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Highland Mill Montessori

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-6

84^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 94% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Highland Mill Montessori is a public Montessori elementary school in Charlotte, NC, serving 341 students in grades PK–6 and ranking as one of the top-performing elementary schools in North Carolina. The school consistently places in the top 10% statewide, ranking #84 out of 1,492 elementary schools in 2025–26 — a 94th-percentile, 5-star result within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. This is no one-year fluke; since 2015–16, Highland Mill has never ranked below the 89th percentile. Its students score roughly 83% proficient on end-of-grade tests versus about 63% for the district and 60% for the state, with particularly dramatic gaps in early literacy. Third-grade reading proficiency stands at 86.0%, compared with just 57.6% districtwide and 55.6% statewide. Science achievement is likewise exceptional, with 89.7% of 5th graders proficient.

Attendance is one of the school's most striking strengths. Just 7.1% of students are chronically absent — less than one-third the statewide rate and about one-quarter of the district rate. Highland Mill also posts outstanding results for student subgroups, including a 97th-percentile statewide ranking for African American students. The school's performance stands out even more given its surroundings. It is the clear academic leader among nearby schools: Shamrock Gardens Elementary is the closest strong peer (ranked #317), while Villa Heights Elementary, just 0.65 miles away, ranks #967, and Highland Renaissance Academy, 0.86 miles away, ranks #1,248. Highland Mill also posts far lower chronic absenteeism than every neighboring school.

With a student-teacher ratio of 14.8:1, a low 22% free/reduced-price lunch rate, and a Montessori instructional model, Highland Mill offers a distinctive combination of strong academics and healthy attendance. Areas worth monitoring include some year-to-year variability in Gifted and Talented subgroup scores and slightly softer 5th-grade reading results, but these are minor caveats for a school that remains one of Charlotte's most consistent high performers.

341

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

22%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3201 Clemson Ave
Charlotte, NC 28205-1542

(980) 343-5525

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.5%

African American:

33.1%

Hispanic:

9.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Highland Mill Montessori to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 94th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (83% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school83%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg60%

84^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

105^th of 246Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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	92.1	84 of 1492	94.4%	★★★★★
2025	89.3	118 of 1490	92.1%	★★★★★
2024	86.6	158 of 1505	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	90.3	102 of 1502	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	34 of 1514	97.8%	★★★★★
2021	88.7	139 of 1489	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	73 of 1473	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	86.2	146 of 1434	89.8%	★★★★☆
2017	84.6	157 of 1429	89.0%	★★★★☆
2016	89.4	97 of 1425	93.2%	★★★★★
2015	74.5	335 of 1440	76.7%	★★★★☆
2014	78.1	270 of 1390	80.6%	★★★★☆
2013	68.4	391 of 1403	72.1%	★★★★☆
2012	82.1	161 of 1388	88.4%	★★★★☆
2011	79.8	206 of 1381	85.1%	★★★★☆
2010	78.2	232 of 1363	83.0%	★★★★☆
2009	76.8	263 of 1354	80.6%	★★★★☆
2008	47.8	757 of 1324	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	62.3	499 of 1293	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	52.1	684 of 1276	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.6	25 of 903	97.2%	★★★★★
2025	85.0	75 of 918	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	87.7	51 of 924	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	25 of 933	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	98.3	7 of 927	99.2%	★★★★★
2021	88.9	60 of 896	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	95.1	18 of 949	98.1%	★★★★★
2018	93.4	18 of 927	98.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.4	104 of 1447	92.8%	★★★★★
2025	85.4	146 of 1451	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	80.7	206 of 1455	85.8%	★★★★☆
2023	86.2	133 of 1459	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	42 of 1458	97.1%	★★★★★
2021	82.8	186 of 1440	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	84.5	144 of 1424	89.9%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	227 of 1405	83.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	230 of 743	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.8	16 of 710	97.7%	★★★★★
2024	45.8	529 of 669	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.4	313 of 582	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.6	161 of 1437	88.8%	★★★★☆
2019	94.5	17 of 1361	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	70.9	295 of 1332	77.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.4	60 of 1451	95.9%	★★★★★
2025	91.2	85 of 1450	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	89.0	112 of 1464	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.2	99 of 1461	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.6	80 of 1464	94.5%	★★★★★
2021	87.5	141 of 1444	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	90.6	82 of 1430	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	73.4	332 of 1413	76.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.7	44 of 1146	96.2%	★★★★★
2025	89.7	56 of 1172	95.2%	★★★★★
2024	83.8	138 of 1166	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.6	100 of 1183	91.5%	★★★★★
2021	79.2	204 of 1172	82.6%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2026)97th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)96th percentile~ school

Male (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)69th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science90%+22 vs state

Mathematics84%+21 vs state

Reading81%+25 vs state

3.3

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, August 9, 2020

I used to attend this school, and I had an overall positive experience. The PTA is strong and there are many enjoyable events the PTA runs. There are a few things that I would Chang if I was given the chance, but they are somewhat minor things. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, April 27, 2015

Most horrible school ever. The teachers and other staff, mainly the principal (Ms. Riska) are for themselves and not the student. They have violated my child's rights and is not providing a fair education for my child. The proof is also in the school changing from a 3 cycle to a 2 cycle. Meaning instead of your child having the same teacher for 3 years, they now only have them for 2 years. The parents were not aware of this change until after the fact which also violated parents rights. This is not a true Montessori school anymore and will probably loose the Montessori name. If you don't believe me call the Montessori association yourself and find out. I have spoken to other parents and they have pulled their children out of this school. I will doing the same. The leadership is poor and not for you. Please, Please save yourself a lot of heart ache and don't pick this school. You will truly be better off with a public school if you had no other choice. Close Quote

Schools Near Highland Mill Montessori

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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 Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland Mill Montessori	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	3201 Clemson Ave	Charlotte	28205	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5525	341	23	14.8	22.0%	155 (45.5%)	113 (33.1%)	32 (9.4%)	13 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.2%)	92.1	84^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.4%		89.3	118^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.1%	34	88.4	85.7	82.1	76.0			86.0	88.6	71.8	76.0			89.7		$13,792	$1,243	$12,549
Villa Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	800 Everett Place	Charlotte	28205	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-3666	153	15	10.3	98.0%	32 (20.9%)	81 (52.9%)	29 (19.0%)	3 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.2%)	36.5	967^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.2%		43.8	855^th of 1490 public elementary schools	42.6%	112	65.0	42.9	63.6				35.0	50.0	45.5				68.2		$14,935	$566	$14,370
Highland Renaissance Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	125 W Craighead Rd	Charlotte	28206	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5511	443	30	14.9	99.3%	20 (4.5%)	184 (41.5%)	219 (49.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.8%)	21.9	1248^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.4%		29	1104^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.9%	144	56.2	63.8	30.5				34.2	39.7	32.2				54.2		$12,308	$1,987	$10,321
Shamrock Gardens Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3301 Country Club Drive	Charlotte	28205	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6440	532	38	14.0	32.1%	295 (55.5%)	93 (17.5%)	92 (17.3%)	17 (3.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.0%)	75.2	317^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.8%		70.9	375^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.8%	58	70.2	80.5	76.7				56.6	73.2	71.7				73.3		$10,846	$1,193	$9,653
Druid Hills Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2801 Lucena Ave	Charlotte	28206	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5515	288	30	9.7	99.0%	7 (2.4%)	172 (59.7%)	90 (31.3%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.9%)	42.7	864^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.1%		27.4	1120^th of 1490 public elementary schools	24.8%	256	89.2	73.7	50.0	59.5	55.6	65.7	59.5	34.2	32.3	40.5	29.6	40.0	46.7	65.7	$15,769	$2,330	$13,439
Hidden Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5100 Snow White Ln	Charlotte	28213	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6810	808	49	16.4	99.6%	16 (2.0%)	252 (31.2%)	522 (64.6%)	10 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	6.1	1458^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.3%		3.8	1478^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.8%	20	48.2	31.1	29.9				19.7	25.0	28.7				39.0		$10,096	$1,186	$8,910
Merry Oaks International Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	3508 Draper Ave	Charlotte	28205	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6422	601	41	14.8	99.5%	23 (3.8%)	134 (22.3%)	420 (69.9%)	12 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	9.9	1423^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.6%		10.7	1408^th of 1490 public elementary schools	5.5%	15	37.8	25.8	53.9				23.7	21.3	29.9				51.9		$11,588	$1,304	$10,284
Walter G. Byers School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	1415 Hamilton St	Charlotte	28206	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6940	303	25	12.3	99.0%	8 (2.6%)	230 (75.9%)	57 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	10.4	1416^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.1%		14.2	1361^st of 1490 public elementary schools	8.7%	55	41.0	37.1	39.0	28.2	22.2	9.3	33.3	22.9	36.6	17.9	37.8	34.1	56.4	37.2	$16,972	$2,176	$14,796
KIPP Charlotte	Public, Charter	K-8	931 Wilann Dr	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	KIPP: Charlotte	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 537-2044	813	50	16.3	98.9%	5 (0.6%)	661 (81.3%)	103 (12.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (5.0%)	18.5	1310^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.2%		18.6	1306^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.3%	4	48.7	36.5	35.9	52.4	26.0	26.7	34.6	40.4	33.3	43.4	37.7	51.7	55.3	73.3
Briarwood Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Wilann Dr	Charlotte	28215	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6475	649	39	16.5	99.5%	15 (2.3%)	166 (25.6%)	418 (64.4%)	31 (4.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	16 (2.5%)	31.6	1063^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	28.8%		27.1	1132^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	24.0%	69	62.6	60.9	53.5				41.4	46.7	41.6				50.5		$10,516	$1,259	$9,257

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Mill Montessori

Is Highland Mill Montessori a good school?

Yes. Highland Mill Montessori ranks in the top 5.6% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Highland Mill Montessori?

Students at Highland Mill Montessori are 45% White, 33% African American, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Highland Mill Montessori?

In the 2024-25 school year, 341 students attended Highland Mill Montessori.

What district is Highland Mill Montessori in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 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.