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Highlands High

Q: Is Highlands High a good school?

Highlands High ranks 1373 rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1373^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 36% of California high schools

Summary

Highlands High serves 778 students in grades 9–12 in North Highlands, California, as part of Twin Rivers Unified. The clearest concern for families is attendance: chronic absenteeism reached 54% in 2025–26, up 23 percentage points from 2022–23 and 36 points above California’s 18% rate.

English language arts (ELA) and science are stronger than district results, but all three subjects remain below state rates. In 2025–26, 40% were proficient in ELA, 4 points above the district and 9 below the state; science proficiency was 24%, 3 points above the district and 12 below the state. Math was the weakest subject: 17% were proficient, 10 points below the district and 21 below the state. Among eight nearby schools with reported scores, the school ranked third in math and science and fifth in ELA. Center High and Antelope High have higher SchoolDigger standings, at the 74th and 73rd percentiles, compared with 36 for Highlands.

Results have improved since 2022–23: ELA proficiency rose 12 percentage points and science rose 17, while math increased just 3 points and fell from 20% in 2024–25 to 17% in 2025–26. SchoolDigger ranks the school at the 36th percentile with 2 stars for 2025–26, up from the 27th percentile in 2022–23. Its statewide ranking for how well it serves African American students fell from the 61st percentile in 2023–24 to the 7th in 2025–26, while its overall ranking rose from 32 to 36. The Special Education Students ranking rose from the 27th percentile in 2024–25 to the 46th in 2025–26. Other context: the 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 18.9:1, and 89% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch that year. Graduation is a relative strength: the 2025–26 rate was 94%, compared with 88% statewide, despite the attendance concern.

778

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,766

Per pupil spending ?

88.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

6601 Guthrie Way
North Highlands, CA 95660-3911

(916) 566-3465

District: Twin Rivers Unified

Feeder schools for Highlands High:

Elementary:	F. C. Joyce Tk-8
	Hillsdale Elementary
	Kohler Tk-8
	Ridgepoint Tk-8
	More...
	Sierra View Elementary
	Village Tk-8
	Warren A. Allison Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.9%

White:

16.7%

African American:

11.2%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Highlands High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 27th percentile in 2023 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 36th (2026) from a 27th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 42% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (54% vs 18% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg30%

California avg42%

1,373^rd of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6High Schools in the Twin Rivers Unified

1075^th of 1,530Twin Rivers Unified among California 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	California percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	1373 of 2135	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.8	1383 of 2162	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	1475 of 2159	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	1591 of 2170	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	1508 of 2123	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	1416 of 2133	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.8	1124 of 2017	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.0	1362 of 2021	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.1	1044 of 2039	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.3	1014 of 1994	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.3	1252 of 2426	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.3	1381 of 2354	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	31.9	1258 of 2367	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.2	1246 of 2281	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	75.5	182 of 2238	91.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	456 of 492	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.0	388 of 523	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	50.9	202 of 517	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	11.4	502 of 521	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	364 of 522	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.1	419 of 592	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	457 of 582	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	563 of 585	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	516 of 573	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.0	562 of 591	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.4	1066 of 1161	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	1040 of 1117	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	702 of 1052	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.7	593 of 1085	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.7	352 of 1064	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.5	490 of 1044	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.4	755 of 941	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	1225 of 1864	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.2	1347 of 1906	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	1401 of 1915	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	1510 of 1915	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1409 of 1858	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	1360 of 1833	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	1294 of 1760	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	1044 of 1880	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.2	1299 of 1900	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.9	1337 of 1902	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	1347 of 1917	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	1424 of 1861	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	1245 of 1814	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.9	689 of 1742	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	125 of 410	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.9	226 of 290	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	36.8	1275 of 1997	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.5	1205 of 2013	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.7	1325 of 2026	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	1415 of 2030	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.4	1369 of 1943	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	1272 of 1937	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.1	834 of 1862	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	1328 of 1930	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.5	1250 of 1942	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	1301 of 1948	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.0	1395 of 1963	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	1404 of 1916	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.2	1240 of 1880	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.7	804 of 1834	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	22.3	147 of 183	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	159 of 190	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	158 of 168	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	5.1	563 of 588	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	511 of 577	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	519 of 574	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	661 of 1235	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.6	912 of 1252	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.0	876 of 1216	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	1045 of 1197	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	983 of 1130	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.0	721 of 1155	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	10.6	1052 of 1173	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	1052 of 1193	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	980 of 1204	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	936 of 1222	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	900 of 1173	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)70th percentile+33 vs school

Special Education (2026)46th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)45th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)36th percentile~ school

Female (2026)34th percentile~ school

Male (2026)31st percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2024)20th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile-21 vs school

African American (2026)7th percentile-28 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)4th percentile-31 vs school

Asian (2025)4th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-9 vs state

Science24%-12 vs state

Mathematics17%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highlands High

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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)				CAST Science (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highlands High	Public	9-12	6601 Guthrie Way	North Highlands	95660	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-3465	778	41	18.9	88.8%	130 (16.7%)	87 (11.2%)	404 (51.9%)	66 (8.5%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.3%)	73 (9.4%)	35	1373^rd of 2135 public high schools	35.7%		34.8	1383^rd of 2162 public high schools	36.0%	10		24.0		24.0			39.9	39.9			16.9	16.9	$25,766	$2,577	$23,189
Miles P. Richmond	Public	9-12	4330 Keema Ave.	North Highlands	95660	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-3495	79	7	11.1	68.4%	18 (22.8%)	10 (12.7%)	33 (41.8%)	7 (8.9%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (12.7%)								(n/a)													$48,222	$10,383	$37,839
Pacific Career and Technology High	Public	9-12	6560 Melrose Dr.	North Highlands	95660	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-2715	69	11	6.0	91.3%	12 (17.4%)	12 (17.4%)	34 (49.3%)	3 (4.3%)	2 (2.9%)	2 (2.9%)	4 (5.8%)	9.6	1969^th of 2135 public high schools	7.8%		14	1835^th of 2162 public high schools	15.1%	134		3.6		2.9			3.2	3.2			6.3	6.3	$52,458	$4,505	$47,953
Foothill High	Public	9-12	5000 McCloud Dr.	Sacramento	95842	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-3445	1,417	65	21.8	92.2%	307 (21.7%)	171 (12.1%)	568 (40.1%)	209 (14.7%)	4 (0.3%)	23 (1.6%)	130 (9.2%)	32.4	1437^th of 2135 public high schools	32.7%		29.8	1490^th of 2162 public high schools	31.1%	53		19.1	27.3	19.4			40.5	40.5			16.2	16.2	$20,400	$2,059	$18,341
Antelope High	Public	9-12	7801 Titan Dr.	Antelope	95843	Sacramento County	Roseville Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 726-1400	1,821	73	25.0	67.3%	666 (36.6%)	130 (7.1%)	471 (25.9%)	279 (15.3%)	12 (0.7%)	28 (1.5%)	230 (12.6%)	72.4	568^th of 2135 public high schools	73.4%		73.8	516^th of 2162 public high schools	76.1%	52		45.0		44.6			58.6	58.6			39.7	39.7	$15,871	$1,717	$14,154
La Entrada Continuation High	Public	9-12	5320 Hemlock St.	Sacramento	95841	Sacramento County	San Juan Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 979-8050	102	6	16.5	61.8%	42 (41.2%)	13 (12.7%)	34 (33.3%)	4 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	7 (6.9%)	8.6	2024^th of 2135 public high schools	5.2%		7.9	2121^st of 2162 public high schools	1.9%	97		8.0		10.0			4.2	4.2			0.0	0.0	$30,578	$1,953	$28,625
Laurel Ruff Transition	Public	12	5325 Garfield Ave.	Sacramento	95841	Sacramento County	San Juan Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 971-7586	142	14	10.0	35.2%	74 (52.1%)	15 (10.6%)	28 (19.7%)	11 (7.7%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.4%)	11 (7.7%)								(n/a)													$46,899	$5,969	$40,930
Center High	Public	9-12	3111 Center Ct. Ln.	Antelope	95843	Sacramento County	Center Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 338-6420	1,312	65	20.2	52.5%	444 (33.8%)	155 (11.8%)	398 (30.3%)	189 (14.4%)	12 (0.9%)	15 (1.1%)	94 (7.2%)	72.9	557^th of 2135 public high schools	73.9%		70.8	583^rd of 2162 public high schools	73.0%	26			34.4	34.4			62.4	62.4			37.6	37.6	$19,119	$435	$18,684
Options for Youth-San Juan	Public, Charter	7-12	5825 Windmill Way	Carmichael	91706	Sacramento County	Options for Youth-San Juan District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 485-5155	720	29	24.9	74.6%	239 (33.2%)	94 (13.1%)	248 (34.4%)	26 (3.6%)	9 (1.3%)	5 (0.7%)	83 (11.5%)	33.4	1415^th of 2135 public high schools	33.7%		37.9	1311^th of 2162 public high schools	39.4%	104	1.6		25.8	13.7	10.8	12.9	30.2	23.3	2.9	6.6	17.3	12.7	$24,019	$00	$24,019
McClellan High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	3243 Center Ct. Ln.	Antelope	95843	Sacramento County	Center Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 338-6440	56	5	11.2	73.2%	18 (32.1%)	7 (12.5%)	25 (44.6%)	2 (3.6%)	1 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.4%)	15.4	1751^st of 2135 public high schools	18.0%		22.6	1637^th of 2162 public high schools	24.3%	114			20.0	20.0			7.4	7.4			0.0	0.0	$45,317	$3,818	$41,499

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands High

What district is Highlands High in?

Twin Rivers Unified

Is Highlands High a good school?

Highlands High ranks 1373^rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Highlands High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 778 students attended Highlands High.

What is the racial makeup of Highlands High?

Students at Highlands High are 52% Hispanic, 17% White, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Highlands High?

Highlands High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : F. C. Joyce Tk-8
Elementary : Hillsdale Elementary
Elementary : Kohler Tk-8
Elementary : Ridgepoint Tk-8
Elementary : Sierra View Elementary
Elementary : Village Tk-8
Elementary : Warren A. Allison Elementary

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Schools in North Highlands, CA

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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