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Highland Elementary

Q: Is Highland Elementary a good school?

Highland Elementary ranks 685 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

685^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Highland Elementary is a K-5 school in Burlington, NC, serving 661 students as part of the Alamance-Burlington Schools district, and it stands out as a solid performer within a district rated well below the state average. In the most recent statewide rankings, Highland holds a 3-star rating and places in the 54th percentile of all North Carolina elementary schools, sitting just above the median and roughly on par with nearby Elon Elementary. Stronger local options include Marvin B Smith Elementary and Edwin M Holt Elementary, but Highland clearly outperforms several schools in the immediate area, including Sedalia Elementary and Gibsonville Elementary.

Against its own district, Highland does remarkably well, beating the Alamance-Burlington average in every tested subject and grade for the 2025–2026 school year. The 5th grade is a genuine highlight: reading, math, and science scores all run above state averages, with 66.7% of 5th graders proficient in reading compared with 55.3% statewide. Attendance is also a bright spot, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% — better than the district’s 30% and the state’s 24.2%. Highland additionally shows strong support for certain student populations, ranking in the 77th percentile for special education students and the 83rd percentile for gifted and talented students when compared with similar students across North Carolina. These results are encouraging for parents who value schools that pay close attention to students with diverse learning needs.

However, families should know that Highland’s performance just isn’t consistent from year to year or across grade levels. The strong 5th-grade showing in 2025–2026 may reflect a particularly capable cohort, since earlier data shows that same grade level scored far below state averages in 2022–2023. Highland has also experienced notable swings in results for specific demographic groups, with recent improvements for low-income students but declines for English language learners and other subgroups. The school operates with a slightly larger student-teacher ratio (16.3) than most nearby schools, yet it still outperforms the vast majority of them. Overall, Highland is best described as a school that is strong within its district and near the state average overall — but not quite back to the top-quartile rankings it reached back in 2015–2016 or 2018–2019. For families weighing school options in Burlington, it represents a dependable, above-average choice within a district that currently struggles at the system level.

661

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

53.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3720 Bonnar Bridge Parkway
Burlington, NC 27215

(336) 538-8700

District: Alamance-Burlington Schools

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Turrentine Middle
High:	Walter M Williams High

Racial breakdown:

White:

33.3%

African American:

32.2%

Hispanic:

19.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Highland Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 44th percentile in 2023 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 54th (2026) from a 44th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the North Carolina median (54th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg51%

North Carolina avg61%

685^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 25% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

179^th of 246Alamance-Burlington Schools among North Carolina 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	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	685 of 1492	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	815 of 1490	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.7	705 of 1505	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.6	835 of 1502	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.6	634 of 1514	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.0	595 of 1489	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.0	441 of 1473	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	63.2	531 of 1434	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.2	573 of 1429	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	72.4	353 of 1425	75.2%	★★★★☆
2015	77.0	290 of 1440	79.9%	★★★★☆
2014	80.1	236 of 1390	83.0%	★★★★☆
2013	76.9	269 of 1403	80.8%	★★★★☆
2012	66.4	472 of 1388	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.9	498 of 1381	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.9	649 of 1363	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.5	496 of 1354	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	69.3	359 of 1324	72.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.3	341 of 903	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	26.4	746 of 918	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.5	566 of 924	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	695 of 933	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.6	373 of 927	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.6	184 of 896	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	67.7	225 of 949	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	61.5	291 of 927	68.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	55.8	198 of 634	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.9	604 of 878	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.8	258 of 897	71.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	300 of 519	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.1	256 of 563	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	172 of 514	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	736 of 1447	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.5	1016 of 1451	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	841 of 1455	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	900 of 1459	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.7	820 of 1458	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.7	701 of 1440	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.7	476 of 1424	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	553 of 1405	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	126 of 743	83.0%	★★★★☆
2025	59.1	349 of 710	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	366 of 669	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	539 of 582	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	448 of 500	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	63.2	213 of 494	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.1	415 of 612	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	589 of 981	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.1	382 of 961	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.0	378 of 951	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	378 of 915	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.7	510 of 893	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.3	212 of 843	74.9%	★★★★☆
2019	53.0	390 of 865	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.2	711 of 851	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.7	650 of 1434	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.9	994 of 1437	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	967 of 1450	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	910 of 1437	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.2	709 of 1366	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.8	673 of 1329	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	768 of 1361	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.9	735 of 1332	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	636 of 1451	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.5	511 of 1450	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	554 of 1464	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	710 of 1461	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.3	433 of 1464	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	67.6	424 of 1444	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	68.2	407 of 1430	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	500 of 1413	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	67 of 181	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.7	114 of 175	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.0	98 of 159	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	190 of 815	76.7%	★★★★☆
2025	66.1	166 of 821	79.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	352 of 1146	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	413 of 1172	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.2	495 of 1166	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.5	717 of 1183	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.4	622 of 1194	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.3	597 of 1172	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.4	420 of 1183	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.5	462 of 1178	60.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)83rd percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2026)77th percentile+23 vs school

White (2026)69th percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2022)69th percentile+11 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)63rd percentile+9 vs school

African American (2026)62nd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)56th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile~ school

Female (2026)49th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)42nd percentile-12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)40th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science69%~ state avg

Mathematics60%-4 vs state

Reading58%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Highland Elementary

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland Elementary	Public	K-5	3720 Bonnar Bridge Parkway	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 538-8700	661	41	16.3	53.7%	220 (33.3%)	213 (32.2%)	127 (19.2%)	39 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.2%)	52.6	685^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.1%		46.1	815^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.3%	130	61.1	47.7	70.6	54.6	54.1	66.7	68.6	$9,245	$741	$8,504
Marvin B Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2235 Delaney Drive	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 570-6140	556	36	15.2	99.3%	217 (39.0%)	127 (22.8%)	141 (25.4%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (10.3%)	68.7	444^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.2%		74.6	322^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	78.4%	122	80.3	71.8	69.5	59.2	67.1	57.3	68.3	$9,448	$690	$8,757
Edwin M Holt Elementary	Public	K-5	4751 S Nc 62	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 570-6420	505	33	15.3	49.1%	369 (73.1%)	33 (6.5%)	62 (12.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.5%)	63.7	524^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.9%		54.4	662^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	55.6%	138	74.3	69.7	54.3	67.6	65.2	57.4	70.2	$9,443	$688	$8,755
Grove Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	141 Trail One	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6115	437	30	14.7	99.3%	55 (12.6%)	188 (43.0%)	140 (32.0%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	45 (10.3%)	12.9	1387^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.0%		9.5	1429^th of 1490 public elementary schools	4.1%	42	32.3	35.4	51.9	24.2	31.7	40.4	55.8	$10,942	$1,874	$9,068
Gibsonville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 East Joyner Street	Gibsonville	27249	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 449-4214	595	41	14.4	99.5%	234 (39.3%)	213 (35.8%)	93 (15.6%)	14 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.6%)	31.9	1058^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.1%		35.8	987^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.8%	71	45.6	61.7	50.5	35.0	55.6	52.7	55.9	$9,628	$722	$8,905
Elon Elementary	Public	K-5	720 Walker Road	Elon	27244	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 538-6000	689	40	17.0	99.6%	307 (44.6%)	120 (17.4%)	181 (26.3%)	8 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (10.6%)	51.4	708^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.5%		50.4	741^st of 1490 public elementary schools	50.3%	33	63.8	60.3	61.8	53.4	54.5	54.5	70.0	$8,235	$631	$7,604
Hillcrest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1714 W Davis Street	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6120	556	37	15.0	99.5%	65 (11.7%)	215 (38.7%)	220 (39.6%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.2%)	8.9	1433^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.0%		13.1	1378^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.5%	55	40.6	39.2	34.0	27.1	43.2	29.3	39.0	$9,901	$1,732	$8,169
Harvey R Newlin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	316 Carden Street	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6125	491	32	15.2	99.4%	51 (10.4%)	146 (29.7%)	252 (51.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.5%)	7.3	1449^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.9%		4.3	1474^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.1%	25	35.4	19.4	37.8	27.7	28.4	32.4	50.0	$9,853	$1,732	$8,121
Sedalia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6120 Burlington Road	Sedalia	27342	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 449-4711	535	36	14.7	98.9%	112 (20.9%)	273 (51.0%)	92 (17.2%)	17 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (7.3%)	35.6	989^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.7%		43.7	857^th of 1490 public elementary schools	42.5%	132	68.9	60.0	37.2	51.1	58.8	38.5	39.7	$9,788	$928	$8,860
Eastlawn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	502 N Graham Hopedale Road	Burlington	27217	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6180	528	35	15.2	99.4%	32 (6.1%)	133 (25.2%)	320 (60.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	38 (7.2%)	1.6	1489^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.2%		2.5	1485^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.3%	4	26.1	14.8	29.4	17.4	23.5	19.1	29.4	$9,376	$1,578	$7,799

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Elementary

What schools do graduates of Highland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Highland Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Turrentine Middle
High : Walter M Williams High

What is the racial makeup of Highland Elementary?

Students at Highland Elementary are 33% White, 32% African American, 19% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

Is Highland Elementary a good school?

Highland Elementary ranks 685^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Highland Elementary in?

Alamance-Burlington Schools

How many students attend Highland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 661 students attended Highland Elementary.

Rate Highland Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

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.