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Highland Park School

Q: Is Highland Park School a good school?

Highland Park School ranks 210 th of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

210^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 492 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Highland Park School is a K–4 elementary school in Manchester, CT, serving about 300 students, where roughly 54% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Despite its district's low statewide standing — the Manchester School District ranks in the 16th percentile of Connecticut districts — Highland Park School has become a clear academic standout, with recent test scores exceeding both district and state averages in every tested grade and subject.

In the most recent school year, Highland Park's SBAC proficiency rates were impressive: 3rd-grade ELA hit 55.1% (vs. 34% district and 47.3% state), while 4th-grade math reached 64.5% (vs. 44% district and 52.1% state). The school's statewide ranking has climbed sharply, from 420th in 2021–2022 to 210th in 2025–2026 — a jump of 210 places in just four years. Chronic absenteeism has also been a bright spot, coming in at 15.4% in 2025–2026, below the district's 21.3% and the state's 16.4%. The school maintains a favorable 10.3:1 student-teacher ratio and high per-pupil spending of $20,704, both of which likely support its academic success.

Within Manchester, Highland Park is the top-performing K–4 school. Its closest competitor, Buckley School, posted strong scores in 2024–2025 but declined sharply in 2025–2026, while Highland Park continued to improve — now leading Buckley in every grade-level and subject combination. Other district peers, including Verplanck School, Bowers School, Keeney School, and Waddell School, trail far behind. Highland Park also holds its own against more affluent neighboring schools: although Orchard Hill School in the South Windsor School District and Bolton Center School in the Bolton School District score higher overall, Highland Park's 3rd-grade ELA (55.1%) nearly matches Orchard Hill's 58.7%, and its 4th-grade math (64.5%) approaches Bolton Center's 68.8%. Some year-to-year variability exists, and an absenteeism uptick from 9.3% to 15.4% is worth monitoring, but the overall trajectory is strongly positive.

300

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,647

Per pupil spending ?

54.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

100%

Kindergartners with all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

397 Porter St.
Manchester, CT 06040

(860) 647-3430

District: Manchester School District

Students who attend Highland Park School usually attend:

Middle:	Illing Middle School
High:	Manchester High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.7%

White:

33.0%

African American:

21.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (59% vs 51% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Manchester School District

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg41%

Connecticut avg51%

210^th of 492

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Manchester School District

127^th of 153Manchester School District among Connecticut 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	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	210 of 492	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.4	251 of 493	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	328 of 497	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	342 of 491	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	11.3	420 of 490	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	393 of 538	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	331 of 522	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.2	423 of 532	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.0	338 of 519	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.4	281 of 518	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.7	284 of 551	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	61.2	284 of 557	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	64.8	268 of 565	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.8	313 of 579	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	68.4	242 of 566	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.9	187 of 565	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	75.5	148 of 568	73.9%	★★★★☆
2006	77.5	126 of 570	77.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	23.2	341 of 455	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2021)25th percentile~ school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics62%+10 vs state

English Language Arts57%+7 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 3, 2016

Don't even try to join the PTA unless you make 100,000 a year!! The receptionist is the first person who greets you daily, she should be happy to see eager little children. I have never been to a school where the staff is so rude, I even went to Hartford school for 4 years and the homeless on the street, begging you for change, are actually more friendly than the receptionist. Close Quote

Schools Near Highland Park School

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NGSS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)						SBAC Mathematics (2026)						Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	NGSS Science 5th Grade	NGSS Science 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Highland Park School	Public	K-4	397 Porter St.	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3430	300	29	10.3	54.3%	99 (33.0%)	64 (21.3%)	101 (33.7%)	21 (7.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	62.4	210^th of 492 public elementary schools	57.3%		50.4	251^st of 493 public elementary schools	49.1%	41			55.1	58.1					59.4	64.5					100%	0%	$23,647
Bowers School	Public	K-4	141 Princeton Street	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3313	376	32	11.9	67.0%	84 (22.3%)	78 (20.7%)	176 (46.8%)	16 (4.3%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	17 (4.5%)	19.2	376^th of 492 public elementary schools	23.6%		17.3	386^th of 493 public elementary schools	21.7%	10			23.2	32.9					30.4	40.5					77.4%	0%	$24,280
Buckley School	Public	K-4	250 Vernon Street	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3302	284	28	10.2	52.5%	99 (34.9%)	65 (22.9%)	72 (25.4%)	28 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.0%)	47.2	264^th of 492 public elementary schools	46.3%		72.9	159^th of 493 public elementary schools	67.7%	105			46.6	53.1					53.4	48.4					95%	0%	$24,845
Manchester Preschool Center at Martin	Public	PK-K	140 Dartmouth Rd	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(860) 647-3367	153	11	13.7	67.3%	23 (15.0%)	37 (24.2%)	55 (35.9%)	28 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)								(n/a)																	$18,610
Waddell School	Public	K-4	163 Broad Street	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3392	476	40	11.8	63.4%	73 (15.3%)	114 (23.9%)	165 (34.7%)	92 (19.3%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.5%)	34.1	320^th of 492 public elementary schools	35.0%		25.6	341^st of 493 public elementary schools	30.8%	21			31.0	42.0					53.5	43.9					92%	0%	$22,521
Keeney School	Public	K-4	65 North School St.	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3354	366	30	12.1	53.3%	142 (38.8%)	87 (23.8%)	85 (23.2%)	27 (7.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.7%)	19.6	373^rd of 492 public elementary schools	24.2%		23.2	351^st of 493 public elementary schools	28.8%	22			28.6	38.7					32.0	32.8					95.1%	0%	$22,644
Bolton Center School	Public	PK, KG-8	108 Notch Rd.	Bolton	06043	Capitol Planning Region	Bolton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 643-2411	473	44	10.8	21.8%	357 (75.5%)	25 (5.3%)	54 (11.4%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.6%)	80.5	104^th of 492 public elementary schools	78.9%		72.2	162^nd of 493 public elementary schools	67.1%	58	69.2	809.0	72.4	70.8	73.1	68.9	2558.0	2585.0	2499.0	68.8	2568.0	2579.0	47.1	60.0	100%	0%	$21,281
Lake Street School	Public	K-5	201 Lake St.	Vernon	06066	Capitol Planning Region	Vernon School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 870-6085	235	22	10.5	42.1%	139 (59.1%)	9 (3.8%)	42 (17.9%)	22 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.8%)	61.3	218^th of 492 public elementary schools	55.7%		66.3	193^rd of 493 public elementary schools	60.9%	25	68.2		2425.0	59.5	63.6				46.2	48.6	63.6				97.7%	2.3%	$22,246
Odyssey Community School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	579 Middle Tpke West	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Odyssey Community School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(860) 645-1234	410	33	12.4	40.5%	97 (23.7%)	91 (22.2%)	86 (21.0%)	105 (25.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.8%)	56.7	232^nd of 492 public elementary schools	52.8%		58.1	229^th of 493 public elementary schools	53.5%	3	496.0	805.0	42.9	65.8	46.2	2534.0	52.5	2581.0	2438.0	73.7	2510.0	2521.0	52.5	56.4	100%	0%	$14,822
Verplanck School	Public	K-4	126 Olcott Street	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3383	466	40	11.6	77.5%	67 (14.4%)	108 (23.2%)	233 (50.0%)	30 (6.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.2%)	23.3	360^th of 492 public elementary schools	26.8%		11.3	422^nd of 493 public elementary schools	14.4%	62			27.9	29.8					45.3	38.1					87.8%	1.1%	$22,788

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Park School

What is the racial makeup of Highland Park School?

Students at Highland Park School are 34% Hispanic, 33% White, 21% African American, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Highland Park School attend?

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

Middle : Illing Middle School
High : Manchester High School

Is Highland Park School a good school?

Highland Park School ranks 210^th of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Highland Park School in?

Manchester School District

How many students attend Highland Park School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended Highland Park School.

Rate Highland Park School!

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Latest Connecticut data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesAug 31, 2026

2025–26 NGSS, SAT & SBAC test scoresAug 31, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataApr 2, 2026

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