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Highland High

Q: Is Highland High a good school?

Highland High ranks 1439 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1439^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 33% of California high schools

Summary

Highland High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 to approximately 2,700 students in Palmdale, California, within the Antelope Valley Union High district, and it faces significant academic challenges while demonstrating a notable strength in graduating its students.

Academically, the school performs below state averages, with particularly low proficiency in mathematics and science, and its statewide ranking has declined over the past decade. However, it maintains a graduation rate over 91%, which is a key strength and exceeds both district and state averages. The school has also made recent progress in reducing chronic student absenteeism. Compared to nearby schools, Highland sits in the middle of its district; it performs better than the lowest-ranked R. Rex Parris High and Palmdale High, but significantly trails top performers like SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) and Quartz Hill High.

Interesting findings include that the school spends more per student than some higher-performing peers, suggesting resources are not the main constraint. Performance varies among different student groups, with some showing improvement and others consistently struggling. The wide performance gap within the same district, especially compared to SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise), indicates potential for learning and adopting successful strategies from nearby schools to address core academic weaknesses, particularly in math.

2,706

Students ?

25.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,120

Per pupil spending ?

63.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

39055 25th St. West
Palmdale, CA 93551-4164

(661) 538-0304

District: Antelope Valley Union High

Feeder schools for Highland High:

Elementary:	Anaverde Hills
	Cottonwood Elementary
	Esperanza Elementary
	Ocotillo Elementary
	More...
	Summerwind Elementary
	Yucca Elementary
Middle:	David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
	Hillview Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.9%

African American:

16.4%

White:

7.2%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Highland High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2013 → 33rd in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg23%

California avg41%

1,439^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 12High Schools in the Antelope Valley Union High

1078^th of 1,543Antelope Valley Union High 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
2025	32.4	1439 of 2162	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.9	1394 of 2159	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	1423 of 2170	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.6	1482 of 2123	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.0	1429 of 2133	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.6	1056 of 2017	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.3	1040 of 2021	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.4	1010 of 2039	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.9	791 of 1994	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	42.8	989 of 2426	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	43.5	949 of 2354	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	43.2	969 of 2367	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.6	804 of 2281	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	47.1	820 of 2238	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	46.8	742 of 2117	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	48.3	694 of 2063	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.3	707 of 1968	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.0	573 of 1901	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	56.4	396 of 1653	76.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.8	357 of 523	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	257 of 517	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.7	362 of 521	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	389 of 522	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	431 of 592	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.4	352 of 582	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	13.9	516 of 591	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	431 of 581	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.2	499 of 582	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	444 of 581	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.5	652 of 1161	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.8	755 of 1117	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.3	594 of 1052	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.4	876 of 1085	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.9	509 of 1064	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.2	790 of 1044	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.6	228 of 941	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	42.9	396 of 938	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	1336 of 1906	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	1229 of 1915	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.4	1240 of 1915	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.2	1291 of 1858	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.2	1322 of 1833	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.8	942 of 1760	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	22.7	5 of 8	37.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.9	5 of 8	37.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	1207 of 1900	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	1203 of 1902	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	1198 of 1917	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1250 of 1861	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.0	1221 of 1814	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.8	819 of 1742	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	1411 of 2013	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.9	1317 of 2026	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.5	1357 of 2030	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	1375 of 1943	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.2	1334 of 1937	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	943 of 1862	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	1292 of 1942	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	1320 of 1948	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.4	1409 of 1963	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	1403 of 1916	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.4	1270 of 1880	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	1063 of 1834	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	456 of 577	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	487 of 574	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	421 of 541	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	437 of 515	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	373 of 422	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	814 of 1252	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.0	970 of 1216	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.4	616 of 1197	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	896 of 1155	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	814 of 1173	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	902 of 1193	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.5	881 of 1204	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	868 of 1222	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.5	757 of 1173	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)44th percentile+14 vs school

Foster Care (2024)38th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile~ school

Male (2025)33rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)32nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)22nd percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)21st percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2023)13th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Science16%-17 vs state

Mathematics13%-24 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I graduated in 2006. And although there were some teachers who lacked every quality a teacher should have, there were a few stand out teachers at this school. I think the school (from principal to club advisors to teachers) was run without any sense of enthusiasm nor a drive to help out students. They emphasized learning to some extent, though I feel they could have done a better, more thorough job. Also, the counselors (during my experience) lacked any knowledge of the skills and classes needed to enter college. I did an excessive amount of research on my own to get accepted into the UC system, and when I did enter college, I felt like I was behind in studies, & had to spend more time catching up to the other students. Highland needs better leaders to lead the teens in their school, because their lazy and careless demeanor ultimately affects how the students perceive the idea and importance of education. Close Quote

Schools Near Highland High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					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 (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	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	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 6th Grade	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
Highland High	Public	9-12	39055 25th St. West	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 538-0304	2,706	107	25.2	63.9%	196 (7.2%)	443 (16.4%)	1,837 (67.9%)	89 (3.3%)	9 (0.3%)	8 (0.3%)	124 (4.6%)	32.4	1439^th of 2162 public high schools	33.4%		33.9	1394^th of 2159 public high schools	35.4%	45		16.2	8.2	15.6				40.8	40.8				12.9	12.9	$17,120	$2,601	$14,519
R. Rex Parris High	Public	9-12	38801 Clock Tower Plaza Dr.	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 274-1230	469	21	21.9	83.6%	14 (3.0%)	67 (14.3%)	369 (78.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.3%)	11.3	1952^nd of 2162 public high schools	9.7%		11.1	1997^th of 2159 public high schools	7.5%	45		2.1	0.0	1.4				16.1	16.1				1.6	1.6	$14,064	$1,657	$12,407
Antelope Valley Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	1156 East Ave. S	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(661) 575-1026	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Palmdale High	Public	9-12	2137 East Avenue R	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 273-3181	2,208	101	21.8	68.5%	64 (2.9%)	317 (14.4%)	1,766 (80.0%)	22 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (1.8%)	21.3	1667^th of 2162 public high schools	22.9%		22.8	1634^th of 2159 public high schools	24.3%	33		6.7	6.7	6.7				35.0	35.0				7.1	7.1	$18,170	$2,786	$15,384
Mission Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	43141 Business Center Pkwy Ste	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Mission Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(844) 788-3965	694	34	20.2	78.2%	142 (20.5%)	51 (7.3%)	420 (60.5%)	17 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	48 (6.9%)	54	948^th of 2162 public high schools	56.2%		32.6	1433^rd of 2159 public high schools	33.6%	485	15.9		46.2	19.2	40.0	36.7	23.4	41.5	34.8	32.0	36.0	20.6	31.1	28.5
Quartz Hill High	Public	9-12	6040 West Avenue L	Quartz Hill	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 718-3100	3,175	115	27.6	42.2%	820 (25.8%)	357 (11.2%)	1,639 (51.6%)	123 (3.9%)	10 (0.3%)	6 (0.2%)	220 (6.9%)	51.6	1004^th of 2162 public high schools	53.6%		50.4	989^th of 2159 public high schools	54.2%	15		23.3	17.0	22.9				51.4	51.4				25.8	25.8	$16,319	$1,778	$14,541
Assurance Learning Academy	Public, Charter	8-12	43145 Business Center Ste. 102	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Assurance Learning Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 272-1225	3,014	115	26.1	84.3%	310 (10.3%)	202 (6.7%)	2,308 (76.6%)	27 (0.9%)	10 (0.3%)	4 (0.1%)	139 (4.6%)	18	1726^th of 2162 public high schools	20.2%		18.9	1723^rd of 2159 public high schools	20.2%	3			18.9	18.9				22.7	22.7				3.3	3.3
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)	Public	9-12	3041 West Avenue K	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-6509	670	25	26.6	57.9%	88 (13.1%)	79 (11.8%)	409 (61.0%)	47 (7.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	43 (6.4%)	93.5	130^th of 2162 public high schools	94.0%		94.9	115^th of 2159 public high schools	94.7%	15		53.1		52.8				83.2	83.2				53.4	53.4	$14,793	$1,689	$13,104
Academies of the Antelope Valley	Public, Charter	6-12	6300 West Avenue L	Quartz Hill	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 943-3031	677	33	20.4	54.1%	88 (13.0%)	74 (10.9%)	457 (67.5%)	19 (2.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.3%)	42	1214^th of 2162 public high schools	43.8%		35.9	1341^st of 2159 public high schools	37.9%	127	33.3	24.4		32.0	29.6	42.5	46.5	51.8	42.9	14.8	20.3	25.9	9.1	20.5	$18,292	$1,591	$16,701
Desert Sands Charter	Public, Charter	8-12	44130 20th St. West	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Desert Sands Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-3357	727	37	18.7	78.7%	80 (11.0%)	98 (13.5%)	432 (59.4%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	106 (14.6%)	33.3	1417^th of 2162 public high schools	34.5%		22.4	1644^th of 2159 public high schools	23.9%	227			32.0	32.0				40.3	40.3				6.7	6.7

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland High

What district is Highland High in?

Antelope Valley Union High

What is the racial makeup of Highland High?

Students at Highland High are 68% Hispanic, 16% African American, 7% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Highland High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,706 students attended Highland High.

Is Highland High a good school?

Highland High ranks 1439^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Highland High?

Highland High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Anaverde Hills
Elementary : Cottonwood Elementary
Elementary : Esperanza Elementary
Elementary : Ocotillo Elementary
Elementary : Summerwind Elementary
Elementary : Yucca Elementary
Middle : David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
Middle : Hillview Middle

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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.