Highland High

Summary:

Highland High is a public high school in Salt Lake City, Utah, serving 1,980 students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Salt Lake District, which is ranked 54 out of 98 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the years, ranging from 33rd to 121st out of Utah high schools.

Highland High generally performs better than the Salt Lake District and the state average on the Utah Aspire Plus assessments, particularly in English Language Arts. For example, in 2023-2024, 47.9% of 10th-grade students at Highland High were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 36.4% for the Salt Lake District and 44.6% for the state. The school's Hispanic and White student subgroups perform relatively well compared to other schools in the state, ranking 23rd and 26th, respectively, out of Utah high schools in 2023-2024. However, the school's performance for low socioeconomic status students is weaker, ranking 77th out of 93 high schools in the state.

Highland High has a lower percentage of free and reduced lunch recipients (29.75%) compared to some nearby schools like East High (50.74%) and Innovations High School (41.64%), indicating a relatively higher socioeconomic status of its student population. This contrast suggests that Highland High may face competition for students and resources from these nearby schools, some of which are ranked among the top high schools in the state.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 2166 S 1700 E
       Salt Lake City, UT  84106


(801) 484-4343

District: Salt Lake District

SchoolDigger Rank:
54th of 138 Utah High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,968 Help


Feeder schools for Highland High:

Elementary:    Beacon Heights School
    Dilworth School
    Hawthorne School
    Highland Park School
    More...
Middle:    Hillside Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  23.6 Help
Number of students:  1,980

Racial breakdown:

White:
62.6%
Hispanic:
22.2%
Two or more races:
3.9%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  29.7% Help


 See top rated Utah high schools

 Compare Highland High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Highland High ranks better than 60.9% of high schools in Utah. It also ranks first among 4 ranked high schools in the Salt Lake District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 56.17. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Highland High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Highland High has the largest high school student body size in the Salt Lake District.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highland High is $10,968, which is the 2nd highest among 4 high schools in the Salt Lake District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highland High:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland High 54th of 138 Utah public high schools. (See Highland High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Salt Lake District:

SchoolDigger ranks Salt Lake District 54th of 98 Utah school districts. (See district ranking list.)


What do you think?

Your rating for Highland High?

Rank History for Highland High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Highland High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools UT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2008 25.50 115th 142 19.0%
2009 22.91 121st 148 18.2%
2010 23.34 125th 153 18.3%
2011 28.10 124th 164 24.4%
2012 29.39 131st 166 21.1%
2013 31.53 127th 167 24.0%
2014 35.97 79th 120 34.2%
2015 27.37 96th 131 26.7%
2016 24.23 101st 129 21.7%
2017 24.46 97th 125 22.4%
2018 33.39 89th 123 27.6%
2019 65.32 38th 136 72.1%
2021 63.26 33rd 129 74.4%
2022 47.78 69th 131 47.3%
2023 65.36 34th 139 75.5%
2024 56.17 54th 138 60.9%
See the entire list of Utah High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Highland High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools UT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 65.24 5th 20 75.0%
2024 57.20 11th 25 56.0%
See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Highland High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools UT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 41.65 10th 16 37.5%
2023 72.46 5th 20 75.0%
See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highland High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools UT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 29.69 63rd 84 25.0%
2023 26.17 71st 93 23.7%
2024 20.26 77th 93 17.2%
See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools UT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 43.70 33rd 62 46.8%
2023 57.35 23rd 66 65.2%
2024 57.98 23rd 72 68.1%
See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Highland High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools UT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 57.81 43rd 123 65.0%
2023 74.20 17th 122 86.1%
2024 69.13 26th 123 78.9%
See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Utah State Board 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.

Highland High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Utah State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

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by a student
Monday, April 11, 2011

Open Quote As a senior who has experienced four years at Highland, I would never pick a different school. There is an amount of diversity at Highland that you cannot find anywhere else. Everyone is very welcoming to all. The teachers are all very helpful and the student body is very united and proud of their school spirit. I think that it is a really great school where you can learn about life at the same time that you are studying and preparing for college. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Highland High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 1356 10 34 42 13 n/a n/a 0 1455
1989 1689 26 145 173 33 n/a n/a 0 2066
1990 1676 18 165 170 31 n/a n/a 0 2060
1991 1749 28 161 186 35 n/a n/a 0 2159
1992 1765 31 169 248 28 n/a n/a 0 2241
1993 1712 21 180 281 31 n/a n/a 0 2225
1994 1669 25 156 314 23 n/a n/a 0 2187
1995 1653 37 124 361 35 n/a n/a 0 2210
1996 1653 37 124 361 35 n/a n/a 0 2210
1997 1671 31 122 382 46 n/a n/a 0 2252
1998 1678 50 124 394 36 n/a n/a 0 2282
1999 1551 54 122 405 27 n/a n/a 0 2159
2000 1492 57 120 463 29 n/a n/a 0 2161
2001 1481 81 117 495 20 n/a n/a 0 2194
2002 1226 101 130 503 24 n/a n/a 0 1984
2003 1226 101 130 503 24 n/a n/a 0 1984
2004 1097 81 132 474 26 n/a n/a 0 1810
2005 1058 89 141 476 28 n/a n/a 0 1792
2006 1019 98 138 409 32 n/a n/a 0 1696
2007 989 96 122 343 39 n/a n/a 0 1589
2008 931 87 133 321 45 n/a n/a 21 1538
2009 958 87 115 296 41 n/a n/a 19 1516
2010 960 66 125 306 42 n/a n/a 78 1577
2011 979 75 42 326 28 83 3 0 1536
2012 990 60 64 334 26 72 16 0 1562
2013 891 61 67 367 23 65 56 0 1530
2014 933 64 70 356 15 67 65 0 1570
2015 944 65 79 366 28 73 77 0 1632
2016 946 70 76 368 31 78 76 0 1645
2017 965 72 62 395 35 70 83 0 1682
2018 967 65 62 405 22 75 87 0 1683
2019 1010 78 59 363 19 67 82 0 1678
2020 1136 78 53 379 22 66 88 0 1822
2021 1152 80 40 367 28 57 82 0 1806
2022 1194 86 50 403 28 72 77 0 1910
2023 1239 71 54 439 30 70 77 0 1980

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 High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1455 62.4 23.3 n/a
1989 2066 71.5 28.8 n/a
1990 2060 98.3 20.9 15.8
1991 2159 95.2 22.6 13.1
1992 2241 94.2 23.7 19.3
1993 2225 97.0 22.9 22.4
1994 2187 97.8 22.4 22.6
1995 2210 104.7 21.1 29.6
1996 2210 104.7 21.1 29.6
1997 2252 98.5 22.9 26.9
1998 2282 104.6 21.8 30.8
1999 2159 111.1 19.4 38.1
2000 2161 112.6 19.2 40.1
2001 2194 85.8 25.6 42.6
2002 1984 95.4 20.8 48.6
2003 1984 95.4 20.8 48.6
2004 1810 93.0 19.5 50.3
2005 1792 85.5 21.0 50.2
2006 1696 90.0 18.8 44.9
2007 1589 41.0 38.8 0.4
2008 1538 72.6 21.2 41.1
2009 1516 62.0 17.6 42.8
2010 1577 70.2 22.4 49.3
2011 1536 70.4 21.7 46.6
2012 1562 70.5 22.1 53.7
2013 1530 68.6 22.2 77.6
2014 1570 69.8 22.4 42.7
2015 1632 n/a n/a 46.1
2016 1645 n/a n/a 43.8
2017 1682 69.8 24.0 43.8
2018 1683 n/a n/a 40.5
2019 1678 74.7 22.4 39.9
2020 1822 78.7 23.1 39.8
2021 1806 n/a n/a 29.5
2022 1910 81.6 23.3 30.8
2023 1980 83.8 23.6 29.7

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 High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1455 62.4 23.3 n/a
1989 2066 71.5 28.8 n/a
1990 2060 98.3 20.9 15.8
1991 2159 95.2 22.6 13.1
1992 2241 94.2 23.7 19.3
1993 2225 97.0 22.9 22.4
1994 2187 97.8 22.4 22.6
1995 2210 104.7 21.1 29.6
1996 2210 104.7 21.1 29.6
1997 2252 98.5 22.9 26.9
1998 2282 104.6 21.8 30.8
1999 2159 111.1 19.4 38.1
2000 2161 112.6 19.2 40.1
2001 2194 85.8 25.6 42.6
2002 1984 95.4 20.8 48.6
2003 1984 95.4 20.8 48.6
2004 1810 93.0 19.5 50.3
2005 1792 85.5 21.0 50.2
2006 1696 90.0 18.8 44.9
2007 1589 41.0 38.8 0.4
2008 1538 72.6 21.2 41.1
2009 1516 62.0 17.6 42.8
2010 1577 70.2 22.4 49.3
2011 1536 70.4 21.7 46.6
2012 1562 70.5 22.1 53.7
2013 1530 68.6 22.2 77.6
2014 1570 69.8 22.4 42.7
2015 1632 n/a n/a 46.1
2016 1645 n/a n/a 43.8
2017 1682 69.8 24.0 43.8
2018 1683 n/a n/a 40.5
2019 1678 74.7 22.4 39.9
2020 1822 78.7 23.1 39.8
2021 1806 n/a n/a 29.5
2022 1910 81.6 23.3 30.8
2023 1980 83.8 23.6 29.7

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 High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $734 (6.7%) $10,234 (93.3%) $10,968

Data source: Utah Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Highland High

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 38th of 136 High schoolsRanks 34th of 139 High schools
 3.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
9th Grade English Language Arts (Highland High)56.155.1
 1%
   9th Grade English Language Arts (Salt Lake District)36.439
 2.6%
   9th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)48.244
 4.2%
9th Grade Mathematics (Highland High)47.333.6
 13.7%
   9th Grade Mathematics (Salt Lake District)36.723.6
 13.1%
   9th Grade Mathematics (Utah)43.632.8
 10.8%
9th Grade Science (Highland High)39.443.8
 4.4%
   9th Grade Science (Salt Lake District)31.230.5
 0.7%
   9th Grade Science (Utah)36.238.1
 1.9%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Highland High)56.755.6
 1.1%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Salt Lake District)3842
 4%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)49.545.3
 4.2%
10th Grade Mathematics (Highland High)44.229.1
 15.1%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Salt Lake District)2922.7
 6.3%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Utah)36.327.7
 8.6%
10th Grade Science (Highland High)35.838
 2.2%
   10th Grade Science (Salt Lake District)30.229
 1.2%
   10th Grade Science (Utah)3332.2
 0.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students16781980
 18%
African American7871
 9%
American Indian1930
 57.9%
Asian5954
 8.5%
Hispanic363439
 20.9%
Pacific Islander6770
 4.5%
White10101239
 22.7%
Two or More Races8277
 6.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients39.9%29.7%
 10.2%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Highland High

Highland High ranks 54th of 138 Utah high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Highland High are 63% White, 22% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 4% African American, 4% Pacific Islander, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,980 students attended Highland High.

Highland High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Beacon Heights School
Elementary : Dilworth School
Elementary : Hawthorne School
Elementary : Highland Park School
Elementary : Liberty School
Elementary : Nibley Park School
Elementary : Whittier School
Middle : Hillside Middle


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





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