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

Highland Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

814^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Highland Elementary School is a PK–5 elementary school in Rifle, Colorado, serving 451 students in the Garfield School District No. Re-2, a district that carries a 1-star rating. The school itself has also received a 1-star rating and currently ranks in the 14th percentile statewide — its lowest position in more than a decade. Academic proficiency trails district and state averages in every subject, with only 23.2% of students proficient in English language arts, 20.7% in math, and 8.9% in science in the most recent school year.

The most urgent concern is the performance of 5th graders, where just 7.1% were proficient in math and 8.9% in science — the lowest figures among nearby schools. The science result is a steep drop from 20.8% proficiency two years earlier. Male students rank at the 5th percentile statewide, and economically disadvantaged students rank at the 14th percentile; with 57% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, these results are central to the school's overall performance.

Compared with nearby schools in the same district, Highland trails Cactus Valley Elementary School and Kathryn Senor Elementary School, both of which rank in the low 30s statewide and post significantly stronger test results. Graham Mesa Elementary School, just over half a mile away, recorded a science proficiency of 19.7% — more than double Highland's — despite a similar overall ranking. Highland does outperform Wamsley Elementary School in math and attendance, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 16.6% is well below the state rate of 28.4%. While the overall trend is discouraging, math proficiency has improved from 15.9% two years ago, and the school's attendance and student-teacher ratio are genuine bright spots.

451

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,246

Per pupil spending ?

57.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 East 7th Street
Rifle, CO 81650-2169

(970) 665-6800

District: Garfield School District No. Re-2

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Rifle Middle School
High:	Rifle High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.4%

White:

27.3%

Two or more races:

2.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Highland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2016 → 14th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg26%

Colorado avg41%

814^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Garfield School District No. Re-2

91^st of 114Garfield School District No. Re-2 among Colorado 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	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	15.0	814 of 946	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.3	737 of 950	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	766 of 943	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	667 of 933	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	752 of 921	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	605 of 710	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	587 of 965	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	483 of 917	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.6	651 of 929	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.7	592 of 914	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.2	517 of 938	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	28.7	711 of 962	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.2	756 of 954	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.9	717 of 935	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.4	695 of 935	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.3	705 of 925	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.1	755 of 872	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.3	735 of 849	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.1	728 of 852	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.3	698 of 829	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	32.5	598 of 823	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	28.4	609 of 808	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	17.4	579 of 695	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.2	554 of 694	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	540 of 684	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	561 of 642	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	516 of 758	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.1	499 of 690	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	28.5	181 of 247	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	180 of 242	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.2	65 of 172	62.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.6	277 of 322	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.9	279 of 337	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	337 of 365	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.6	191 of 265	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.0	140 of 203	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.7	251 of 332	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.1	156 of 308	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	664 of 697	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.4	595 of 700	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	537 of 683	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	514 of 649	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	504 of 594	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	504 of 764	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	349 of 693	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	25.7	432 of 539	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.6	432 of 525	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	428 of 454	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	427 of 596	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile+4 vs school

White (2024)20th percentile~ school

Female (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts23%-21 vs state

Math21%-17 vs state

Science9%-27 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Highland Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Highland Elementary School

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 Highland Elementary School

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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)				CMAS Math (2026)				CMAS Science (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 East 7th Street	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-6800	451	28	16.3	57.2%	123 (27.3%)	5 (1.1%)	313 (69.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	15	814^th of 946 public elementary schools	14.0%		20.3	737^th of 950 public elementary schools	22.4%	77	13.9	25.7	32.1	23.2	27.8	24.3	7.1	20.7	8.9	$15,246
Graham Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1575 Farmstead Parkway	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7500	424	22	19.3	46.7%	169 (39.9%)	0 (0.0%)	252 (59.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	18.2	770^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.6%		19.4	749^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.2%	21	9.8	39.7	27.4	25.8	27.4	19.0	16.4	21.0	19.7	$14,997
Wamsley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	225 East 30th Street	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7950	420	16	26.4	60.5%	103 (24.5%)	4 (1.0%)	303 (72.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	12	858^th of 946 public elementary schools	9.3%		20.9	726^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.6%	132	12.7	29.4	34.5	25.6	5.5	10.0	13.6	9.8	13.6	$15,591
Cactus Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	222 Grand Avenue	Silt	81652	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7850	462	28	16.5	41.1%	250 (54.1%)	0 (0.0%)	205 (44.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	27.7	651^st of 946 public elementary schools	31.2%		34.9	573^rd of 950 public elementary schools	39.7%	78	20.6	30.0	37.1	29.3	30.9	38.0	26.1	31.7	25.7	$15,436
Elk Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	804 West Main Street	New Castle	81647	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-6900	272	19	14.1	46.0%	129 (47.4%)	0 (0.0%)	135 (49.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	18.6	767^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.9%		21.6	715^th of 950 public elementary schools	24.7%	52	14.3	27.3	28.6	23.4	34.3	25.0	17.9	26.2	14.3	$19,470
Kathryn Senor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Alder Avenue	New Castle	81647	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7700	275	19	14.5	44.7%	139 (50.5%)	1 (0.4%)	133 (48.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	28.1	643^rd of 946 public elementary schools	32.0%		41.4	519^th of 950 public elementary schools	45.4%	124	21.6	31.0	34.8	29.6	41.0	26.2	34.8	33.9	20.0	$18,794
Grand Valley Center for Family Learning	Public	PK, KG-1	100 East Second Street	Parachute	81635	Garfield County	Grand Valley School District No. 16	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 285-5702	265	16	16.5	66.0%	114 (43.0%)	2 (0.8%)	145 (54.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)										$19,102
Bea Underwood Elementary School	Public	2-5	0741 Tamarisk Trail	Parachute	81635	Garfield County	Grand Valley School District No. 16	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 285-5703	390	27	14.6	69.0%	196 (50.3%)	3 (0.8%)	180 (46.2%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	8.5	909^th of 946 public elementary schools	3.9%		6.3	937^th of 950 public elementary schools	1.4%	28	6.6	18.6	23.4	15.8	700.0	706.0	10.6	5.0	13.8	$17,011

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Elementary School

How many students attend Highland Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 451 students attended Highland Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary School?

Students at Highland Elementary School are 69% Hispanic, 27% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rifle Middle School
High : Rifle High School

What district is Highland Elementary School in?

Garfield School District No. Re-2

Is Highland Elementary School a good school?

Highland Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.0% of Colorado elementary schools.

Rate Highland Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

COColorado Elementary School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Rifle, CO

Sign up for updates!

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

Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado 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.