Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Highland Free School

Public, Charter Grades K-6

Summary

Highland Free School is a small public charter elementary school serving grades K-6 in Tucson, Arizona, with a diverse student population of just 44 students. Despite its small size, this school consistently outperforms the state and nearby Tucson Unified District schools on academic measures.

In the 2022-2023 school year, Highland Free School had significantly higher proficiency rates than the state in English Language Arts (67-80% vs. 37-45%) and Science (67-80% vs. 37-45%). While Mathematics proficiency was more mixed (25-56% vs. 31-43%), the school's performance was still above the state average. Highland Free School's success is particularly notable for certain student subgroups, ranking 13th out of 1,170 Arizona elementary schools for Hispanic students in ELA and 5th out of 1,201 schools for students with special needs in Mathematics.

With a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and a ranking in the top quarter of Arizona elementary schools, Highland Free School stands out as a high-performing charter school. This success may be partially attributed to the school's higher per-student spending of $16,733, compared to the $6,966 to $12,731 range of nearby Borton Primary Magnet School, Safford K-8 School, and other Tucson Unified District schools. Overall, Highland Free School appears to be a model of academic excellence and equity, providing a quality education to its diverse student population.

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

57.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

510 S Highland Ave
Tucson, AZ 85719-6427

(520) 623-0104

District: Highland Free School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

38.7%

White:

35.5%

African American:

12.9%

See top rated Arizona public schools

Compare Highland Free School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2012 → 76th in 2023

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (55% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 36 percentile points since 2012

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school55%

District avg55%

Arizona avg39%

Not ranked this year

Highland Free School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	74.8	293 of 1245	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	299 of 1000	70.1%	★★★★☆
2021	37.9	691 of 1226	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.5	548 of 1158	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	44.1	679 of 1141	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	22.8	801 of 895	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	85.8	144 of 1219	88.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.9	214 of 824	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	46.9	573 of 1219	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	97.8	13 of 1170	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	49 of 716	93.2%	★★★★★
2021	54.8	446 of 1198	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	78.0	149 of 1116	86.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	49.4	548 of 1216	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.1	698 of 1220	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	35.4	675 of 1027	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	79.7	72 of 1201	94.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	65.9	304 of 1024	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	34.4	582 of 800	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.0	855 of 1161	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2023)99th percentile+22 vs school

Special Education (2021)94th percentile+50 vs school

Female (2023)88th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)87th percentile+10 vs school

White (2023)70th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2023)55th percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)34th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2021)11th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2022-2023) ?

Science78%+44 vs state

English Language Arts66%+25 vs state

Mathematics39%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Highland Free School and help other families decide.

Rate Highland Free School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Highland Free School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)						AASA Mathematics (2025)				AzSCI Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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	AASA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	AASA English Language Arts 4th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	Total
Highland Free School	Public, Charter	K-6	510 S Highland Ave	Tucson	85719	Pima County	Highland Free School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 623-0104	31	3	10.3		11 (35.5%)	4 (12.9%)	12 (38.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.9%)								(n/a)
Miles-Exploratory Learning Center	Public	PK, KG-8	1400 E Broadway Blvd	Tucson	85719	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 225-2200	285	30	9.4		72 (25.3%)	7 (2.5%)	175 (61.4%)	5 (1.8%)	9 (3.2%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (5.6%)	72.4	229^th of 909 public elementary schools	74.8%		56.4	351^st of 912 public elementary schools	61.5%	122		67.0	44.0						59.0
Borton Primary Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-5	700 E 22nd St	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1000	268	30	8.8		59 (22.0%)	9 (3.4%)	180 (67.2%)	3 (1.1%)	14 (5.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	34.1	522^nd of 909 public elementary schools	42.6%		46.8	428^th of 912 public elementary schools	53.1%	94		25.0	39.0						37.0		37.0
Safford K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	200 E 13th St	Tucson	85701	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-3000	318	26	12.3		17 (5.3%)	26 (8.2%)	261 (82.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)								(n/a)					26.0	21.0						19.0
Roskruge Bilingual Magnet Middle School	Public	PK, KG-8	501 E 6th St	Tucson	85705	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-2900	563	40	13.9		49 (8.7%)	6 (1.1%)	491 (87.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	22.8	661^st of 909 public elementary schools	27.3%		19.9	699^th of 912 public elementary schools	23.4%	38			32.0	24.0	35.0	25.0	25.0	34.0	32.0	14.0		17.0
Robison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2745 E 18th St	Tucson	85716	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 232-7800	247	20	12.5		36 (14.6%)	11 (4.5%)	182 (73.7%)	5 (2.0%)	8 (3.2%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)								(n/a)
Carrillo Intermediate Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-5	440 S Main Ave	Tucson	85701	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1200	305	19	15.8		48 (15.7%)	13 (4.3%)	221 (72.5%)	4 (1.3%)	12 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	86.5	103^rd of 909 public elementary schools	88.7%		82	148^th of 912 public elementary schools	83.8%	45	64.0	68.0	58.0				65.0	82.0	74.0		49.0
Drachman Primary Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-8	1085 S 10th Ave	Tucson	85701	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1500	335	25	13.1		73 (21.8%)	19 (5.7%)	214 (63.9%)	3 (0.9%)	13 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	36.8	493^rd of 909 public elementary schools	45.8%					(n/a)		43.0	37.0						35.0		33.0
Ochoa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 W 25th St	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-2400	187	14	13.4		3 (1.6%)	2 (1.1%)	173 (92.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)								(n/a)			50.0						64.0
Sam Hughes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	700 N Wilson Ave	Tucson	85719	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 232-7400	365	21	17.7		149 (40.8%)	13 (3.6%)	168 (46.0%)	8 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.8%)	84	126^th of 909 public elementary schools	86.1%		85.2	124^th of 912 public elementary schools	86.4%	2	47.0	77.0	71.0				52.0	71.0	62.0		75.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Free School

What is the racial makeup of Highland Free School?

Students at Highland Free School are 39% Hispanic, 35% White, 13% African American, 13% Two or more races.

What district is Highland Free School in?

Highland Free School

How many students attend Highland Free School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 31 students attended Highland Free School.

Rate Highland Free School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

AZArizona Elementary School Rankings

AZArizona District Rankings

Schools in Tucson, AZ

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Highland Free School!

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