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Highlands Elementary

Q: Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 1097 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1097^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of California elementary schools

Summary

Highlands Elementary is a consistently strong-performing K-5 public school serving 379 students in the San Mateo-Foster City School District, ranking well above state and district averages in academics while maintaining excellent student attendance.

The school differentiates itself with high proficiency rates in English, Math, and Science that significantly outpace the district average, and it has a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 11.2%, which is far better than nearby schools like Laurel Elementary (30.4%) and San Mateo Park Elementary (29.3%). This strong, stable performance over the past decade places Highlands among the top schools in its district, alongside Baywood Elementary, and highlights a striking performance gap within the San Mateo-Foster City district itself.

While Highlands is a high-quality choice, the broader analysis reveals how much educational opportunity can vary by address; just across district lines, schools in the affluent Hillsborough City Elementary district and the high-performing Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary district show even higher rankings. Furthermore, the school's data indicates it faces a common challenge of achievement gaps for certain student subgroups, such as English Language Learners and students from low-income families, suggesting areas for continued focus even within a successful school.

379

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,757

Per pupil spending ?

27.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2320 Newport St.
San Mateo, CA 94402-3838

(650) 312-7544

District: San Mateo-Foster City

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Borel Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

28.5%

Asian:

27.2%

White:

24.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Highlands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 87th percentile in 2015 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (60% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg50%

California avg41%

1,097^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 18Elementary Schools in the San Mateo-Foster City

476^th of 1,543San Mateo-Foster City 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	81.5	1097 of 5857	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	1521 of 5869	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	1150 of 5859	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	1098 of 5883	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	77.9	296 of 1417	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	1153 of 5789	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.6	999 of 5662	82.4%	★★★★☆
2017	88.5	727 of 5692	87.2%	★★★★☆
2016	87.1	792 of 5614	85.9%	★★★★☆
2015	88.1	720 of 5611	87.2%	★★★★☆
2013	66.6	1740 of 5530	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.9	1585 of 5390	70.6%	★★★★☆
2011	71.1	1447 of 5377	73.1%	★★★★☆
2010	70.5	1436 of 5314	73.0%	★★★★☆
2009	72.8	1312 of 5193	74.7%	★★★★☆
2008	77.9	1065 of 5113	79.2%	★★★★☆
2007	88.2	615 of 5113	88.0%	★★★★☆
2006	91.5	411 of 4818	91.5%	★★★★★
2005	93.5	296 of 4822	93.9%	★★★★★
2004	90.4	491 of 4809	89.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	60.0	613 of 1203	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.7	707 of 1205	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.7	481 of 1190	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	619 of 1154	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.2	319 of 1149	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	69.9	364 of 1071	66.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	31.3	2474 of 3162	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.4	2123 of 3245	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.9	1374 of 3311	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.3	412 of 602	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	1195 of 3275	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.7	1521 of 3246	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	1093 of 5597	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	1415 of 5612	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	73.3	1357 of 5609	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	1060 of 5635	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	74.7	293 of 1267	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.2	1117 of 5492	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	77.9	1135 of 5413	79.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	3394 of 5107	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	3792 of 5107	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	3694 of 5087	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.8	3232 of 5084	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.3	2940 of 4963	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	2730 of 4830	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	4164 of 5460	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.5	3176 of 5517	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.1	5024 of 5363	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.5	4040 of 5264	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.9	734 of 1110	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.3	4004 of 5173	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	3599 of 5084	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.3	1061 of 5628	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	67.0	1661 of 5643	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	82.5	989 of 5638	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.6	1122 of 5663	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	273 of 1272	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.0	1128 of 5510	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	84.2	871 of 5431	84.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	68.8	202 of 610	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.3	97 of 445	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	54.4	188 of 339	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.1	378 of 2598	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	527 of 2651	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	222 of 2661	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	84.8	276 of 2726	89.9%	★★★★☆
2019	67.3	930 of 2834	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.3	585 of 2737	78.6%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)85th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile~ school

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2022)67th percentile-14 vs school

Asian (2025)49th percentile-32 vs school

Hispanic (2025)34th percentile-48 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile-58 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)22nd percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics63%+26 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy60%+11 vs state

Science52%+20 vs state

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, February 5, 2016

Highlands lives off the reputation as historically being one of the better schools in the San Mateo / Foster City district. In my experience; however, I'd say it's a school in decline. Highlands has a basic California-wide standard approach to teaching, one that would work in non-tech cities like Fresno or Modesto. Because of its location, a large number of its kids come from silicon valley families and have higher expectations for learning than just a standard California education. Unfortunately this school does not adequately cater its teaching to meet the needs of this large demographic as the elite schools in the mid peninsula do (Fox, Baywood, etc). The typical classroom at highlands consists of 2 large groups of kids with different skill sets. One group is of advanced learners and the other is of those who perform "below basic standards". There really aren't many kids who have skills in the middle. The school's main principal to teaching is to "ensure all students learn the essential set of skills needed for basic life" and that "no kid is left behind". In each class, all kids are taught the same level of math. Given the class's wide disparity in aptitude levels, this means that math is taught at a lower level and at a slower pace (one thats catered for the slower learners). Advanced kids are not challenged in class and their potential is not realized. Many of the advanced learners, (especially the boys), tend to become distractions in class, tune out of the lessons, or have low self esteem because they 'can't focus'. This is all due to their lack of stimulation to the unchallenging curricula being taught them. I'll also mention that there's a significant bullying issue in the school (especially at the 3rd - 5th grade levels). The teachers and administration have never directly addressed it and, in many times, choose to ignore it. My kid has witnessed this many times first hand and I have friends who pulled their kids out of Highlands and into private institutions to get them away from the relentless bullying that they were experiencing. The school is pretty run down (50-60 yrs old) and is above its initial capacity. The capacity issue isn't from local kids, but from the kids bussed in from a lower-income north of downtown neighborhood. To handle this there are 2 'temp structures' that have been used for years as 'permanent' classrooms. Close Quote

Schools Near Highlands Elementary

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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 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)	% Varicella (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 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	% Varicella KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highlands Elementary	Public	K-5	2320 Newport St.	San Mateo	94402	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7544	379	18	20.8	27.4%	93 (24.5%)	1 (0.3%)	108 (28.5%)	103 (27.2%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	68 (17.9%)	81.5	1097^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.3%		71.6	1521^st of 5869 public elementary schools	74.1%	424	52.2	52.2	59.6	55.3	63.8	60.1	69.2	57.5	62.3	63.1	97.3			$24,757	$23,890	$867
Fox Elementary	Public	K-5	3100 Saint James Rd.	Belmont	94002	San Mateo County	Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 637-4850	420	16	25.9	6.2%	94 (22.4%)	4 (1.0%)	36 (8.6%)	202 (48.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	81 (19.3%)	96.4	196^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.7%		97.6	118^th of 5869 public elementary schools	98.0%	78	85.3	85.3	75.3	74.3	90.7	80.2	78.1	82.4	84.0	81.5				$17,813	$17,410	$403
West Hillsborough	Public	K-5	376 Barbara Way	Hillsborough	94010	San Mateo County	Hillsborough City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 344-9870	275	18	15.3	2.5%	80 (29.1%)	3 (1.1%)	19 (6.9%)	123 (44.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (18.2%)	97.5	114^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.1%		98.7	37^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.4%	77	71.4	71.4	76.2	88.9	83.7	83.1	90.5	93.3	77.6	86.8				$46,432	$45,390	$1,042
Meadow Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	2619 Dolores St.	San Mateo	94403	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7566	238	13	18.3	47.1%	49 (20.6%)	3 (1.3%)	112 (47.1%)	29 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.5%)	31 (13.0%)	59.9	2077^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.5%		51.6	2468^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.9%	391	42.1	42.1	50.0	42.6	48.7	46.8	55.0	46.8	42.1	48.0	91.7			$34,717	$32,350	$2,367
Baywood Elementary	Public	K-5	600 Alameda de Las Pulgas	San Mateo	94402	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7511	489	21	23.8	25.8%	141 (28.8%)	2 (0.4%)	149 (30.5%)	103 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	85 (17.4%)	79.3	1184^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.8%		80.1	1150^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.4%	34	56.3	56.3	51.8	64.1	60.0	58.4	62.1	63.8	53.8	59.9	98.2		98.2	$26,164	$25,108	$1,056
Beresford Elementary	Public	K-5	300 28th Ave.	San Mateo	94403	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7551	218	10	21.8	58.7%	42 (19.3%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (58.7%)	26 (11.9%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.8%)	17 (7.8%)	42.2	3056^th of 5857 public elementary schools	47.8%		56.8	2199^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.5%	857	21.9	21.9	29.4	44.7	31.3	35.6	35.3	60.5	34.4	44.2	87.0	93.5		$30,876	$29,510	$1,366
Cipriani Elementary	Public	K-5	2525 Buena Vista	Belmont	94002	San Mateo County	Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 637-4840	471	18	26.9	8.9%	156 (33.1%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (9.6%)	163 (34.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (22.3%)	95	335^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.3%		95.8	283^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	95.2%	52	69.7	69.7	76.7	72.0	82.2	77.1	75.3	77.4	78.7	77.2				$17,825	$17,422	$403
Laurel Elementary	Public	K-5	316 36th Ave.	San Mateo	94403	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7555	469	22	21.8	76.5%	32 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	359 (76.5%)	37 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	28 (6.0%)	16.6	5137^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.3%		20.3	4828^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.7%	309	22.2	22.2	13.3	18.3	29.6	20.3	13.8	17.1	24.1	18.3	94.9	94.9		$24,178	$22,698	$1,480
South Hillsborough	Public	K-5	303 El Cerrito Ave.	Hillsborough	94010	San Mateo County	Hillsborough City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 344-0303	244	16	14.9	5.3%	106 (43.4%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (8.6%)	81 (33.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (14.3%)	98.3	45^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.2%		98.7	38^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.4%	7	73.3	73.3	92.1	90.7	80.0	87.3	97.4	97.7	84.4	92.9				$44,199	$43,648	$551
North Hillsborough	Public	K-5	545 Eucalyptus Ave.	Hillsborough	94010	San Mateo County	Hillsborough City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 347-4175	274	20	14.0	2.6%	140 (51.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.7%)	87 (31.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	24 (8.8%)	99.2	8^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.9%		98.8	32^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	99.5%	24	87.2	87.2	91.7	92.1	97.9	94.0	91.7	89.5	97.9	93.2				$46,524	$45,696	$828

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Elementary

How many students attend Highlands Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 379 students attended Highlands Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Borel Middle

What district is Highlands Elementary in?

San Mateo-Foster City

Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 1097^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Elementary?

Students at Highlands Elementary are 28% Hispanic, 27% Asian, 25% White, 18% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

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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.