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Highland Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1237^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Highland Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 303 students. The school is part of the Ambridge Area School District, which is ranked 429 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Highland Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Pennsylvania elementary schools, maintaining a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years. The school's proficiency rates in PSSA Math and English Language Arts (ELA) are significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 25% of Highland students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to 29.3% for the district and 41.7% for the state. The school's performance is particularly concerning in 5th grade, where only 22.9% of students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, and 25.7% were proficient or better in PSSA ELA.

Interestingly, the nearby Economy Elementary School and State Street Elementary School, which are also part of the Ambridge Area School District, generally outperform Highland Elementary School in academic metrics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Economy Elementary School had a 51.2% proficiency rate in PSSA Math, compared to Highland's 25%. This suggests that the challenges faced by Highland Elementary School may be specific to the school itself, rather than the broader district. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improve outcomes for the students and the community it serves.

284

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,759

Per pupil spending ?

107.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 Highland Avenue
Ambridge, PA 15003-1529

(724) 266-2833

District: Ambridge Area School District

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ambridge Area Middle School
High:	Ambridge Area High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.2%

African American:

25.7%

Two or more races:

12.0%

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Compare Highland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2014 → 18th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (26% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 22 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg35%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,237^th of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Ambridge Area School District

429^th of 606Ambridge Area School District among Pennsylvania districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	1237 of 1511	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	1239 of 1526	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	1201 of 1534	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	1269 of 1534	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.7	1288 of 1433	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	1344 of 1544	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	1248 of 1530	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.8	1225 of 1547	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.6	1276 of 1554	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	23.6	1210 of 1467	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.5	1160 of 1519	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.0	1287 of 1599	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	49.6	1038 of 1597	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	30.2	1298 of 1579	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	42.3	1119 of 1549	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	59.5	753 of 1551	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.7	615 of 1555	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.7	678 of 1545	56.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	46.8	210 of 437	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	140 of 437	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	791 of 1030	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	1035 of 1084	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	900 of 1043	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.1	1171 of 1466	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1158 of 1488	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	18.1	1210 of 1432	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.1	1073 of 1414	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	1249 of 1475	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	1247 of 1495	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	1138 of 1201	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	1148 of 1229	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.3	1176 of 1236	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2024)52nd percentile+33 vs school

Disabled (2025)23rd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)16th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)15th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts27%-22 vs state

Math25%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSSA Math (2025)					PSSA English Language Arts (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 Highland Avenue	Ambridge	15003	Beaver County	Ambridge Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 266-2833	284	25	11.2	107.4%	171 (60.2%)	73 (25.7%)	3 (1.1%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (12.0%)	17.8	1237^th of 1511 public elementary schools	18.1%		18.6	1239^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.8%	2	23.5	29.0	22.9		25.0	29.4	25.8	25.7		27.0	$15,759	$1,225	$14,534
Margaret Ross Elementary School	Public	K-4	1955 Maratta Rd	Aliquippa	15001	Beaver County	Hopewell Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 375-2956	185	13	13.7	50.3%	161 (87.0%)	7 (3.8%)	5 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (5.9%)	65	576^th of 1511 public elementary schools	61.9%		78.8	312^th of 1526 public elementary schools	79.6%	264	58.2	75.6			66.7	51.2	51.3			51.1	$25,169	$1,294	$23,874
State Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Harmony Road	Baden	15005	Beaver County	Ambridge Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 266-2833	241	18	13.5	102.9%	176 (73.0%)	40 (16.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.4%)	63.4	595^th of 1511 public elementary schools	60.6%		47.6	897^th of 1526 public elementary schools	41.2%	302	63.4	44.8	38.7		50.5	73.2	72.4	35.5		61.4	$11,908	$1,483	$10,425
Edgeworth Elementary School	Public	K-5	200 Meadow Ln	Sewickley	15143	Allegheny County	Quaker Valley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 749-3605	412	33	12.4	22.8%	347 (84.2%)	9 (2.2%)	17 (4.1%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	33 (8.0%)	89.1	134^th of 1511 public elementary schools	91.1%		92.9	26^th of 1526 public elementary schools	98.3%	108	77.8	71.9	74.0		74.7	68.1	81.3	76.7		75.1	$22,853	$1,009	$21,843
Aliquippa Elementary School	Public	K-6	800 Twenty-First Street	Aliquippa	15001	Beaver County	Aliquippa School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 857-7500	480	45	10.6	0.6%	45 (9.4%)	325 (67.7%)	48 (10.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (12.5%)	4.9	1488^th of 1511 public elementary schools	1.5%		5.1	1467^th of 1526 public elementary schools	3.9%	21	8.9	10.6	3.2	3.4	6.5	12.8	12.2	6.6	13.6	11.3	$13,576	$4,359	$9,217
Bon Meade Elementary School	Public	K-4	1595 Brodhead Rd	Moon township	15108	Allegheny County	Moon Area School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 264-9440	572	35	16.1	18.5%	442 (77.3%)	19 (3.3%)	30 (5.2%)	40 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (7.0%)	92.7	69^th of 1511 public elementary schools	95.4%		90.5	79^th of 1526 public elementary schools	94.8%	10	86.7	88.8			87.4	78.8	72.6			75.3	$17,948	$136	$17,812
Hopewell Elementary School	Public	K-4	3000 Kane Road	Aliquippa	15001	Beaver County	Hopewell Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 375-1111	323	21	15.0	39.6%	279 (86.4%)	4 (1.2%)	21 (6.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.6%)	35.8	1017^th of 1511 public elementary schools	32.7%		56.7	768^th of 1526 public elementary schools	49.7%	249	56.6	37.5			46.7	36.6	34.4			35.4	$21,160	$542	$20,618
Baden Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-6	1016 State Street	Baden	15005	Beaver County	Baden Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(855) 590-2227	593	44	13.4	66.6%	331 (55.8%)	157 (26.5%)	22 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (13.8%)	29.9	1085^th of 1511 public elementary schools	28.2%		37	1042^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	31.7%	43	41.4	44.1	19.2	35.8	35.4	32.2	31.0	18.0	42.9	30.7	$18,792	$2,038	$16,754
Provident Charter School - West	Public, Charter	1-5	200 Quigley Drive	Baden	15005	Beaver County	Provident Charter School - West	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(412) 709-5160	51	10	4.8	15.7%	41 (80.4%)	1 (2.0%)	1 (2.0%)	3 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.8%)	12	1315^th of 1511 public elementary schools	13.0%					(n/a)		46.2	5.3		20.5		0.0	0.0		2.6	$68,453	$00	$68,453
J.A. Allard Elementary School	Public	K-4	170 Shafer Road	Moon Township	15108	Allegheny County	Moon Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 262-2500	209	15	13.6	34.9%	157 (75.1%)	6 (2.9%)	24 (11.5%)	17 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.4%)	86.5	177^th of 1511 public elementary schools	88.3%		87.4	147^th of 1526 public elementary schools	90.4%	30	87.2	90.3			88.6	61.6	67.8			64.3	$17,838	$136	$17,702

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Elementary School

Is Highland Elementary School a good school?

Highland Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.1% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

What district is Highland Elementary School in?

Ambridge Area School District

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary School?

Students at Highland Elementary School are 60% White, 26% African American, 12% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% Hispanic.

How many students attend Highland Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 284 students attended Highland Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ambridge Area Middle School
High : Ambridge Area High School

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Schools in Ambridge, PA

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