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Highlands Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

32^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 Kentucky Middle Schools

Better than 90% of Kentucky middle schools

Summary

Highlands Middle School is a public middle school located in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 733 students. The school is part of the Fort Thomas Independent School District, which is ranked 3 out of 157 districts in Kentucky and is rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Highlands Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Kentucky, ranking as high as 4th out of 320 schools in the 2021-2022 school year. The school's students perform significantly better than the state average on the Kentucky State Assessments (KSA) across all subject areas and grade levels, with proficiency rates in Mathematics, Reading, and Science 20-30 percentage points higher than the state averages in 2024-2025. The school's performance is also consistently better than the Fort Thomas Independent School District average, indicating that Highlands Middle School is a high-performing school within an already high-performing district.

While the school's overall performance is exceptional, the disparities in performance between different student subgroups, particularly low socioeconomic status (SES) students and students with disabilities, suggest that the school may need to focus on addressing the unique needs of these populations to ensure equitable outcomes. Additionally, the school's relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, despite its low dropout rates, indicate that attendance may be an area of concern that the school should address to further improve student outcomes. Overall, Highlands Middle School is a standout institution in the region, providing a high-quality education to its students, but may need to focus on addressing the needs of its more vulnerable student populations.

717

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,270

Per pupil spending ?

10.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2350 Memorial Pkwy
Fort Thomas, KY 41075

(859) 441-5222

District: Fort Thomas Independent

Students who attend Highlands Middle School usually attend:

High:

Highlands High School

Feeder schools for Highlands Middle School:

Elementary:	Johnson Elementary School
	Moyer Elementary School
	Woodfill Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.4%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Hispanic:

3.2%

See top rated Kentucky middle schools

Compare Highlands Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2015 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Kentucky average (60% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Kentucky middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg60%

Kentucky avg43%

32^nd of 320

Kentucky public middle schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 157Fort Thomas Independent among Kentucky 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	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	82.7	32 of 320	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.1	13 of 324	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.5	16 of 327	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	96.5	4 of 320	98.8%	★★★★★
2021	96.8	5 of 282	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	88.0	10 of 335	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	93.5	6 of 322	98.1%	★★★★★
2017	94.7	5 of 330	98.5%	★★★★★
2016	94.1	4 of 331	98.8%	★★★★★
2015	93.2	7 of 337	97.9%	★★★★★
2014	93.4	3 of 335	99.1%	★★★★★
2013	91.1	8 of 335	97.6%	★★★★★
2012	95.4	3 of 319	99.1%	★★★★★
2011	84.6	26 of 304	91.4%	★★★★★
2010	83.9	28 of 299	90.6%	★★★★★
2009	90.4	12 of 289	95.8%	★★★★★
2008	88.9	16 of 287	94.4%	★★★★★
2007	95.4	8 of 284	97.2%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	53.8	28 of 111	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	51.3	72 of 219	67.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	82.8	29 of 298	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	5 of 300	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.8	14 of 295	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	4 of 299	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	96.5	4 of 233	98.3%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	13 of 299	95.7%	★★★★★
2018	93.3	5 of 290	98.3%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	62.0	21 of 62	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.9	6 of 63	90.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	155 of 314	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	151 of 311	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	109 of 309	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.9	24 of 310	92.3%	★★★★★
2019	55.6	115 of 303	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.0	48 of 285	83.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	81.6	33 of 303	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	89.1	13 of 304	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	89.1	15 of 307	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	5 of 304	98.4%	★★★★★
2021	95.2	2 of 222	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	88.2	9 of 303	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	92.3	8 of 293	97.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	38 of 101	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	92.4	2 of 99	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	6 of 95	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	85.5	7 of 87	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	1 of 85	98.8%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	81.1	33 of 294	88.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	80.7	41 of 314	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	89.7	18 of 316	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	88.9	22 of 320	93.1%	★★★★★
2022	94.2	11 of 314	96.5%	★★★★★
2021	93.9	6 of 213	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	85.2	19 of 266	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.8	11 of 253	95.7%	★★★★★

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 (2025)90th percentile~ school

Male (2025)89th percentile~ school

Special Education (2019)89th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)87th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)75th percentile-24 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)66th percentile-31 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)62nd percentile-28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics66%+24 vs state

Reading64%+17 vs state

Editing and Mechanics64%+15 vs state

Science55%+26 vs state

Social Studies49%+10 vs state

Writing46%-3 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 8, 2011

Excellent school. Teachers and staff are awesome. Close Quote

Schools Near Highlands Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)			KSA Reading (2025)			KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)	KSA Social Studies (2025)	KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Highlands Middle School	Public	6-8	2350 Memorial Pkwy	Fort Thomas	41075	Campbell County	Fort Thomas Independent	No	No	No	No	(859) 441-5222	717	46	15.6	10.9%	641 (89.4%)	14 (2.0%)	23 (3.2%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.3%)	82.7	32^nd of 320 public middle schools	90.0%		91.1	13^th of 324 public middle schools	96.0%	19	65.0	75.0	57.0	69.0	72.0	52.0	55.0	46.0	49.0	64.0	$12,270	$203	$180	$383	$9,899	$1,988	$11,887
Holmes Middle School	Public	6-8	2500 Madison Avenue	Covington	41014	Kenton County	Covington Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 655-9545	631	43	14.6	83.5%	198 (31.4%)	183 (29.0%)	189 (30.0%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (8.6%)	11.6	301^st of 320 public middle schools	5.9%		9	305^th of 324 public middle schools	5.9%	4	24.0	20.0	29.0	38.0	27.0	23.0	16.0	29.0	19.0	40.0	$20,281	$1,604	$888	$2,492	$13,089	$1,377	$14,466
Woodland Middle School	Public	6-8	5399 Pride Parkway	Taylor Mill	41015	Kenton County	Kenton County	No	No	No	No	(859) 356-7300	542	32	16.9	46.9%	445 (82.1%)	14 (2.6%)	33 (6.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.5%)	76.1	55^th of 320 public middle schools	82.8%		71.2	71^st of 324 public middle schools	78.1%	16	55.0	55.0	43.0	63.0	62.0	56.0	44.0	79.0	47.0	54.0	$15,888	$458	$369	$9,600	$1,446	$827	$11,046
Turkey Foot Middle School	Public	6-8	3230 Turkeyfoot Rd	Edgewood	41017	Kenton County	Kenton County	No	No	No	No	(859) 341-0216	1,006	46	21.6	48.7%	693 (68.9%)	57 (5.7%)	108 (10.7%)	45 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.7%)	96 (9.5%)	61.7	111^th of 320 public middle schools	65.3%		69.9	78^th of 324 public middle schools	75.9%	33	45.0	58.0	42.0	51.0	59.0	45.0	42.0	56.0	40.0	53.0	$14,481	$320	$367	$8,650	$1,174	$687	$9,824
Campbell County Middle School	Public	6-8	8000 Alexandria Pk	Alexandria	41001	Campbell County	Campbell County	No	No	No	No	(859) 635-6077	1,099	67	16.4	47.2%	977 (88.9%)	24 (2.2%)	23 (2.1%)	20 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (4.8%)	54.9	133^rd of 320 public middle schools	58.4%		47.6	157^th of 324 public middle schools	51.5%	24	47.0	51.0	51.0	52.0	44.0	43.0	31.0	60.0	38.0	50.0	$14,393	$913	$391	$1,304	$9,713	$3,375	$13,089
Tichenor Middle School	Public	6-8	305 Bartlett Ave	Erlanger	41018	Kenton County	Erlanger-Elsmere Independent	No	No	No	No	(859) 727-2255	505	36	14.0	87.7%	301 (59.6%)	54 (10.7%)	71 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.6%)	61 (12.1%)	22.1	257^th of 320 public middle schools	19.7%		24	255^th of 324 public middle schools	21.3%	2	24.0	30.0	38.0	38.0	44.0	30.0	17.0	38.0	26.0	43.0	$14,671	$272	$156	$428	$11,497	$2,746	$14,243
Rector A. Jones Middle School	Public	6-8	8000 Spruce Dr	Florence	41042	Boone County	Boone County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 282-4610	683	54	12.6	64.3%	258 (37.8%)	133 (19.5%)	228 (33.4%)	6 (0.9%)	3 (0.4%)	11 (1.6%)	44 (6.4%)	17.3	280^th of 320 public middle schools	12.5%		18.8	276^th of 324 public middle schools	14.8%	4	27.0	27.0	28.0	44.0	32.0	31.0	12.0	37.0	32.0	35.0	$12,880	$1,139	$1,021	$2,160	$9,851	$869	$10,720
Twenhofel Middle School	Public	6-8	11846 Taylor Mill Rd	Independence	41051	Kenton County	Kenton County	No	No	No	No	(859) 356-5559	775	40	19.3	35.9%	676 (87.2%)	30 (3.9%)	32 (4.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.1%)	75.6	56^th of 320 public middle schools	82.5%		76.2	51^st of 324 public middle schools	84.3%	5	55.0	58.0	49.0	63.0	60.0	51.0	41.0	64.0	46.0	60.0	$15,066	$730	$413	$8,510	$1,422	$1,143	$9,932
Ockerman Middle School	Public	6-8	8300 Us 42	Florence	41042	Boone County	Boone County	No	No	No	No	(859) 282-3240	674	46	14.6	42.0%	436 (64.7%)	68 (10.1%)	94 (13.9%)	33 (4.9%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.9%)	36 (5.3%)	37.5	204^th of 320 public middle schools	36.3%		49.2	151^st of 324 public middle schools	53.4%	53	42.0	43.0	31.0	50.0	51.0	36.0	30.0	39.0	32.0	42.0	$12,132	$623	$609	$1,232	$9,805	$1,094	$10,900
Conner Middle School	Public	6-8	3300 Cougar Path	Hebron	41048	Boone County	Boone County	No	No	No	No	(859) 334-4410	865	52	16.6	36.0%	701 (81.0%)	50 (5.8%)	52 (6.0%)	19 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	40 (4.6%)	91.7	13^th of 320 public middle schools	95.9%		88.6	17^th of 324 public middle schools	94.8%	4	68.0	70.0	72.0	72.0	67.0	61.0	46.0	79.0	54.0	67.0	$11,465	$697	$476	$1,173	$9,200	$1,092	$10,292

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Middle School

What high school do graduates of Highlands Middle School attend?

Students who attend Highlands Middle School usually go on to attend Highlands High School

What district is Highlands Middle School in?

Fort Thomas Independent

Is Highlands Middle School a good school?

Yes. Highlands Middle School ranks in the top 10.0% of Kentucky middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Middle School?

Students at Highlands Middle School are 89% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% African American.

How many students attend Highlands Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 717 students attended Highlands Middle School.

Rate Highlands Middle School!

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