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Highland Prep

Q: Is Highland Prep a good school?

Highland Prep ranks 96 th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

96^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Arizona High Schools

Better than 65% of Arizona high schools

Summary

Highland Prep is a public charter high school located in Surprise, Arizona, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 501 students. The school is part of the Highland Prep District, which is ranked 111 out of 289 districts in Arizona and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Highland Prep consistently ranks among the top high schools in Arizona, with a statewide ranking between 59 and 132 out of 464-509 high schools over the past 5 years. The school's academic performance is particularly strong in certain student subgroups, such as Asian students and Special Education students. Highland Prep's test scores in core subjects like English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly higher than the state averages, with 11th-grade proficiency rates ranging from 35% to 59% compared to the state's 19% to 40%. The school has maintained a relatively high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 76.6% to 97.8% over the past 5 years, which is comparable to or higher than the nearby Willow Canyon High School (78.4%) and Paradise Honors High School (78.4%).

While Highland Prep's overall performance is strong, the school's dropout rate, while still lower than the state average, has been increasing over the past few years, ranging from 3.3% to 6.1%. The school serves a diverse student population and generally performs well in serving these diverse student groups, with most subgroups ranking in the top half or top third of Arizona high schools. Highland Prep also performs well in serving students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the top 40 out of 180 high schools in Arizona for this subgroup. The school's per-student spending is relatively low compared to the nearby Willow Canyon High School, suggesting it is effectively utilizing its resources to provide a quality education to its students.

505

Students ?

22.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

33.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

15600 W Hearn Rd
Surprise, AZ 85379-5172

(623) 300-8385

District: Highland Prep

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.5%

Hispanic:

35.0%

African American:

9.5%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare Highland Prep to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2021 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (41% vs 30% meeting standards)

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Arizona average (77%)

✓Above the Arizona median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2021

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg41%

Arizona avg30%

96^th of 271

Arizona public high schools ?

Top 35%▼ down 24 pts since 2021

From top 12% (2021) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

111^th of 289Highland Prep among Arizona 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	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	96 of 271	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.4	61 of 270	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	132 of 469	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	80.0	63 of 464	86.4%	★★★★☆
2021	86.5	59 of 509	88.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	56.7	72 of 201	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.1	189 of 301	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	66.8	54 of 306	82.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	71.9	32 of 146	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	73.9	54 of 238	77.3%	★★★★☆
2021	71.5	66 of 231	71.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	44.6	29 of 312	90.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	45.7	102 of 207	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.0	59 of 200	70.5%	★★★★☆
2023	57.2	145 of 406	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	82.8	51 of 456	88.8%	★★★★☆
2021	85.0	61 of 492	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	79.8	32 of 247	87.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	87 of 176	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	51 of 170	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	52.7	151 of 379	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.4	77 of 441	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	73.7	74 of 479	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	83.9	14 of 183	92.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	76.7	39 of 180	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	85.5	19 of 172	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	68 of 347	80.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	63.9	72 of 223	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.9	66 of 219	69.9%	★★★★☆
2023	67.5	114 of 429	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	75.1	85 of 455	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	84.1	60 of 492	87.8%	★★★★☆
2019	87.3	23 of 238	90.3%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	89.9	1 of 125	99.2%	★★★★★
2021	57.0	38 of 102	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	57.7	77 of 199	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.7	143 of 282	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.3	184 of 374	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	57.1	36 of 129	72.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.2	41 of 94	56.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	63.1	40 of 172	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.5	81 of 380	78.7%	★★★★☆
2021	83.4	27 of 422	93.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	70.6	49 of 178	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	30 of 184	83.7%	★★★★☆
2023	59.2	134 of 371	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.8	60 of 409	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	90.0	37 of 448	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	87.1	20 of 217	90.8%	★★★★★

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)

Military Connected (2022)99th percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)91st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile+14 vs school

Asian (2023)78th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2023)77th percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile+8 vs school

Pacific Islander (2022)72nd percentile-14 vs school

Male (2025)68th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2023)64th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)61st percentile-11 vs school

Female (2025)51st percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%+4 vs state

Mathematics43%+13 vs state

Science35%+16 vs state

5.0

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by a student
Friday, February 1, 2019

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Schools Near Highland Prep

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 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Highland Prep	Public, Charter	9-12	15600 W Hearn Rd	Surprise	85379	Maricopa County	Highland Prep	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 300-8385	505	22	22.9		235 (46.5%)	48 (9.5%)	177 (35.0%)	17 (3.4%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.8%)	59	96^th of 271 public high schools	64.6%		71.4	61^st of 270 public high schools	77.4%	35	44.0	43.0	35.0		$00			$00
Imagine Prep Surprise	Public, Charter	9-12	14850 N 156th Ave	Surprise	85379	Maricopa County	Imagine Prep Surprise Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 344-1770	251	15	16.7		107 (42.6%)	21 (8.4%)	94 (37.5%)	9 (3.6%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	29.1	178^th of 271 public high schools	34.3%		34.2	165^th of 270 public high schools	38.9%	13	36.0	22.0			$00			$00
West-MEC - Valley Vista High School	Public	9-12	15550 N Parkview Pl	Surprise	85374	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8800	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
Valley Vista High School	Public	7-12	15550 N Parkview Pl	Surprise	85374	Maricopa County	Dysart Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8800	2,334	98	23.9		752 (32.2%)	228 (9.8%)	1,128 (48.3%)	28 (1.2%)	17 (0.7%)	9 (0.4%)	172 (7.4%)	47.4	121^st of 271 public high schools	55.4%		41.8	141^st of 270 public high schools	47.8%	20	44.0	37.0	23.0	$8,069	$243	$877	$1,362	$5,849	$1,100	$6,949
ThrivePoint High School at Surprise	Public, Charter	9-12	16578 W Greenway Rd Ste 204 Bl	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	ThrivePoint High School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 870-2000	323	2	184.5		147 (45.5%)	21 (6.5%)	138 (42.7%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.7%)								(n/a)				$2,579	$00			$1,355	$1,224	$2,579
Paradise Honors High School	Public, Charter	9-12	12775 N 175th Ave	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	Paragon Management Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 455-7400	1,028	59	17.4		637 (62.0%)	54 (5.3%)	232 (22.6%)	25 (2.4%)	6 (0.6%)	6 (0.6%)	68 (6.6%)	68.1	73^rd of 271 public high schools	73.1%		66.5	75^th of 270 public high schools	72.2%	2	65.0	43.0	31.0	$9,204	$305	$639	$1,250	$6,442	$1,818	$8,259
West-MEC Paradise Honors	Public	9-12	12775 N 175th Ave	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(623) 738-0012	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
West-MEC - Willow Canyon High School	Public	9-12	17901 W Lundberg St	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8000	1				0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Willow Canyon High School	Public	7-12	17901 W Lundberg St	Surprise	85388	Maricopa County	Dysart Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 523-8000	1,901	78	24.3		886 (46.6%)	155 (8.2%)	651 (34.2%)	48 (2.5%)	25 (1.3%)	18 (0.9%)	118 (6.2%)	49.3	116^th of 271 public high schools	57.2%		49.4	119^th of 270 public high schools	55.9%	3	47.0	35.0	25.0	$9,902	$234	$875	$1,344	$7,392	$1,401	$8,793
Northwest Campus	Public	10-12	13201 W Grand Ave	Surprise	85374	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 877-6915	40	19	2.1		27 (67.5%)	1 (2.5%)	11 (27.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.5%)								(n/a)					$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Prep

Is Highland Prep a good school?

Highland Prep ranks 96^th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Prep?

Students at Highland Prep are 47% White, 35% Hispanic, 10% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Highland Prep?

In the 2024-25 school year, 505 students attended Highland Prep.

What district is Highland Prep in?

Highland Prep

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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.