Highlands School District

Summary:

The Highlands School District in Pennsylvania consists of 4 schools: 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school, serving students from early childhood through 12th grade.

Among the standout schools, Highlands Early Childhood Center has the highest spending per student at $26,313, significantly more than the other schools. It also has the highest percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at over 100%. In contrast, Highlands Elementary School has the highest proficiency rates on the PSSA exams, outperforming the district and state averages in both math and English language arts across all grade levels.

The data reveals a stark contrast in academic performance between the elementary school and the middle/high school. While Highlands Elementary School excels on PSSA exams, Highlands Middle School and Highlands Senior High School struggle to meet state proficiency standards on Keystone Exams and PSSA exams. Additionally, the statewide rankings for the middle and high schools have been steadily declining, suggesting they are not keeping pace with improvements in other districts.

District Detail

1500 Pacific Avenue
Natrona Heights, PA 15065-0288

(724) 226-2400

SchoolDigger Rank:
380^th of 606 Pennsylvania districts

See the 2025 Pennsylvania District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,004

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	PSSA Math (2025)							PSSA English Language Arts (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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highlands Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	1060 Atlantic Ave	Brackenridge	15014	Allegheny County	Highlands School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 224-5880	205	14	14.8	101.0%	130 (63.4%)	18 (8.8%)	13 (6.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	41 (20.0%)								(n/a)																		$27,458	$4,767	$22,690
Highlands Elementary School	Public	1-4	101 East 9th Ave	Tarentum	15084	Allegheny County	Highlands School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 224-0300	559	43	12.8	104.7%	371 (66.4%)	72 (12.9%)	24 (4.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (15.9%)	43.2	926^th of 1511 public elementary schools	38.7%		36.4	1051^st of 1526 public elementary schools	31.1%	125				49.6	41.7					45.6	50.4	39.6					45.0	$19,327	$3,356	$15,972
Highlands Senior High School	Public	9-12	1500 Pacific Ave	Natrona Heights	15065	Allegheny County	Highlands School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 226-1000	665	46	14.4	106.9%	511 (76.8%)	60 (9.0%)	19 (2.9%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (10.4%)	47.1	407^th of 681 public high schools	40.2%		44.3	436^th of 686 public high schools	36.4%	29	43.4	41.0	58.6															$20,896	$3,628	$17,268
Highlands Middle School	Public	5-8	1350 Broadview Boulevard	Natrona Heights	15065	Allegheny County	Highlands School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 226-0600	575	59	9.6	103.7%	417 (72.5%)	53 (9.2%)	20 (3.5%)	9 (1.6%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (12.5%)	49.1	443^rd of 873 public middle schools	49.3%		45.4	509^th of 891 public middle schools	42.9%	66						36.1	27.0	34.1	28.8	31.9			33.8	38.5	43.7	47.7	40.6	$19,415	$3,371	$16,044

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Burrell School District	3.77 mi	4	443^rd
Freeport Area School District	4.01 mi	6	39^th
New Kensington-Arnold School District	4.42 mi	4	558^th
Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center	4.99 mi	1
Deer Lakes School District	5.19 mi	4	214^th

See the top PA Pennsylvania districts

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