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Highlands Middle School

Q: Is Highlands Middle School a good school?

Highlands Middle School ranks 443 rd of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

443^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 49% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Highlands Middle School is a public middle school located in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 596 students. The school is part of the Highlands School District, which is ranked 380 out of 606 school districts in the state.

Academically, Highlands Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Pennsylvania middle schools, typically between the 400-600 range out of around 900 schools. The school's performance on PSSA tests is below the state and district averages in both Math and English Language Arts across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 31.9% in Math and 40.6% in ELA, compared to the state averages of 41.7% and 48.5%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly low in Math, with proficiency rates ranging from 27% to 36.1% across the different grade levels.

Interestingly, nearby schools such as Holiday Park Intermediate School and Plum Middle School, which are part of the Plum Borough School District, consistently outperform Highlands Middle School on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates in both Math and ELA, as well as higher overall rankings within the state. Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending, ranging from $15,218 to $17,152 in recent years, its academic performance remains below the state and district averages, suggesting that factors beyond just funding may be contributing to the school's challenges.

575

Students ?

9.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,415

Per pupil spending ?

103.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1350 Broadview Boulevard
Natrona Heights, PA 15065-1198

(724) 226-0600

District: Highlands School District

Students who attend Highlands Middle School usually attend:

High:

Highlands Senior High School

Feeder schools for Highlands Middle School:

Elementary:	Highlands Early Childhood Center
	Highlands Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.5%

Two or more races:

12.5%

African American:

9.2%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 41st percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (36% vs 45% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg39%

Pennsylvania avg45%

443^rd of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle 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	49.1	443 of 873	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	509 of 891	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	520 of 893	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.8	556 of 883	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.9	402 of 797	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.2	539 of 891	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.9	524 of 861	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.1	553 of 877	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.8	540 of 870	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	45.5	496 of 835	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.9	466 of 728	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.9	455 of 758	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.7	450 of 834	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.0	529 of 825	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.1	490 of 805	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.4	525 of 770	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.4	348 of 753	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.9	327 of 749	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.3	301 of 736	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.9	267 of 687	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.7	384 of 663	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2003	68.5	230 of 643	64.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	175 of 393	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.4	182 of 408	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	53.7	213 of 643	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.0	364 of 672	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.4	409 of 660	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	413 of 835	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.2	461 of 860	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	443 of 843	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	567 of 877	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.2	518 of 874	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	454 of 839	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	540 of 870	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	127 of 174	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	177 of 199	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	144 of 187	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	411 of 649	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	452 of 673	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	528 of 681	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)67th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)55th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)51st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile~ school

Male (2025)46th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)37th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)27th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%-8 vs state

Math32%-10 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 31, 2022

The worst!!!
Where do I start?
Incompetent staff, not existent communication with parents unless things already got out of hand. I feel for my kids having to deal with this everyday. Bad reviews everywhere now I understand why. Close Quote

Schools Near Highlands Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	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 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
Charles A Huston Middle School	Public	6-8	1020 Puckety Church Rd	Lower Burrell	15068	Westmoreland County	Burrell School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 334-1443	399	30	13.3	42.6%	364 (91.2%)	12 (3.0%)	7 (1.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	43.5	504^th of 873 public middle schools	42.3%		41.6	541^st of 891 public middle schools	39.3%	37		31.7	22.5	18.9	24.2		44.2	41.4	45.9	43.9	$16,730	$525	$16,205
Freeport Area Middle School	Public	6-8	629 South Pike Rd.	Sarver	16055	Butler County	Freeport Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 295-9020	428	30	14.3	29.0%	416 (97.2%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	88.9	83^rd of 873 public middle schools	90.5%		89.8	64^th of 891 public middle schools	92.8%	19		66.7	46.8	41.5	51.6		70.6	73.3	76.4	73.4	$16,497	$76	$16,421
Deer Lakes Middle School	Public	6-8	17 East Union Road	Cheswick	15024	Allegheny County	Deer Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 265-5310	383	35	10.8	45.4%	356 (93.0%)	4 (1.0%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	71	213^th of 873 public middle schools	75.6%		67.7	276^th of 891 public middle schools	69.0%	63		44.2	36.6	48.6	42.9		58.2	42.8	68.8	55.9	$22,094	$689	$21,405
Leechburg Area Middle School	Public	6-8	215 1st St.	Leechburg	15656	Armstrong County	Leechburg Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 845-7701	147	10	14.0	45.6%	135 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.4%)	57.7	362^nd of 873 public middle schools	58.5%		68.8	262^nd of 891 public middle schools	70.6%	100		47.2	33.3	38.6	40.2		43.3	38.1	47.7	43.2	$20,455	$932	$19,523
Kiski Area IHS	Public	7-8	260 Hyde Park Rd	Vandergrift	15690	Westmoreland County	Kiski Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 845-2219	518	29	18.0	78.8%	455 (87.8%)	43 (8.3%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.1%)	51.1	421^st of 873 public middle schools	51.8%		51.6	440^th of 891 public middle schools	50.6%	19			32.0	18.6	25.5			54.7	39.9	47.7	$20,623	$921	$19,702
Dorseyville Middle School	Public	6-8	3732 Saxonburg Blvd	Pittsburgh	15238	Allegheny County	Fox Chapel Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 767-5343	981	77	12.8	22.1%	753 (76.8%)	35 (3.6%)	42 (4.3%)	80 (8.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (6.9%)	98.1	11^th of 873 public middle schools	98.7%		97.5	12^th of 891 public middle schools	98.7%	1		82.9	77.6	69.3	76.7		85.3	81.0	81.6	82.7	$22,876	$328	$22,548
Kiski Area Upper Elementary School	Public	5-6	4728 Route 66	Apollo	15613	Westmoreland County	Kiski Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 727-3421	502	36	14.0	84.9%	442 (88.0%)	32 (6.4%)	16 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)								(n/a)	39.6	25.9			32.4	58.2	56.3			57.1	$12,554	$528	$12,026
Holiday Park Intermediate School	Public	5-6	100 School Road	Pittsburgh	15239	Allegheny County	Plum Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 733-1500	513	32	15.8	33.1%	416 (81.1%)	35 (6.8%)	12 (2.3%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (8.2%)								(n/a)	56.6	52.8			54.6	50.0	57.6			54.0	$17,511	$524	$16,987
Plum Middle School	Public	7-8	440 Presque Isle Dr	Pittsburgh	15239	Allegheny County	Plum Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 733-2400	550	33	16.6	31.8%	463 (84.2%)	39 (7.1%)	9 (1.6%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.6%)	71.6	206^th of 873 public middle schools	76.4%		64.5	318^th of 891 public middle schools	64.3%	112			45.8	33.7	39.7			59.9	49.6	54.7	$15,809	$473	$15,336

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Highlands Middle School?

Students at Highlands Middle School are 73% White, 13% Two or more races, 9% African American, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Highlands Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 575 students attended Highlands Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Highlands Middle School attend?

Students who attend Highlands Middle School usually go on to attend Highlands Senior High School

Is Highlands Middle School a good school?

Highlands Middle School ranks 443^rd of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Highlands Middle School in?

Highlands School District

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Schools in Natrona Heights, PA

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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.