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

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Highland Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

810^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Highland Elementary is a public elementary school located in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 512 students. The school is part of the Columbia Heights Public School District, which is ranked 418 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Highland Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Minnesota elementary schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 716 and 823 out of around 850-880 schools. The school has maintained a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of this period. Academically, Highland Elementary consistently underperforms the state and district averages in both math and reading proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's math proficiency rate for all grades is 17.67%, compared to 45.21% for the state and 13.79% for the district.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Valley View Elementary and North Park School for Innovation, also perform below the state averages in academic proficiency, but generally outperform Highland Elementary. Additionally, Global Academy, a public charter school located about 0.6 miles from Highland Elementary, significantly outperforms Highland Elementary and the state averages in both math and reading proficiency across all grade levels. The high percentage of students from low-income families and the relatively high student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary may be contributing factors to its struggles.

534

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,593

Per pupil spending ?

78.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 49th Ave NE
Columbia Heights, MN 55421-1991

(763) 528-4405

District: Columbia Heights Public School District

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Columbia Academy
High:	Columbia Heights Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.1%

African American:

23.0%

White:

15.4%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Highland Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (19% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg18%

Minnesota avg47%

810^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Columbia Heights Public School District

418^th of 446Columbia Heights Public School District among Minnesota 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	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	7.9	810 of 872	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	823 of 881	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	747 of 845	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	746 of 858	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.7	755 of 869	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	755 of 870	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	738 of 847	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.3	716 of 853	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.0	730 of 848	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.6	736 of 840	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.5	674 of 826	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	27.6	666 of 824	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	45.2	571 of 820	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.8	682 of 814	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.4	685 of 803	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.4	377 of 434	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	47.6	511 of 781	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.8	412 of 777	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	76.4	126 of 756	83.3%	★★★★☆
2005	50.5	422 of 685	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	20.1	599 of 676	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	23.2	581 of 674	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	34.5	200 of 298	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	218 of 310	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.7	156 of 279	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	183 of 282	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	12.5	217 of 227	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.1	186 of 283	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.4	149 of 266	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	16.4	295 of 303	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	278 of 303	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	203 of 276	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.1	187 of 256	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	174 of 175	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	199 of 239	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	139 of 242	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	733 of 799	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	749 of 809	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	731 of 787	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	718 of 799	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.9	705 of 783	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	673 of 787	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	677 of 774	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	224 of 238	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	239 of 249	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	193 of 214	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	156 of 209	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.8	108 of 153	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.6	171 of 219	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	173 of 220	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	713 of 764	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	734 of 793	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	657 of 774	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	501 of 663	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	545 of 683	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	635 of 740	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	592 of 728	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	7.2	765 of 812	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	790 of 826	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	681 of 799	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	696 of 808	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	685 of 784	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	700 of 798	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	674 of 779	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	28.0	77 of 96	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	89 of 98	9.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	535 of 562	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	491 of 524	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	350 of 500	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.4	412 of 515	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	392 of 463	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	363 of 714	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.4	640 of 730	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	574 of 712	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	678 of 725	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	652 of 710	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	549 of 722	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	683 of 712	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)49th percentile+42 vs school

African American (2025)33rd percentile+26 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)20th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)6th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)3rd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading21%-29 vs state

Math18%-28 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Highland Elementary

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

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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)							MCA-III Reading (2025)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Highland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 49th Ave NE	Columbia Heights	55421	Anoka County	Columbia Heights Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 528-4405	534	34	15.6	78.3%	82 (15.4%)	123 (23.0%)	273 (51.1%)	26 (4.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.1%)	7.9	810^th of 872 public elementary schools	7.1%		6.4	823^rd of 881 public elementary schools	6.6%	13	22.2	22.1	6.9				17.7	22.2	20.9	19.4				21.0	$14,593
Global Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3000 5th Street NW	New Brighton	55112	Ramsey County	Global Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(763) 404-8200	447	34	12.9	89.0%	63 (14.1%)	369 (82.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44.1	529^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.3%		43.8	554^th of 881 public elementary schools	37.1%	25	73.5	41.5	9.8	22.2	21.8	17.9	30.5	49.0	41.5	41.2	61.1	50.9	50.0	49.1	$15,261
Valley View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 49th Ave NE	Columbia Heights	55421	Anoka County	Columbia Heights Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 528-4205	568	36	15.6	79.2%	78 (13.7%)	72 (12.7%)	377 (66.4%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.1%)	4.8	839^th of 872 public elementary schools	3.8%		5.9	831^st of 881 public elementary schools	5.7%	8	14.8	15.7	6.7				12.3	13.6	13.3	24.2				17.2	$13,873
Bultum Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1555 40th Ave NE	Columbia Heights	55421	Anoka County	Bultum Academy Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(763) 450-3522	249	20	12.5	83.1%	10 (4.0%)	239 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.8	676^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.5%		29.6	657^th of 881 public elementary schools	25.4%	19	38.7	45.5	17.4	21.1	6.7		29.8	22.6	30.3	39.1	57.9	40.0		35.5
North Park School for Innovation	Public	PK, KG-5	5575 Fillmore St NE	Fridley	55432	Anoka County	Columbia Heights Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 528-4305	433	31	13.9	80.8%	68 (15.7%)	102 (23.6%)	190 (43.9%)	18 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (12.7%)	7.7	814^th of 872 public elementary schools	6.7%		5.7	834^th of 881 public elementary schools	5.3%	20	21.8	16.7	7.6				14.3	28.6	16.7	18.0				20.9	$14,968
Bel Air Elementary	Public	1-5	1800 5th St NW	New Brighton	55112	Ramsey County	Mounds View Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 621-6300	729	48	15.0	36.8%	437 (59.9%)	88 (12.1%)	67 (9.2%)	62 (8.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (10.0%)	70.8	262^nd of 872 public elementary schools	70.0%		70.4	252^nd of 881 public elementary schools	71.4%	10	64.4	70.8	50.7				62.1	46.6	58.6	61.2				55.6	$12,365
Prodeo Columbia Heights Primary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-1	4141 University Ave NE	Columbia Heights	55421	Anoka County	Prodeo Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(763) 205-9950	218	21	10.3	88.1%	19 (8.7%)	149 (68.3%)	41 (18.8%)	2 (0.9%)	5 (2.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)								(n/a)															$17,501
Prodeo Columbia Heights Elementary	Public, Charter	2-4	4141 University Ave NE	Columbia Heights	55421	Anoka County	Prodeo Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(763) 205-9950	227	29	7.8	90.7%	9 (4.0%)	152 (67.0%)	62 (27.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	13.7	763^rd of 872 public elementary schools	12.5%		9.1	798^th of 881 public elementary schools	9.4%	35	34.7	31.0					32.9	12.5	26.8					19.6
Pike Lake Kindergarten Center	Public	PK-K	2101 14th St NW	New Brighton	55112	Ramsey County	Mounds View Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 621-7400	733	44	16.7	52.0%	341 (46.5%)	153 (20.9%)	96 (13.1%)	69 (9.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (10.0%)								(n/a)															$15,618
Waite Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 34th Ave NE	Minneapolis	55418	Hennepin County	Minneapolis Public School District	No	No	No	No	(612) 668-1600	266	22	11.9	29.3%	157 (59.0%)	30 (11.3%)	31 (11.7%)	5 (1.9%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (15.0%)	86.1	82^nd of 872 public elementary schools	90.6%		81.3	129^th of 881 public elementary schools	85.4%	47	72.5	76.3	70.7				73.1	60.0	59.0	80.0				66.4	$13,491

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Elementary

What district is Highland Elementary in?

Columbia Heights Public School District

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbia Academy
High : Columbia Heights Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary?

Students at Highland Elementary are 51% Hispanic, 23% African American, 15% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

How many students attend Highland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 534 students attended Highland Elementary.

Is Highland Elementary a good school?

Highland Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Minnesota elementary schools.

Rate Highland Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MNMinnesota Elementary School Rankings

MNMinnesota District Rankings

Schools in Columbia Heights, MN

Sign up for updates!

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

Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2022–23 graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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