1. Home
  2. Florida
  3. Sebring
  4. Highlands
  5. Highlands Virtual School
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Highlands Virtual School

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12
577th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 841 Florida Alternative Schools
Better than 31% of Florida alternative schools
Summary

Highlands Virtual School in Sebring, FL, is a small alternative public school serving 141 students in grades K-12 within the Highlands district, offering a flexible online learning environment that stands out for its strong attendance and improving graduation rates.

One of the most impressive findings is the school’s dramatic turnaround in graduation rates, which soared from a low of 49.1% in 2022-2023 to 87.5% in 2024-2025—now above the district average and approaching the state average. This suggests recent, effective changes in strategy. Additionally, chronic absenteeism is a non-issue here, with a rate of just 16.3% in 2023-2024, far below the district’s 36.0%. This is a major strength for a virtual school, where engagement can be challenging. Compared to the nearby Highlands County Hospital/Homebound Program, which serves only 17 students with limited data, Highlands Virtual School offers a more stable and data-rich option for families seeking a non-traditional path.

Academically, the school shows a clear split: it excels in English Language Arts (ELA), with 8th-grade proficiency at 75% and 9th-grade at 81% in 2024-2025, outperforming both district and state averages. However, math is a critical weakness, with Algebra 1 proficiency at just 20% and Geometry at 16% in 2025-2026. The school’s student-teacher ratio of 282:1 is an outlier, reflecting a self-paced online model with limited direct instruction, which may explain the math struggles. While per-student spending is below average at $8,808, this efficiency comes with trade-offs. For parents, this school is an excellent fit for students who thrive in reading and writing but may need extra support in math.

141
Students ?
282.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$8,808
Per pupil spending ?
55.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 3560 Us 27 S
       Sebring, FL  33870

(863) 471-5679

District: Highlands

Racial breakdown:

White:
46.8%
Hispanic:
36.2%
African American:
13.5%
more
 See top rated Florida elementary schools

 Compare Highlands Virtual School to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2021 → 31st in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Florida average (49% vs 63% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2021
!Algebra 1 scores 43 pts below the Florida average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school49%
District avg58%
Florida avg63%
577th of 841
Florida public high schools ?
Bottom 31%▼ down 6 pts since 2019
From bottom 38% (2019) to bottom 31% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2Alternative Schools in the Highlands
43rd of 70Highlands among Florida districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankFlorida percentileRating
202360.6824 of 224063.2%★★★☆☆
202235.41425 of 221935.8%★★☆☆☆
202137.41386 of 224738.3%★★☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankFlorida percentileRating
202375.4248 of 117778.9%★★★★☆
202265.8349 of 114869.6%★★★☆☆
202147.4589 of 113648.2%★★☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankFlorida percentileRating
202630.5577 of 84131.4%★★☆☆☆
202531.5573 of 84432.1%★★☆☆☆
202443.4384 of 80752.4%★★★☆☆
202336.2430 of 79245.7%★★☆☆☆
202236.1433 of 77444.1%★★☆☆☆
202138.2382 of 74648.8%★★☆☆☆
201933.2457 of 73437.7%★★☆☆☆
By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?
Biology 165%-9 vs state
English Language Arts60%~ state avg
US History53%-21 vs state
Math42%-20 vs state
Algebra 120%-43 vs state
Geometry16%-40 vs state

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Highlands Virtual School and help other families decide.
Rate Highlands Virtual 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 Highlands Virtual School

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Virtual School

Students at Highlands Virtual School are 47% White, 36% Hispanic, 13% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Highlands Virtual School ranks 577th of 841 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 141 students attended Highlands Virtual School.

Rate Highlands Virtual School!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

FLFlorida Alternative School Rankings

FLFlorida District Rankings

Schools in Sebring, FL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Highlands Virtual School!


Latest Florida data All new data »
2024–25 attendance dataAug 18, 2026
2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026
2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026


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

Diagnostics