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

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Highlands Elementary

Q: Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 2199 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2199^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of California elementary schools

Summary

Highlands Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 512 students in Concord, California, as part of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and it stands out for its strong performance in math and science alongside a notably positive attendance culture.

Academically, the school shows a distinctive profile: while English scores are slightly below average, its students excel in mathematics and especially science, scoring significantly higher than both the district and state averages. This strength in specific subjects is a key differentiator. Furthermore, Highlands has one of the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the area at 12.3%, which is a major strength and suggests a strong, engaged school community. The school serves a socioeconomically diverse population and achieves these outcomes efficiently, operating with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending than some neighboring schools like Westwood Elementary.

When compared to nearby schools, Highlands occupies a middle ground in several ways. It outperforms schools with similar or higher poverty rates, such as El Monte Elementary and Woodside Elementary, while not reaching the top-tier performance levels of lower-poverty schools like Walnut Acres Elementary or Valle Verde Elementary. It's important to note that the school's statewide ranking has fluctuated in recent years, and there are concerns about recent performance declines among some student groups, which the school is likely addressing to build on its core strengths in STEM and attendance.

512

Students ?

26.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$311

Per pupil spending ?

32.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1326 Pennsylvania Blvd.
Concord, CA 94521-4103

(925) 672-5252

District: Mt. Diablo Unified

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pine Hollow Middle
High:	Northgate High

Racial breakdown:

White:

32.6%

Hispanic:

28.7%

Two or more races:

19.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Highlands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2015 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

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

!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg42%

California avg41%

2,199^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 30Elementary Schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified

759^th of 1,543Mt. Diablo 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
2025	57.4	2199 of 5857	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	1916 of 5869	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.7	1338 of 5859	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	82.4	1074 of 5883	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	79.8	278 of 1417	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.9	1698 of 5789	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	62.0	1952 of 5662	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.5	2251 of 5692	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.7	1824 of 5614	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	67.3	1601 of 5611	71.5%	★★★★☆
2013	83.1	880 of 5530	84.1%	★★★★☆
2012	79.6	1055 of 5390	80.4%	★★★★☆
2011	81.4	924 of 5377	82.8%	★★★★☆
2010	75.3	1217 of 5314	77.1%	★★★★☆
2009	65.7	1649 of 5193	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.6	1303 of 5113	74.5%	★★★★☆
2007	76.7	1107 of 5113	78.3%	★★★★☆
2006	74.5	1157 of 4818	76.0%	★★★★☆
2005	73.2	1199 of 4822	75.1%	★★★★☆
2004	72.5	1208 of 4809	74.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.4	895 of 1205	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	56.8	665 of 2227	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	63.1	650 of 2585	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	46.2	873 of 2128	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.3	1854 of 5597	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	2206 of 5612	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.5	1266 of 5609	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.2	904 of 5635	84.0%	★★★★☆
2021	78.0	255 of 1267	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	60.5	1946 of 5492	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.9	1981 of 5413	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	2607 of 5107	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.1	1470 of 5107	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	982 of 5087	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	700 of 5084	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	57.5	1819 of 4963	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.7	2246 of 4830	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	3345 of 5460	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	2766 of 5517	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	2652 of 5363	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	83.4	621 of 5264	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	86.5	92 of 1110	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	76.6	865 of 5173	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	66.4	1373 of 5084	73.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.7	2531 of 5628	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	1559 of 5643	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	1412 of 5638	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	75.5	1306 of 5663	76.9%	★★★★☆
2021	77.5	272 of 1272	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	1410 of 5510	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.1	1844 of 5431	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	555 of 718	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	565 of 670	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	561 of 669	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.5	366 of 610	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.0	357 of 445	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	275 of 339	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.1	907 of 2847	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.6	1105 of 2635	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.4	553 of 2420	77.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.3	1738 of 2598	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	1697 of 2651	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.3	1069 of 2661	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	1203 of 2726	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	1599 of 2834	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.2	1888 of 2737	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)70th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2025)68th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)67th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)55th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile-24 vs school

White (2025)33rd percentile-29 vs school

Asian (2024)26th percentile-42 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)23rd percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics47%+9 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Science43%+10 vs state

1.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Highlands Elementary

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 Highlands Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highlands Elementary	Public	K-5	1326 Pennsylvania Blvd.	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 672-5252	512	19	26.9	32.4%	167 (32.6%)	8 (1.6%)	147 (28.7%)	89 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	100 (19.5%)	57.4	2199^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.5%		63.3	1916^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.4%	283	42.7		42.7	44.2	36.1	54.9				45.0	47.7	42.5	50.0				46.8	95.5					$311	$134	$177
Mt. Diablo Elementary	Public	K-5	5880 Mt. Zion Dr.	Clayton	94517	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 672-4840	739	25	30.0	21.0%	385 (52.1%)	7 (0.9%)	128 (17.3%)	85 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	130 (17.6%)	87.2	815^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.1%		89.1	739^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.4%	76	46.9		46.9	65.5	79.5	69.0				71.3	73.5	78.8	52.2				68.1						$231	$36	$195
Ayers Elementary	Public	K-5	5120 Myrtle Dr.	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 682-7686	394	16	24.6	40.4%	147 (37.3%)	13 (3.3%)	120 (30.5%)	58 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	53 (13.5%)	54	2363^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	59.7%		55.4	2263^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	61.4%	100	33.8		33.8	51.6	53.7	48.5				51.1	48.4	37.0	30.9				38.7						$708	$314	$394
Silverwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1649 Claycord Ave.	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 687-1150	530	21	25.2	53.2%	131 (24.7%)	14 (2.6%)	188 (35.5%)	115 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	77 (14.5%)	64.4	1865^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.2%		50.2	2542^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	56.7%	677	40.0		40.0	59.0	47.4	48.9				51.8	56.0	51.3	42.1				49.4	97.1					$301	$00	$301
Mountain View Elementary	Public	K-5	1705 Thornwood Dr.	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 689-6450	267	11	24.2	56.2%	75 (28.1%)	8 (3.0%)	113 (42.3%)	28 (10.5%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	38 (14.2%)	28.8	4066^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.6%		46.7	2754^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.1%	1312	23.7		23.7	10.4	40.0	42.1				29.8	17.0	28.9	36.8				26.9						$722	$242	$480
Westwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1748 West St.	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 685-4202	224	11	20.3	72.3%	67 (29.9%)	1 (0.4%)	103 (46.0%)	30 (13.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (9.4%)	36.4	3449^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.1%		47.6	2695^th of 5869 public elementary schools	54.1%	754	26.7		26.7	47.5	37.5	36.7				40.7	33.3	32.7	20.0				29.8						$360	$30	$330
Valle Verde Elementary	Public	K-5	3275 Peachwillow Ln.	Walnut Creek	94598	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 939-5700	485	16	30.3	15.9%	227 (46.8%)	3 (0.6%)	53 (10.9%)	100 (20.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	100 (20.6%)	93.9	404^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.1%		89	747^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.3%	343	68.9		68.9	68.5	70.1	78.7				72.0	79.2	84.1	75.4				80.1	96.5					$150	$150	$00
Woodside Elementary	Public	K-5	761 San Simeon Dr.	Concord	94518	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 689-7671	289	11	25.6	60.6%	85 (29.4%)	7 (2.4%)	116 (40.1%)	36 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	42 (14.5%)	40.1	3213^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.1%		46.9	2744^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.2%	469	36.1		36.1	36.2	38.9	40.0				38.1	27.7	39.4	36.1				33.6	96.5					$602	$00	$602
El Monte Elementary	Public	K-5	1400 Dina Dr.	Concord	94518	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 685-3113	418	18	23.2	64.6%	81 (19.4%)	13 (3.1%)	198 (47.4%)	55 (13.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	65 (15.6%)	36.2	3461^st of 5857 public elementary schools	40.9%		25.7	4304^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.7%	843	25.5		25.5	29.3	39.4	40.0				36.3	31.2	33.3	39.2				34.2	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	$265	$00	$265
Eagle Peak Montessori	Public, Charter	1-8	800 Hutchinson Rd.	Walnut Creek	94598	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 946-0994	301	10	30.1	7.6%	102 (33.9%)	3 (1.0%)	66 (21.9%)	59 (19.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (23.3%)	58.7	2135^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.5%		74.1	1409^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.0%	726	55.6	75.9	64.6	48.7	50.0	69.4	64.3	79.4	93.1	65.1	48.7	26.9	22.2	39.3	52.9	48.3	38.5						$08	$08	$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Elementary

Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 2199^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pine Hollow Middle
High : Northgate High

What district is Highlands Elementary in?

Mt. Diablo Unified

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Elementary?

Students at Highlands Elementary are 33% White, 29% Hispanic, 20% Two or more races, 17% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend Highlands Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended Highlands Elementary.

Rate Highlands Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Concord, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Highlands Elementary!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.