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Highlands Senior High School

Q: Is Highlands Senior High School a good school?

Highlands Senior High School ranks 407 th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

407^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 40% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Highlands Senior High School is a public high school located in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, serving 701 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Highlands School District, which is ranked 380 out of 606 school districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Highlands Senior High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Pennsylvania high schools over the past 10 years, with only 43.4% of 11th graders proficient or better in Algebra I, 41% in Biology, and 58.6% in Literature in the 2024-2025 school year. In comparison, nearby Freeport Area Senior High School had much higher proficiency rates of 83.2% in Algebra I, 84% in Biology, and 92.4% in Literature. The school's 4-year graduation rate of 87.9% in 2023-2024 is on par with surrounding schools, but its dropout rate of 1.4% is also comparable.

Highlands Senior High School serves a high-poverty community, with over 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's performance on Keystone Exams varies significantly by student subgroup, with African American and disabled students performing notably worse than their White and non-disabled peers. While the school spends approximately $18,000 per student, which is higher than the state average, it lags behind some of the higher-performing nearby schools in terms of resources and student-teacher ratio.

665

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,896

Per pupil spending ?

106.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 Pacific Ave
Natrona Heights, PA 15065-2099

(724) 226-1000

District: Highlands School District

Feeder schools for Highlands Senior High School:

Elementary:	Highlands Early Childhood Center
	Highlands Elementary School
Middle:	Highlands Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.8%

Two or more races:

10.4%

African American:

9.0%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Highlands Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg47%

Pennsylvania avg52%

407^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

380^th of 606Highlands School District among Pennsylvania 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	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	407 of 681	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	436 of 686	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	387 of 674	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.1	447 of 634	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	450 of 537	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.4	460 of 693	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.0	530 of 673	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.2	517 of 663	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.8	505 of 677	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	44.1	463 of 680	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	31.2	462 of 580	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.8	433 of 591	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.8	464 of 664	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.9	373 of 660	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.4	401 of 649	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.8	389 of 632	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	58.2	307 of 621	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.8	267 of 615	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.9	293 of 604	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	71.1	169 of 593	71.5%	★★★★☆
2004	67.0	212 of 590	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2003	53.8	325 of 583	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	207 of 276	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.9	128 of 284	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	84 of 260	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	485 of 524	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	327 of 513	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	83.4	59 of 502	88.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	265 of 657	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.2	469 of 665	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	395 of 651	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.0	318 of 664	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.3	419 of 652	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	33.8	456 of 660	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.1	343 of 662	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	146 of 165	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	46.0	323 of 583	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	434 of 595	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	386 of 577	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)60th percentile+19 vs school

White (2025)45th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile~ school

Male (2025)31st percentile-9 vs school

African American (2025)25th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)12th percentile-29 vs school

Disabled (2025)7th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature59%-4 vs state

Algebra I43%~ state avg

Biology41%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highlands Senior High School

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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 (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 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	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 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
Burrell High School	Public	9-12	1021 Puckety Church Rd	Lower Burrell	15068	Westmoreland County	Burrell School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 334-1403	566	39	14.5	38.3%	518 (91.5%)	13 (2.3%)	12 (2.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.5%)	38.7	461^st of 681 public high schools	32.3%		25.8	528^th of 686 public high schools	23.0%	67	42.0	33.8	53.9							$19,745	$573	$19,171
Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center	Public	9-12	705 Stevenson Boulevard	New Kensington	15068	Westmoreland County	Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(724) 335-9389	7	17	.4		6 (85.7%)	1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Valley Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	703 Stevenson Blvd	New Kensington	15068	Westmoreland County	New Kensington-Arnold School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 337-4536	905	59	15.3	97.8%	386 (42.7%)	312 (34.5%)	33 (3.6%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	169 (18.7%)	7.2	612^th of 681 public high schools	10.1%		8	619^th of 686 public high schools	9.8%	7	13.9	15.4	28.8	5.7	5.0	5.4	19.3	22.1	20.5	$18,975	$1,542	$17,432
Springdale Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	501 Butler Rd	Springdale	15144	Allegheny County	Allegheny Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 274-8100	421	60	6.9	99.5%	379 (90.0%)	21 (5.0%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.9%)	47.2	406^th of 681 public high schools	40.4%		60.7	285^th of 686 public high schools	58.5%	121	42.2	44.6	56.7	31.3	12.2	21.0	53.1	48.7	50.7	$25,655	$753	$24,903
Freeport Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	625 South Pike Rd	Freeport	16055	Butler County	Freeport Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 295-5143	512	40	12.6	27.7%	487 (95.1%)	4 (0.8%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.1%)	96.7	7^th of 681 public high schools	99.0%		94.4	22^nd of 686 public high schools	96.8%	15	83.2	84.0	92.4							$19,158	$39	$19,119
Leechburg Area High School	Public	9-12	215 1st St	Leechburg	15656	Armstrong County	Leechburg Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 842-0571	177	18	9.9	55.9%	164 (92.7%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.6%)	83	91^st of 681 public high schools	86.6%		93	31^st of 686 public high schools	95.5%	60	52.5	76.9	80.6							$23,137	$1,040	$22,097
Kiski Area High School	Public	9-12	240 Hyde Park Rd	Vandergrift	15690	Westmoreland County	Kiski Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 845-8181	1,075	51	21.1	49.7%	975 (90.7%)	64 (6.0%)	23 (2.1%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.9%)	66.5	244^th of 681 public high schools	64.2%		56.4	328^th of 686 public high schools	52.2%	84	51.7	56.6	65.1							$23,271	$646	$22,625
Deer Lakes High School	Public	9-12	163 East Union Rd	Cheswick	15024	Allegheny County	Deer Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 265-5320	581	42	13.7	34.8%	551 (94.8%)	4 (0.7%)	15 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.5%)	59.2	303^rd of 681 public high schools	55.5%		61.3	279^th of 686 public high schools	59.3%	24	52.0	41.6	68.3							$13,437	$930	$12,507
Plum Senior High School	Public	9-12	900 Elicker Rd	Plum	15239	Allegheny County	Plum Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 795-4880	1,220	70	17.4	31.8%	1,039 (85.2%)	77 (6.3%)	27 (2.2%)	12 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	63 (5.2%)	67.8	233^rd of 681 public high schools	65.8%		53.4	360^th of 686 public high schools	47.5%	127	44.3	64.5	68.1							$14,707	$440	$14,267

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Senior High School

What schools feed into Highlands Senior High School?

Highlands Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Highlands Early Childhood Center
Elementary : Highlands Elementary School
Middle : Highlands Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Senior High School?

Students at Highlands Senior High School are 77% White, 10% Two or more races, 9% African American, 3% Hispanic.

Is Highlands Senior High School a good school?

Highlands Senior High School ranks 407^th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Highlands Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 665 students attended Highlands Senior High School.

What district is Highlands Senior High School in?

Highlands School District

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Schools in Natrona Heights, PA

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Latest Pennsylvania data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 29, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesMar 27, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataJan 29, 2026

2024–25 Keystone Exams & PSSA scoresNov 13, 2025

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.