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Highlands Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

658^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Highlands Elementary School in Huntsville, AL, serves 370 students in grades PK through 6 and is part of the Huntsville City district, where a large majority of families (72%) qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Highlands is currently facing significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 4% of Alabama elementary schools for the 2025-2026 school year. The most urgent concern is a dramatic collapse in math proficiency, especially in the upper grades. For example, only 2.44% of 5th graders and 4.35% of 6th graders are proficient in math—far below district averages of 33.85% and 29.65%, respectively. This represents a sharp decline from just a year prior. In contrast, English Language Arts scores, while still below state averages, are comparatively much stronger (39% proficiency in 5th grade), suggesting the school has a literacy foundation to build upon. Nearby schools like Academy For Science Foreign Language (ranked in the 79th percentile) show what’s possible within the same district, with 3rd-grade math proficiency at 77% versus Highlands’ 20%.

There are some bright spots worth noting. Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, dropping from 23.1% in 2022-2023 to 12.1% in 2024-2025—now on par with the state average and better than nearby Rolling Hills Elementary School (15.5%) and Sonnie Hereford Elementary School (16.0%). Additionally, the school has made commendable progress with its special education students, jumping from the bottom 1% statewide to the 20th percentile. However, the school’s effectiveness with low-income students has slipped to the 5th percentile, and the persistent math struggles across multiple grade levels suggest a systemic issue that needs urgent attention. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in attendance and literacy, but one where math instruction requires immediate and intensive intervention.

370

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,057

Per pupil spending ?

72.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2500 Barney Terrace NW
Huntsville, AL 35810

(256) 428-7200

District: Huntsville City

Students who attend Highlands Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ronald McNair 78
High:	Jemison High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

70.5%

Hispanic:

17.6%

Two or more races:

4.9%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Highlands Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (21% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg47%

Alabama avg51%

658^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 19% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 23Elementary Schools in the Huntsville City

77^th of 139Huntsville City among Alabama 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	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	8.1	658 of 686	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	592 of 680	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	548 of 684	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	554 of 680	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	566 of 687	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	587 of 692	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	612 of 681	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	583 of 680	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.0	652 of 688	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	21.1	558 of 691	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.4	470 of 691	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	27.9	534 of 695	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	50.9	431 of 696	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.7	351 of 696	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.0	491 of 709	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	16.2	657 of 704	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	16.3	649 of 696	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	24.2	612 of 698	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.3	667 of 698	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	21.2	617 of 689	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	28.1	565 of 688	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	44.2	378 of 623	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	388 of 429	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.7	334 of 427	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	297 of 420	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.2	277 of 427	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	303 of 426	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	323 of 426	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	322 of 426	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	315 of 423	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	18.1	134 of 143	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	11.2	608 of 652	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.8	542 of 649	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	546 of 650	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	516 of 645	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	545 of 656	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.6	523 of 656	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	546 of 646	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.0	517 of 640	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.7	578 of 639	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	10.7	635 of 668	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	577 of 660	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	513 of 670	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	471 of 623	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	509 of 651	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	524 of 653	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	559 of 649	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	551 of 651	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.8	522 of 567	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	634 of 660	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	552 of 651	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	508 of 655	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	544 of 649	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	545 of 669	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	601 of 669	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.6	617 of 650	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	580 of 650	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	8.0	615 of 639	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	7.1	191 of 194	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	25.8	322 of 403	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.3	392 of 395	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	312 of 344	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)20th percentile+16 vs school

African American (2026)10th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)2nd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English32%-30 vs state

Science13%-37 vs state

Mathematics12%-29 vs state

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Schools Near Highlands 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)				Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highlands Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2500 Barney Terrace NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7200	370	22	17.0	72.2%	16 (4.3%)	261 (70.5%)	65 (17.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.9%)	8.1	658^th of 686 public elementary schools	4.1%		14.5	592^nd of 680 public elementary schools	12.9%	66	20.4	19.2	2.4	4.4	12.8	36.7	27.7	39.0	26.1	$10,057	$2,041	$8,016
Academy For Academics Arts Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4800 Sparkman Drive NE	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	Yes	No	No	(256) 428-7600	400	23	17.3	48.3%	95 (23.8%)	229 (57.3%)	27 (6.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.0%)	36.7	454^th of 686 public elementary schools	33.8%		28.7	483^rd of 680 public elementary schools	29.0%	29	44.4	15.0	26.7		18.8	66.7	43.8	77.3		$10,574	$1,039	$9,535
James Dawson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	5308 Mastin Lake Rd NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7500	447	26	17.0	70.7%	26 (5.8%)	311 (69.6%)	80 (17.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	22 (4.9%)	18.8	565^th of 686 public elementary schools	17.6%		11.2	625^th of 680 public elementary schools	8.1%	60	24.6	25.6	19.6	7.0	41.0	33.3	46.2	50.0	27.3	$10,784	$2,478	$8,304
Montview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Garvin Rd NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7320	213	13	16.5	74.2%	7 (3.3%)	142 (66.7%)	41 (19.2%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (9.9%)	21.3	541^st of 686 public elementary schools	21.1%		18	560^th of 680 public elementary schools	17.6%	19	16.7	34.6	9.4		38.5	33.3	53.9	42.4		$13,217	$3,064	$10,152
Academy For Science Foreign Language	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3221 Mastin Lake Rd	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	Yes	No	No	(256) 428-7000	303	22	13.7	44.2%	55 (18.2%)	177 (58.4%)	35 (11.6%)	3 (1.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.9%)	76.6	147^th of 686 public elementary schools	78.6%		69.7	196^th of 680 public elementary schools	71.2%	49	77.2	45.7	38.5		64.3	76.8	78.6	84.6		$9,962	$1,114	$8,847
Sonnie Hereford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2755 Wilson Drive	Huntsville	35816	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7440	578	31	18.6	79.4%	36 (6.2%)	356 (61.6%)	120 (20.8%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	58 (10.0%)	8.6	652^nd of 686 public elementary schools	5.0%		10.9	630^th of 680 public elementary schools	7.4%	22	12.7	3.1	5.6	19.5	14.3	28.2	24.6	31.9	37.7	$9,093	$1,716	$7,376
Lakewood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3501 Kenwood Dr NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7240	397	23	17.3	75.1%	22 (5.5%)	245 (61.7%)	105 (26.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.3%)	14.3	597^th of 686 public elementary schools	13.0%		11.9	621^st of 680 public elementary schools	8.7%	24	7.7	31.7	6.7	8.7	36.7	36.5	45.8	26.7	21.3	$10,184	$2,205	$7,978
Rolling Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2901 Hilltop Terrace NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7400	483	28	17.0	72.3%	20 (4.1%)	318 (65.8%)	114 (23.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	27 (5.6%)	18	572^nd of 686 public elementary schools	16.6%		17.4	564^th of 680 public elementary schools	17.1%	8	28.1	18.8	35.2	10.2	23.2	42.9	31.9	51.9	28.6	$10,037	$2,504	$7,532
Morris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4801 Bob Wallace Ave SW	Huntsville	35805	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7340	532	30	18.0	71.2%	53 (10.0%)	263 (49.4%)	172 (32.3%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.6%)	16.4	581^st of 686 public elementary schools	15.3%		12.2	619^th of 680 public elementary schools	9.0%	38	17.9	23.7	10.8		35.6	45.8	37.5	45.2		$8,314	$1,925	$6,388
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3112 Meridian St N	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7100	458	27	16.9	79.9%	37 (8.1%)	310 (67.7%)	77 (16.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.8%)	4.7	682^nd of 686 public elementary schools	0.6%		6.8	668^th of 680 public elementary schools	1.8%	14	12.5	9.6	1.6		16.4	30.4	19.2	27.4		$9,541	$2,631	$6,909

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Elementary School

What district is Highlands Elementary School in?

Huntsville City

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Ronald McNair 78
High : Jemison High School

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Elementary School?

Students at Highlands Elementary School are 71% African American, 18% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% White, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Highlands Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 370 students attended Highlands Elementary School.

Is Highlands Elementary School a good school?

Highlands Elementary School ranks in the bottom 4.1% of Alabama elementary schools.

Rate Highlands Elementary School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresNewAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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