary School)	43	38.6	4.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	41.8	37.1	4.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)	48.4	47.8	0.6%
5th Grade Math (Highland Elementary School)	29.9	27.7	2.2%
5th Grade Math (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	24.9	22.9	2%
5th Grade Math (Colorado)	35.7	36.5	0.8%
All Grades English Language Arts (Highland Elementary School)	41.5	30.5	11%
All Grades English Language Arts (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	35.6	31.9	3.7%
All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)	45.8	43.7	2.1%
All Grades Math (Highland Elementary School)	29	17.8	11.2%
All Grades Math (Garfield School District No. Re-2)	22.2	17.9	4.3%
All Grades Math (Colorado)	34.7	32.9	1.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	483	451	6.6%
African American	2	2
American Indian	1	1
Asian	2	0	100%
Hispanic	270	288	6.7%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	198	151	23.7%
Two or More Races	9	9
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	55.3%	45.5%	9.8%

Schools Near Highland Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CMAS English Language Arts (2024)				CMAS Math (2024)				CMAS Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
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	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 East 7th Street	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-6800	418	32	13.1	48.3%	120 (28.7%)	2 (0.5%)	287 (68.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	18.3	766^th of 943 public elementary schools	18.8%		25.4	667^th of 933 public elementary schools	28.5%	99	24.6	17.6	43.1	27.2	14.8	8.8	26.4	15.9	20.8	$14,177
Graham Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1575 Farmstead Parkway	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7500	427	27	16.1	36.8%	193 (45.2%)	0 (0.0%)	230 (53.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	24.3	687^th of 943 public elementary schools	27.1%		25.7	660^th of 933 public elementary schools	29.3%	27	35.1	33.9	32.7	33.9	28.8	16.1	14.3	19.9	23.6	$13,954
Wamsley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	225 East 30th Street	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7950	402	24	16.8	39.8%	102 (25.4%)	2 (0.5%)	287 (71.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	18.2	767^th of 943 public elementary schools	18.7%		23.4	692^nd of 933 public elementary schools	25.8%	75	16.7	20.8	32.8	23.7	20.0	27.8	20.0	22.3	16.9	$12,855
Cactus Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	222 Grand Avenue	Silt	81652	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7850	493	27	18.3	31.4%	274 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	211 (42.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	32.9	579^th of 943 public elementary schools	38.6%		26.1	653^rd of 933 public elementary schools	30.0%	74	37.9	38.3	41.5	39.3	32.4	22.2	18.5	24.5	30.8	$13,476
Elk Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	804 West Main Street	New Castle	81647	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-6900	266	19	13.7	36.5%	129 (48.5%)	0 (0.0%)	126 (47.4%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	18.8	756^th of 943 public elementary schools	19.8%		47	467^th of 933 public elementary schools	49.9%	289	17.9	34.1	17.1	23.6	13.8	26.2	14.6	18.8	22.5	$19,183
Kathryn Senor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Alder Avenue	New Castle	81647	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7700	286	23	12.5	32.9%	144 (50.3%)	1 (0.3%)	138 (48.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	40.7	517^th of 943 public elementary schools	45.2%		36.9	542^nd of 933 public elementary schools	41.9%	25	42.5	31.3	46.6	41.5	37.5	30.3	30.5	32.6	32.2	$16,527
Grand Valley Center for Family Learning	Public	PK, KG-1	100 East Second Street	Parachute	81635	Garfield County	Grand Valley School District No. 16	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 285-5702	268	16	16.7	76.5%	130 (48.5%)	2 (0.7%)	131 (48.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)										$16,144
Bea Underwood Elementary School	Public	2-5	0741 Tamarisk Trail	Parachute	81635	Garfield County	Grand Valley School District No. 16	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 285-5703	374	25	14.9	71.9%	207 (55.3%)	3 (0.8%)	151 (40.4%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	7.1	920^th of 943 public elementary schools	2.4%		6.3	924^th of 933 public elementary schools	1.0%	4	14.6	8.3	13.2	11.9	17.6		10.9		7.7	$13,231

Highland Elementary School

Highland Elementary School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Garfield School District No. Re-2:

What do you think?

Rank History for Highland Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Highland Elementary School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highland Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Highland Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Highland Elementary School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland Elementary School

Rank History for White students at Highland Elementary School

Enrollment information for Highland Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Highland Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Highland Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Highland Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Highland Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Highland Elementary School