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Highland Elementary School

Public Grades K-6

1680^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Highland Elementary School in Elgin, Illinois, serves grades K–6 and enrolls 616 students—the largest enrollment among the 10 nearby schools reviewed, with 39 more students than the next-largest school. In 2025–2026, 24% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 16% in mathematics, and 14% in fifth-grade science. The most important finding for families is that recent proficiency is weak across all three tested subjects.

Highland’s results are near the bottom of the nearby group and well below district and state results. Its ELA rate was 23 percentage points below School District U-46 and 33 points below the state; in math, it was 17 and 24 points lower, respectively. Highland ranked ninth of 11 schools in ELA and 10th in math, and its rates were 9 points below the nearby-school average in ELA and 8 points below it in math. Fifth-grade science was the lowest among the six schools with results. A relative bright spot is third-grade math: 34% proficiency, the fourth-highest result among nearby schools with reported scores. By contrast, fifth-grade ELA was 22%, above only one nearby school.

Scores have improved only modestly since 2023–2024, while the state’s results rose faster: Highland’s ELA rate gained 2 points and math gained 2 points, but its gaps to the state widened to 33 points in ELA and 24 in math. SchoolDigger placed Highland in the 3rd statewide percentile and awarded it 0 stars in 2025–2026. Its student-teacher ratio was 16:1 in 2024–2025, close to the nearby average of 16.3:1; 77% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, compared with 71% across nearby schools. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well Highland serves English Language Learner Students fell from the 62nd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 7th in 2025–2026. Its measure for Low Socio Economic Status Students fell from the 41st to the 2nd percentile over the same period. Chronic absenteeism has improved, falling 11 points from 2022–2023 to 27% in 2025–2026, though it remained 3 points above the state rate.

616

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,100

Per pupil spending ?

77.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

91.5%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

190 N Melrose Ave
Elgin, IL 60123-5183

(847) 888-5280

District: School District U-46

Students who attend Highland Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kimball Middle School
High:	Larkin High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.9%

African American:

9.1%

White:

6.3%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Highland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 26th percentile in 2016 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (18% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg38%

Illinois avg48%

1,680^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

37^th of 38Elementary Schools in the School District U-46

604^th of 738School District U-46 among Illinois 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	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	6.1	1680 of 1737	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	1717 of 2056	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1482 of 2067	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	1683 of 2077	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	1763 of 2082	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	1766 of 1948	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	1815 of 2086	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	1740 of 2037	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.4	1756 of 2044	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.5	1519 of 2046	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.7	1268 of 2052	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	26.0	1630 of 2093	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.4	1766 of 2167	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.0	1782 of 2166	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.5	1759 of 2147	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.5	1562 of 2139	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.7	1724 of 2120	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.5	1693 of 2092	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.3	1665 of 2095	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.5	1346 of 2086	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.9	1497 of 2022	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	44.4	1325 of 2030	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2003	36.2	1455 of 2020	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	579 of 688	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	464 of 698	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	793 of 1049	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.7	484 of 886	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.1	564 of 907	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	154 of 165	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	35.1	530 of 788	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.2	310 of 826	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.5	468 of 788	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	498 of 768	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	364 of 537	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	551 of 743	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.7	506 of 718	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	1641 of 1942	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	1414 of 1942	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	1552 of 1957	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	1681 of 1970	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.7	1592 of 1680	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	1725 of 2019	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	1670 of 1964	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	11.8	505 of 536	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	799 of 982	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.3	586 of 959	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	802 of 970	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	860 of 954	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.4	686 of 742	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	863 of 955	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	834 of 938	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	8.1	980 of 1001	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.7	1361 of 1800	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.8	1066 of 1793	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	1386 of 1808	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	1455 of 1763	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.5	1287 of 1514	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	1546 of 1816	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	1530 of 1765	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	7.7	1258 of 1311	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.3	1603 of 1947	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	1376 of 1959	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	1618 of 1984	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	1677 of 1977	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.7	1546 of 1707	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	1753 of 2019	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	1673 of 1972	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	990 of 1292	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	822 of 1195	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.2	857 of 1156	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.6	562 of 1113	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.4	973 of 1194	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	594 of 763	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	24.5	1116 of 1392	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)24th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile+7 vs school

White (2024)20th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2025)16th percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)7th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)6th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts24%-32 vs state

Mathematics16%-24 vs state

Science14%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland Elementary 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)				ISA Science (2026)	IAR English Language Arts (2026)					IAR Mathematics (2026)					Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	ISA Science 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland Elementary School	Public	K-6	190 N Melrose Ave	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5280	616	38	16.0	77.1%	39 (6.3%)	56 (9.1%)	480 (77.9%)	4 (0.6%)	12 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.1%)	6.1	1680^th of 1737 public elementary schools	3.3%		18	1717^th of 2056 public elementary schools	16.5%	37	13.8	26.1	25.6	21.8	22.4	23.8	34.3	13.4			15.5	91.5%		$19,100	$1,297	$17,803
Washington Elementary School	Public	K-6	819 W Chicago St	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5270	446	25	17.6	72.2%	41 (9.2%)	56 (12.6%)	327 (73.3%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	19	1405^th of 1737 public elementary schools	19.1%		29.1	1456^th of 2056 public elementary schools	29.2%	51		29.4	28.6	25.0	55.1	34.1	27.5			36.7	21.2	95.8%		$20,676	$1,232	$19,444
Harriet Gifford Elementary School	Public	K-6	240 S Clifton Ave	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5195	460	29	16.1	79.1%	21 (4.6%)	98 (21.3%)	325 (70.7%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	14.4	1512^th of 1737 public elementary schools	13.0%		19.9	1671^st of 2056 public elementary schools	18.7%	159	22.2	16.2		33.3	50.7	30.0	33.8			23.9	19.7	98.1%		$20,077	$1,322	$18,755
Creekside Elementary	Public	K-6	655 N Airlite St	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 289-6270	469	34	13.9	62.5%	70 (14.9%)	37 (7.9%)	322 (68.7%)	14 (3.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.1%)	18.9	1408^th of 1737 public elementary schools	18.9%		27.1	1505^th of 2056 public elementary schools	26.8%	97	25.5	28.8	40.7	32.7	33.3	34.1	61.5	30.5		15.9	30.1	95.4%		$21,470	$1,151	$20,319
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public	K-6	80 N Airlite St	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5282	509	30	16.9	68.0%	62 (12.2%)	22 (4.3%)	401 (78.8%)	4 (0.8%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	13.9	1522^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	12.4%		29.2	1453^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	29.3%	69	15.9	23.1	48.1	28.6	20.0	29.6	24.6	40.4	27.0		26.1	95.5%		$19,183	$1,104	$18,079
Lowrie Elementary School	Public	K-6	264 Oak St	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5260	397	22	17.8	75.8%	18 (4.5%)	25 (6.3%)	341 (85.9%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	5	1704^th of 1737 public elementary schools	1.9%		11.9	1877^th of 2056 public elementary schools	8.7%	173		26.7		21.6	23.5	22.6	18.0				12.9	97.9%		$20,098	$1,777	$18,321
McKinley Elementary School	Public	K-6	258 Lovell St	Elgin	60120	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5262	395	25	15.6	77.5%	28 (7.1%)	11 (2.8%)	346 (87.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	9.7	1609^th of 1737 public elementary schools	7.4%		17.3	1737^th of 2056 public elementary schools	15.5%	128	23.2	26.3	27.6	35.7	35.0	30.8	28.1		21.4		21.9	97.6%		$21,666	$1,647	$20,019
Century Oaks Elementary School	Public	K-6	1235 Braeburn Dr	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5180	542	31	17.5	74.0%	59 (10.9%)	51 (9.4%)	398 (73.4%)	17 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)	13.3	1536^th of 1737 public elementary schools	11.6%		25.4	1551^st of 2056 public elementary schools	24.6%	15	20.9	39.7	34.8	33.8	44.2	37.5	31.0	23.6	14.7		21.0	97.9%		$20,878	$1,406	$19,472
Channing Memorial Elementary School	Public	K-6	63 S Channing St	Elgin	60120	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5185	491	32	15.1	83.5%	21 (4.3%)	32 (6.5%)	418 (85.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	6.9	1663^rd of 1737 public elementary schools	4.3%		12.3	1865^th of 2056 public elementary schools	9.3%	202		27.6	25.7	23.3		23.5	25.9				15.8	95.8%		$21,020	$1,496	$19,524
Ronald D O Neal	Public	K-6	510 Franklin Blvd	Elgin	60120	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5266	445	30	14.9	80.4%	27 (6.1%)	20 (4.5%)	388 (87.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	20.4	1373^rd of 1737 public elementary schools	21.0%		24.2	1574^th of 2056 public elementary schools	23.4%	201		40.0	42.2	22.2	33.3	35.4	51.7	28.1			26.9	98.3%		$20,635	$1,435	$19,201

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary School?

Students at Highland Elementary School are 78% Hispanic, 9% African American, 6% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

Is Highland Elementary School a good school?

Highland Elementary School ranks in the bottom 3.3% of Illinois elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Kimball Middle School
High : Larkin High School

What district is Highland Elementary School in?

School District U-46

How many students attend Highland Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 616 students attended Highland Elementary School.

Rate Highland Elementary School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board 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.