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Highland Forest Elementary

Q: Is Highland Forest Elementary a good school?

Highland Forest Elementary ranks 672 nd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

672^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Highland Forest Elementary in San Antonio, TX, is a PK-5 school serving 694 students in the East Central Independent School District (Isd), and it has become a standout success story in a community where over 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. After years of struggling, the school has achieved a remarkable turnaround, jumping from the 25th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 85th percentile statewide in 2025-2026, earning a 4-star rating. This makes it the highest-ranked school in its immediate area, outperforming nearby schools like Salado Elementary (69th percentile) and Pecan Valley Elementary (27th percentile), both of which serve similar demographics.

What truly sets Highland Forest apart is its exceptional effectiveness with students from low-income backgrounds, ranking in the 96th percentile statewide for this group—a 5-star rating. In core subjects, the results are striking: 4th graders at Highland Forest are nearly 2.5 times more likely to be proficient in math (72.4%) than those at the next best nearby school, Salado Elementary (49.3%). Similarly, 5th grade reading proficiency (75.9%) and math proficiency (74.1%) far exceed rates at schools like Schenck Elementary (27.7% in math) and Highland Hills Elementary (34.2% in math). The school also excels with Hispanic students (94th percentile) and special education students (85th percentile), showing broad-based success.

Despite these strengths, Highland Forest has a critical weakness in science, where only 8.65% of 5th graders were proficient in 2024-2025, far below the state average of 29.57% and even lower than Salado Elementary (34.6%). However, the school achieves its top-tier results with below-average spending ($10,479 per student), compared to lower-performing neighbors like Charles C Ball Elementary ($13,765) and Democracy Prep At Stewart Academy ($13,924). This efficiency, combined with its dramatic rise, makes Highland Forest a model for how a school can overcome challenges and deliver strong outcomes for all students.

694

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,615

Per pupil spending ?

80.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3736 S E Military Dr
San Antonio, TX 78223-4000

(210) 333-7385

District: East Central Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Highland Forest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Legacy Middle
High:	East Central High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.9%

African American:

6.1%

White:

5.5%

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Compare Highland Forest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2005 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (67% vs 51% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Texas elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2005

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg43%

Texas avg51%

672^nd of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 53 pts since 2021

From bottom 8% (2021) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 8Elementary Schools in the East Central Independent School District (Isd)

710^th of 951East Central Independent School District (Isd) among Texas 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	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	1821 of 4651	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.0	3522 of 4710	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	3771 of 4647	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	4122 of 4581	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	4222 of 4578	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	42.2	2795 of 4260	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.6	2033 of 4221	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.7	1886 of 4206	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	51.0	2004 of 3476	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.1	1814 of 3475	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	51.0	1960 of 3465	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	54.4	754 of 1905	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.0	1771 of 2443	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	2169 of 2443	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	27.2	3672 of 4461	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	4300 of 4331	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	1779 of 2918	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.0	2498 of 3487	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	60.3	1268 of 3744	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.8	3037 of 4658	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	3406 of 4588	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	4083 of 4561	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.6	3778 of 4499	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	46.1	1815 of 2619	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	2292 of 2980	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.9	2120 of 2958	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.6	2089 of 3006	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	1177 of 3644	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.3	3038 of 4465	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	3596 of 4401	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	4080 of 4376	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	3980 of 4329	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	73.8	576 of 3705	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	40.5	2871 of 4594	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	3245 of 4521	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	3960 of 4477	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	4230 of 4451	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	53.1	1580 of 3739	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.9	3450 of 4647	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	3982 of 4585	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	4075 of 4563	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.5	4263 of 4498	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	68.6	711 of 3549	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	49.3	1951 of 4292	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.4	2351 of 4086	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	1973 of 3952	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.2	2394 of 3799	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	66.7	791 of 2612	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.7	1844 of 3108	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	2128 of 3106	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	10.9	2952 of 3082	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+24 vs school

Special Education (2025)80th percentile+19 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)66th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)60th percentile~ school

Male (2025)58th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)39th percentile-22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)31st percentile-30 vs school

At Risk (2022)18th percentile+8 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics69%+22 vs state

Reading65%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland Forest Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2026)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)			STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)						STAAR Mathematics (2026)						STAAR Social Studies (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Highland Forest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3736 S E Military Dr	San Antonio	78223	Bexar County	East Central Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 333-7385	694	39	17.8	80.8%	38 (5.5%)	42 (6.1%)	596 (85.9%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.4%)	82.6	672^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	85.5%		55.3	1821^st of 4651 public elementary schools	60.8%	1149									50.5	67.2	75.9				61.2	72.4	74.1					$10,615
Compass Rose Legacy Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	3300 Sidney Brooks St	San Antonio	78235	Bexar County	Compass Rose Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 540-9265	361	21	17.5	87.5%	35 (9.7%)	39 (10.8%)	279 (77.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	12.1	4416^th of 4627 public elementary schools	4.6%		6.9	4566^th of 4651 public elementary schools	1.8%	150									37.8	23.3	37.5				21.6	9.3	27.7					$8,048
Pecan Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3966 E Southcross Blvd	San Antonio	78222	Bexar County	East Central Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 333-1230	457	33	13.7	81.2%	42 (9.2%)	41 (9.0%)	355 (77.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.5%)	30.5	3399^th of 4627 public elementary schools	26.5%		14.5	4318^th of 4651 public elementary schools	7.2%	919									44.6	38.6	44.6				41.7	30.0	33.9					$13,860
Schenck Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6718 Pecan Valley Dr	San Antonio	78223	Bexar County	San Antonio Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 438-6865	828	54	15.2	93.1%	23 (2.8%)	44 (5.3%)	753 (90.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	29.9	3429^th of 4627 public elementary schools	25.9%		28	3549^th of 4651 public elementary schools	23.7%	120	51.9	48.4	46.7	51.6	54.8	28.6			43.3	35.8	40.7				44.6	45.7	27.7					$10,771
Salado Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3602 Ww White Rd	San Antonio	78222	Bexar County	East Central Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 648-3310	688	42	16.5	81.3%	24 (3.5%)	26 (3.8%)	630 (91.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	63.4	1443^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	68.8%		60.9	1532^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	67.1%	89	21.9	40.9	33.3	20.0	19.1	23.5			55.7	66.2	60.0				44.1	49.3	55.2					$9,956
Mission Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	9210 S Presa St	San Antonio	78223	Bexar County	San Antonio Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 438-6880	524	41	12.7	80.2%	18 (3.4%)	18 (3.4%)	476 (90.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	38.6	2847^th of 4627 public elementary schools	38.5%		40.2	2761^st of 4651 public elementary schools	40.6%	86							60.9		39.3	56.4	42.3	57.9	48.4	71.7	23.2	49.1	39.2	28.1	7.5	54.4	10.9	$12,715
Jubilee Highland Hills	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1515 Goliad Rd	San Antonio	78223	Bexar County	Jubilee Academies	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 634-7590	686	43	15.9	90.5%	23 (3.4%)	14 (2.0%)	632 (92.1%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.3%)	21.1	3988^th of 4627 public elementary schools	13.8%		18.1	4134^th of 4651 public elementary schools	11.1%	146							47.3	49.1	35.7	38.5	32.3	47.5	41.6	38.2	21.4	32.3	30.3	24.6		10.1	10.9	$8,631
Highland Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	734 Glamis Ave	San Antonio	78223	Bexar County	San Antonio Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 438-6860	715	38	18.8	93.0%	19 (2.7%)	38 (5.3%)	655 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	20.9	3994^th of 4627 public elementary schools	13.7%		12.5	4395^th of 4651 public elementary schools	5.5%	401	25.0	42.9	42.1	12.5	40.0	47.4			38.0	37.9	25.6				24.7	37.5	34.2					$10,681
Charles C Ball Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	343 Koehler Ct	San Antonio	78223	Bexar County	San Antonio Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 438-6845	543	34	15.9	95.4%	21 (3.9%)	18 (3.3%)	501 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	19.5	4069^th of 4627 public elementary schools	12.1%		13.5	4356^th of 4651 public elementary schools	6.3%	287	30.0	63.6	28.6	60.0	54.6	28.6			24.4	32.1	46.4				19.5	35.1	35.7					$11,599
Democracy Prep At Stewart Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1950 Rigsby Ave	San Antonio	78210	Bexar County	San Antonio Independent School District (Isd)	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(210) 438-6875	645	43	15.0	94.1%	22 (3.4%)	34 (5.3%)	576 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.9%)	8.7	4526^th of 4627 public elementary schools	2.2%		11.5	4433^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	4.7%	93	19.1	30.6	13.0	39.1	30.3	14.3	47.3		14.3	17.1	32.8	24.1	28.6	38.2	17.5	13.3	29.9	14.8		25.8	22.2	$13,096

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Forest Elementary

How many students attend Highland Forest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 694 students attended Highland Forest Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Forest Elementary?

Students at Highland Forest Elementary are 86% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Highland Forest Elementary a good school?

Highland Forest Elementary ranks 672^nd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Highland Forest Elementary in?

East Central Independent School District (Isd)

What schools do graduates of Highland Forest Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Legacy Middle
High : East Central High School

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

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.