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Highlands Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5212^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of California elementary schools

Summary

Highlands Elementary is a K-5 public school serving about 480 students in the Pittsburg Unified district, consistently ranking in the lower quarter of all California elementary schools.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with student proficiency in English, math, and science well below state averages. The school's performance is also below the average for the Pittsburg Unified district, particularly in upper-grade math where only 4.41% of 5th graders were proficient. Chronic student absenteeism, at 31.5%, is higher than the state average and compared to nearby schools like Foothill Elementary (23.6%) and Los Medanos Elementary (25.2%).

An interesting finding is that while Highlands serves a student population with very similar economic demographics to other district schools, its academic results are lower than peers such as Los Medanos Elementary and Foothill Elementary, which are located less than a mile away. This suggests factors like specific programs or instructional approaches can lead to different outcomes. The school has shown some recent improvement in reducing chronic absenteeism.

480

Students ?

22.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,769

Per pupil spending ?

76%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4141 Harbor St.
Pittsburg, CA 94565-6199

(925) 473-2440

District: Pittsburg Unified

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hillview Junior High
High:	Pittsburg Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.2%

African American:

15.4%

Asian:

10.2%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 10th percentile in 2013 → 11th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg24%

California avg41%

5,212^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Pittsburg Unified

1326^th of 1,543Pittsburg 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	15.6	5212 of 5857	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	5319 of 5869	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	5169 of 5859	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	5385 of 5883	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	4903 of 5789	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	4202 of 5662	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.8	4807 of 5692	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.8	4032 of 5614	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.3	4803 of 5611	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.3	4969 of 5530	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.2	4698 of 5390	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	10.4	5192 of 5377	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	12.3	5042 of 5314	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.6	5016 of 5193	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	13.7	4735 of 5113	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	18.2	4434 of 5113	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.6	4246 of 4818	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	16.0	4254 of 4822	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	14.4	4385 of 4809	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	513 of 569	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	484 of 593	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.3	462 of 661	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.8	611 of 663	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	655 of 747	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	583 of 700	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	16.5	2556 of 2585	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	1736 of 2128	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	19.2	3101 of 3162	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	2329 of 3245	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	3176 of 3311	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	2813 of 3275	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.9	1508 of 3246	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.0	4861 of 5597	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	5123 of 5612	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	4731 of 5609	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	5144 of 5635	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	4215 of 5492	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	4150 of 5413	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.1	4860 of 5107	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	4886 of 5107	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	4711 of 5087	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	4785 of 5084	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	3586 of 4963	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.6	3029 of 4830	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.4	5032 of 5460	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	5122 of 5517	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	4673 of 5363	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	4642 of 5264	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	4303 of 5173	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	3853 of 5084	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	5143 of 5628	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	5056 of 5643	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	5159 of 5638	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	5117 of 5663	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.8	5066 of 5510	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	3997 of 5431	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	19.5	99 of 118	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	134 of 140	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.9	123 of 130	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.0	2324 of 2847	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	2603 of 2635	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	2204 of 2420	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)18th percentile+7 vs school

Military Connected (2024)16th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)13th percentile~ school

African American (2025)10th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)2nd percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2019)1st percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-22 vs state

Mathematics16%-22 vs state

Science15%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highlands Elementary

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Ranking:

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)				CSA Spanish Listening (2025)				CSA Spanish Writing (2025)				CSA Spanish Reading (2025)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (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	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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B 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	4141 Harbor St.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2440	480	21	22.8	76.0%	37 (7.7%)	74 (15.4%)	284 (59.2%)	49 (10.2%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (6.0%)	15.6	5212^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.0%		14.8	5319^th of 5869 public elementary schools	9.4%	107																	14.7	14.7	23.3	28.8	27.9	26.4	20.0	20.3	4.4	15.5	96.6	96.6			96.6		$25,769	$25,026	$743
Foothill Elementary	Public	K-5	1200 Jensen Dr.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2450	551	26	21.1	72.6%	37 (6.7%)	58 (10.5%)	363 (65.9%)	45 (8.2%)	4 (0.7%)	4 (0.7%)	40 (7.3%)	33.6	3677^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.2%		33.1	3679^th of 5869 public elementary schools	37.3%	2	20.0	18.8	9.5	16.1	44.0	25.0	26.2	33.1	24.0	25.0	4.8	17.7	18.0	15.6	7.1	13.7	28.9	28.9	40.4	29.6	39.8	37.1	33.3	32.1	20.2	28.1	94.6	95.7			95.7	96.7	$27,871	$27,262	$609
Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	163 Alturas Ave.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2410	547	23	23.7	83.4%	17 (3.1%)	57 (10.4%)	395 (72.2%)	42 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.4%)	23 (4.2%)	28.2	4121^st of 5857 public elementary schools	29.6%		29.4	3973^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	32.3%	148																	14.0	14.0	31.9	29.2	40.0	34.0	30.5	31.8	26.7	29.6	94.0		97.0		95.0		$25,045	$24,304	$741
Stoneman Elementary	Public	K-5	2929 Loveridge Rd.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2430	602	27	22.2	81.2%	23 (3.8%)	149 (24.8%)	307 (51.0%)	68 (11.3%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.0%)	42 (7.0%)	17.1	5093^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	13.0%		15	5308^th of 5869 public elementary schools	9.6%	215																	21.4	21.4	16.2	24.8	34.0	24.7	16.2	19.8	13.7	16.7							$25,386	$24,748	$638
Los Medanos Elementary	Public	K-5	610 Crowley Ave.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2460	665	31	21.8	74.7%	35 (5.3%)	55 (8.3%)	466 (70.1%)	69 (10.4%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	34 (5.1%)	33.1	3717^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.5%		32.8	3702^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	36.9%	15																	27.1	27.1	39.5	32.1	47.7	39.8	29.6	23.4	22.6	24.9	84.0	88.0	94.0	95.0	84.0	95.0	$24,706	$24,108	$598
Parkside Elementary	Public	K-5	985 West 17th St.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2420	565	27	20.9	83.5%	18 (3.2%)	76 (13.5%)	403 (71.3%)	45 (8.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	18 (3.2%)	20	4830^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.5%		15.6	5251^st of 5869 public elementary schools	10.5%	421																	14.9	14.9	26.3	25.3	38.4	30.0	21.3	23.5	14.0	19.5	85.6	90.7	92.8	87.6	85.6	87.6	$25,985	$25,120	$865
Turner Elementary	Public	K-5	4207 Delta Fair Blvd.	Antioch	94509	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7430	436	23	19.2	73.2%	31 (7.1%)	70 (16.1%)	226 (51.8%)	80 (18.3%)	4 (0.9%)	10 (2.3%)	15 (3.4%)	14.7	5284^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.8%		9.2	5722^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	2.5%	438																	7.4	7.4	24.2	30.7	22.4	25.6	20.0	24.6	2.9	15.7							$28,367	$26,050	$2,317
Marina Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	50 East Eighth St.	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2490	612	29	20.8	81.2%	26 (4.2%)	122 (19.9%)	358 (58.5%)	43 (7.0%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.5%)	52 (8.5%)	24.8	4425^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.4%		29	4015^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.6%	410																	21.2	21.2	29.9	27.1	44.9	34.3	26.0	17.4	18.2	20.1	74.2	83.2	86.5	82.0	83.2	84.3	$22,531	$21,804	$727
Willow Cove Elementary	Public	K-5	1880 Hanlon Way	Pittsburg	94565	Contra Costa County	Pittsburg Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 473-2470	592	29	20.4	76.9%	16 (2.7%)	48 (8.1%)	485 (81.9%)	31 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.7%)	14.1	5340^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.8%		13.2	5459^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.0%	119	10.9	15.6	5.0	10.2	43.5	25.0	37.5	36.4	10.9	31.3	10.0	16.1	6.5	12.5	5.0	7.6	9.4	9.4	25.5	21.1	25.0	24.0	23.6	14.4	11.5	16.8	89.9	96.3	95.4	95.4	96.3	95.4	$25,744	$24,988	$756
Mission Elementary	Public	K-5	1711 Mission Dr.	Antioch	94509	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7435	512	24	20.9	82.6%	40 (7.8%)	121 (23.6%)	242 (47.3%)	62 (12.1%)	5 (1.0%)	18 (3.5%)	24 (4.7%)	21	4737^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.1%		14.7	5333^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	9.1%	596																	15.1	15.1	22.5	30.3	29.0	27.0	18.4	33.3	22.6	24.0	76.4	89.1	87.3	89.1	85.5	90.9	$24,043	$21,868	$2,175

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Elementary

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hillview Junior High
High : Pittsburg Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Elementary?

Students at Highlands Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 15% African American, 10% Asian, 8% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Highlands Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 480 students attended Highlands Elementary.

Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.0% of California elementary schools.

What district is Highlands Elementary in?

Pittsburg Unified

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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.