Summary:
In zip code 93551, which serves the Palmdale area, there is one public high school, Highland High, a large school of over 2,700 students serving grades 9-12 within the Antelope Valley Union High district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Highland High shows a clear strength in successfully graduating students, with a rate of 91.5% that is above the state average. However, the school faces significant challenges in academic achievement, particularly in mathematics where only about 13% of students meet state standards, which is far below the state average. Science scores also show a concerning pattern, declining sharply by the 12th grade.
Despite these academic struggles, the school performs better than its district averages in key areas like graduation, dropout, and chronic absenteeism. With a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a community with considerable economic need. The per-student spending is relatively high, but the student-teacher ratio is also high, indicating that resources may not be directly translating into improved classroom-level academic outcomes compared to state benchmarks.
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