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Highlands Elementary

Q: Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 1162 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1162^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of California elementary schools

Summary

Highlands Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 666 students in the high-performing Saugus Union School District, and it stands out for its remarkable and consistent improvement in recent years.

The school has climbed from an average state ranking to the 80th percentile, now holding a 4-star rating, which is impressive given it serves a higher percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch than many neighbors like Charles Helmers Elementary or Mountainview Elementary. Highlands excels in supporting specific student groups, ranking in the 89th percentile for both special education students and Hispanic students, demonstrating strong, equitable instructional support. While its overall test scores are solid, they are slightly below some nearby schools, such as the demographically similar Bridgeport Elementary.

Notable areas for attention include a chronic absenteeism rate that, while greatly improved, is still the highest among its district peers, and a dip in 4th-grade English scores that contrasts with its excellent 6th-grade performance. Overall, Highlands Elementary is a school on a strong upward trajectory, effectively leveraging its resources to support all students within a competitive district.

666

Students ?

24.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,247

Per pupil spending ?

34.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

27332 Catala Ave.
Saugus, CA 91350-2146

(661) 294-5320

District: Saugus Union

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Arroyo Seco Junior High
High:	Academy of the Canyons
	Saugus High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

60.5%

White:

26.4%

Asian:

5.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Highlands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 69th percentile in 2013 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg66%

California avg41%

1,162^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Saugus Union

180^th of 1,543Saugus Union 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	79.8	1162 of 5857	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	1547 of 5869	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	1760 of 5859	70.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.0	1189 of 5883	79.8%	★★★★☆
2019	43.8	2962 of 5789	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.7	2401 of 5662	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.5	2579 of 5692	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.6	2263 of 5614	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.5	2102 of 5611	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.6	1739 of 5530	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	71.9	1421 of 5390	73.6%	★★★★☆
2011	64.9	1751 of 5377	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.6	2135 of 5314	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.5	1463 of 5193	71.8%	★★★★☆
2008	74.4	1224 of 5113	76.1%	★★★★☆
2007	79.6	982 of 5113	80.8%	★★★★☆
2006	83.7	796 of 4818	83.5%	★★★★☆
2005	83.9	772 of 4822	84.0%	★★★★☆
2004	88.6	565 of 4809	88.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	76.8	233 of 1154	79.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	64.2	511 of 2227	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	42.9	1197 of 2585	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.9	719 of 2128	66.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	81.5	278 of 3311	91.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	1120 of 5597	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	73.4	1342 of 5612	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	1512 of 5609	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	1076 of 5635	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	53.9	2282 of 5492	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.3	2420 of 5413	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.7	552 of 5107	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	1288 of 5107	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	70.7	1148 of 5087	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	80.2	724 of 5084	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	42.7	2775 of 4963	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.6	1920 of 4830	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.4	637 of 5460	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	78.6	901 of 5517	83.7%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	1587 of 5363	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	802 of 5264	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	32.8	3660 of 5173	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.7	2697 of 5084	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.1	1151 of 5628	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	65.9	1707 of 5643	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	1960 of 5638	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.6	1258 of 5663	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	37.8	3211 of 5510	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.1	2332 of 5431	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	311 of 2847	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	66.0	586 of 2635	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	53.5	813 of 2420	66.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.4	839 of 2598	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	1091 of 2651	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.6	1584 of 2661	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.6	1537 of 2726	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.5	2188 of 2834	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	1875 of 2737	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)92nd percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2025)89th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)88th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

Asian (2022)80th percentile~ school

Male (2025)80th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)77th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)68th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics59%+22 vs state

Science50%+18 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Highlands Elementary

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 (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 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 6th 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 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-6	27332 Catala Ave.	Saugus	91350	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5320	666	27	24.6	34.1%	176 (26.4%)	19 (2.9%)	403 (60.5%)	35 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.0%)	79.8	1162^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	80.2%		71	1547^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.6%	385	50.5	50.5	59.6	50.6	64.8	75.4	62.1	61.7	53.0	55.2	67.7	58.9	97.0		97.0	97.0	97.0	$14,247	$633	$13,614
James Foster Elementary	Public	K-6	22500 Pamplico Dr.	Saugus	91350	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5355	508	18	28.5	39.2%	214 (42.1%)	18 (3.5%)	205 (40.4%)	35 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.1%)	76.9	1290^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.0%		77	1289^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.0%	1	49.5	49.5	53.3	75.8	55.0	59.0	59.8	64.0	74.2	41.8	53.6	56.7						$14,801	$543	$14,258
Emblem Academy	Public	K-6	22635 Espuella Dr.	Saugus	91350	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5315	810	31	26.1	32.7%	195 (24.1%)	37 (4.6%)	262 (32.3%)	235 (29.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (9.8%)	92.7	494^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.6%		92.4	548^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.7%	54	64.8	64.8	78.2	75.7	85.2	74.3	77.7	76.5	73.0	72.7	54.5	68.1	98.2	98.2		98.2		$14,225	$559	$13,666
Rosedell Elementary	Public	K-6	27853 Urbandale Ave.	Saugus	91350	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5335	660	24	27.5	39.4%	258 (39.1%)	9 (1.4%)	294 (44.5%)	40 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (8.8%)	81.3	1105^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.1%		81.7	1082^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	81.6%	23	50.6	50.6	68.3	60.6	64.6	68.3	65.2	68.3	57.8	44.3	54.5	56.3						$14,870	$603	$14,267
North Park Elementary	Public	K-6	23335 West Sunset Hills Dr.	Valencia	91354	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5370	441	17	25.9	25.4%	217 (49.2%)	9 (2.0%)	135 (30.6%)	36 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (10.0%)	91.5	579^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.1%		86.8	871^st of 5869 public elementary schools	85.2%	292	64.1	64.1	75.3	71.4	79.7	80.9	76.9	76.7	58.7	59.4	64.7	65.3	92.7	96.4		96.4		$15,877	$577	$15,300
Charles Helmers Elementary	Public	K-6	27300 North Grandview Dr.	Valencia	91354	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5345	524	20	26.2	21.6%	215 (41.0%)	12 (2.3%)	182 (34.7%)	59 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (10.7%)	92.9	482^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	91.8%		95.9	276^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.3%	206	62.9	62.9	76.3	87.5	74.2	72.7	77.7	69.5	81.3	63.9	63.6	69.6	96.1			96.1	96.1	$14,728	$565	$14,163
Bridgeport Elementary	Public	K-6	23670 Newhall Ranch Rd.	Valencia	91355	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5375	866	33	26.2	34.2%	280 (32.3%)	48 (5.5%)	278 (32.1%)	178 (20.6%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	78 (9.0%)	89.5	688^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.3%		90.1	697^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.1%	9	50.8	50.8	71.1	69.7	73.3	75.0	72.5	74.6	61.5	63.4	66.9	66.5	98.2		98.2			$13,910	$514	$13,396
Rio Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	20417 Cedarcreek St.	Canyon Country	91351	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5330	486	18	27.0	77.0%	65 (13.4%)	9 (1.9%)	358 (73.7%)	33 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.3%)	65.8	1802^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	69.2%		63.8	1889^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.8%	87	45.6	45.6	38.9	63.1	47.1	61.9	53.2	46.3	60.0	41.2	42.9	47.6						$14,216	$1,121	$13,095
Mountainview Elementary	Public	K-6	22201 West Cypress Pl.	Saugus	91390	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5325	917	36	25.4	20.5%	457 (49.8%)	14 (1.5%)	294 (32.1%)	66 (7.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.1%)	86.7	838^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.7%		86.9	869^th of 5869 public elementary schools	85.2%	31	59.2	59.2	60.8	62.3	73.3	72.7	67.3	70.0	69.7	51.7	60.3	62.9						$14,094	$570	$13,524
Plum Canyon Elementary	Public	K-6	28360 North Alfred Way	Saugus	91350	Los Angeles County	Saugus Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 294-5365	876	31	28.2	28.0%	310 (35.4%)	48 (5.5%)	280 (32.0%)	164 (18.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (8.1%)	86.9	829^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.8%		85.8	915^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.4%	86	53.2	53.2	63.1	66.4	64.2	75.0	67.2	72.1	62.5	62.0	62.9	65.0						$12,640	$411	$12,229

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Elementary

Is Highlands Elementary a good school?

Highlands Elementary ranks 1162^nd 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 61% Hispanic, 26% White, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What schools do graduates of Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Arroyo Seco Junior High
High : Academy of the Canyons
High : Saugus High

How many students attend Highlands Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 666 students attended Highlands Elementary.

What district is Highlands Elementary in?

Saugus Union

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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.