Summary:
Highland County Public Schools, located in Monterey, Virginia, contains just a single high school option—Highland High—a combined grades 6–12 school serving 103 students in this small, rural community. Because the district has only this one school, district-level and school-level figures are identical, making this school the sole focus of any analysis of the area. This is a very small, closely knit school environment where the data reveal both the strengths and vulnerabilities that come with small-school settings.
Highland High stands out for its perfect graduation outcomes—a 100.0% graduation rate versus the 92.3% state average, and a 0.0% dropout rate. In 2024–2025, the school achieved 100% proficiency on multiple high school SOL exams, including 11th-grade writing and reading, Geometry, Biology, and Geography. However, its state ranking has been extremely volatile: it ranked #2 out of 328 Virginia high schools in 2024–2025 (99th percentile, 5 stars) but fell to #190 out of 331 in 2025–2026 (43rd percentile, 2 stars). This dramatic swing is typical of very small schools, where just a handful of students can substantially shift proficiency rates and overall rankings.
Academically, Highland High shows consistent strength in middle school mathematics—6th-grade math proficiency was 87.5% versus 63.2% statewide, and 7th-grade math was 72.7% versus 51.1%. Middle school English reading is less consistent, with 7th and 8th grade reading slightly trailing state averages, though high school reading and writing are exceptional. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 28.6% is nearly double the state rate of 14.8% and is a notable area of concern. With a 6.7-to-1 student-teacher ratio and $17,724 in per-pupil spending, the district invests heavily in each student, which likely supports the school's strong graduation rate and success in advanced high school coursework.
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