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Highland High School

Q: Is Highland High School a good school?

Highland High School ranks 194 th of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

194^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 56% of Washington high schools

Summary

Highland High School is a small, rural public high school serving 366 students in grades 9-12 in Cowiche, WA, and is part of the Highland School District.

The school stands out for its exceptional effectiveness with specific student groups, ranking #1 in the state for migrant students and earning high marks for its Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students, which sharply contrasts with the performance at nearby schools like Selah High School. Academically, Highland excels in English Language Arts with an 80% proficiency rate—far above the state average—and maintains a strong, consistent graduation rate of 92%. However, mathematics proficiency is a noted area for improvement, as it lags behind both the state average and some local schools such as Naches Valley High School.

Highland High has shown a remarkable turnaround in recent years, improving its statewide ranking significantly despite serving a community with high economic need. It notably outperforms its own district's averages, suggesting particularly effective strategies are in place at the high school level. While per-student spending is comparable to the region, the school achieves these strong results with a slightly higher student-to-teacher ratio, indicating efficient use of resources to support its students' success.

366

Students ?

22.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,315

Per pupil spending ?

67.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17000 Summitview
Cowiche, WA 98923-9719

(509) 678-8800

District: Highland School District

Feeder schools for Highland High School:

Elementary:	Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary
	Tieton Elementary School
Middle:	Highland Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.9%

White:

16.9%

Two or more races:

0.8%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Highland High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Washington average (83%)

✓Above the Washington median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

!Math scores 18 pts below the Washington average

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg38%

Washington avg48%

194^th of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to top 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

165^th of 247Highland School District among Washington 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	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	194 of 438	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	222 of 437	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.3	240 of 442	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.8	163 of 434	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.1	344 of 455	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.3	339 of 417	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.2	220 of 315	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.4	180 of 301	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	53.4	167 of 306	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	61.3	106 of 341	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.8	257 of 454	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.3	219 of 450	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	37.7	286 of 440	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	48.0	243 of 423	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.7	250 of 402	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.6	263 of 396	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.3	210 of 399	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.8	226 of 395	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	57.0	192 of 394	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.5	181 of 390	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	158 of 350	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.9	199 of 347	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	250 of 357	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.9	107 of 368	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	28.3	293 of 390	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	328 of 358	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	40.3	170 of 243	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	67.7	68 of 249	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	63.5	70 of 248	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	64.9	72 of 249	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	70.4	59 of 261	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	36.4	173 of 278	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.1	190 of 241	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.9	69 of 156	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	64.7	98 of 355	72.4%	★★★★☆
2024	58.7	126 of 356	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.5	137 of 362	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.7	72 of 370	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	40.0	233 of 392	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.1	267 of 344	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.7	121 of 227	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	168 of 359	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.0	211 of 362	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.9	177 of 358	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.8	190 of 363	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.6	314 of 395	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	268 of 355	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.9	174 of 254	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	98.9	1 of 30	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	62.1	8 of 28	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	93.5	1 of 31	96.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	197 of 373	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	214 of 374	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	234 of 379	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	78.3	64 of 390	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	53.7	168 of 413	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.1	182 of 382	52.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Migrant (2025)97th percentile+41 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)72nd percentile+17 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)53rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts80%+27 vs state

Science46%-3 vs state

Math24%-18 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Highland High School has excellent teachers with small classes. It was ranked as one of the top schools in Washington State and won a Washington State Achievement Award in 2010 for being in the top 5% overall. It has a high graduation and attendance rate and the is usually in the top for the Yakima Valley for the state tests. Close Quote

Schools Near Highland High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)			SBAC English Language Arts (2025)				SBAC Math (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	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland High School	Public	9-12	17000 Summitview	Cowiche	98923	Yakima County	Highland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 678-8800	366	16	22.6	67.2%	62 (16.9%)	2 (0.5%)	296 (80.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	53.4	194^th of 438 public high schools	55.7%		46.9	222^nd of 437 public high schools	49.2%	28		46.3	46.3			80.2	80.2			24.2	24.2	$18,315	$971	$17,344
Naches Valley High School	Public	9-12	101 W Fifth Street	Naches	98937	Yakima County	Naches Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 653-1732	399	23	17.6	46.9%	283 (70.9%)	2 (0.5%)	99 (24.8%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	65.1	129^th of 438 public high schools	70.5%		54.6	186^th of 437 public high schools	57.4%	57		49.4	49.4			74.0	74.0			40.4	40.4	$18,918	$548	$18,370
West Valley High School	Public	9-12	9800 Zier Rd	Yakima	98908	Yakima County	West Valley School District (Yakima)	No	No	No	No	(509) 972-5900	1,494	65	22.9	48.2%	760 (50.9%)	9 (0.6%)	616 (41.2%)	45 (3.0%)	11 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (3.2%)	54.4	189^th of 438 public high schools	56.8%		57.9	166^th of 437 public high schools	62.0%	23		43.2	43.2			71.9	71.9			33.7	33.7	$14,511	$1,241	$13,270
West Valley Open Doors	Public	9-12	9800 Zier Rd	Yakima	98908	Yakima County	West Valley School District (Yakima)	No	No	No	No	(509) 823-2602	14	0		57.1%	1 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$7,591	$90	$7,501
West Valley Virtual University	Public, Virtual	9-12	9800 Zier Rd	Yakima	98908	Yakima County	West Valley School District (Yakima)	No	No	Yes	No	(509) 972-5900	2	0			2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$3,050	$90	$2,961
West Valley Virtual Academy 9-12	Public, Virtual	9-12	9206 Zier Road	Yakima	98908	Yakima County	West Valley School District (Yakima)	No	No	Yes	No	(509) 823-2602	167	0		40.1%	106 (63.5%)	4 (2.4%)	38 (22.8%)	8 (4.8%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.8%)								(n/a)												$10,010	$90	$9,921
West Valley Innovation Center	Public, Magnet	7-12	9206 Zier Road	Yakima	98908	Yakima County	West Valley School District (Yakima)	No	Yes	No	No	(509) 902-8810	195	13	15.6	55.9%	114 (58.5%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (37.4%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.1%)	44.9	237^th of 438 public high schools	45.9%		55.2	182^nd of 437 public high schools	58.4%	55	61.5	78.3	67.7	65.0	63.2	36.7	54.6	47.4	36.8	24.1	34.9	$20,412	$2,608	$17,804
Selah Academy Online	Public, Virtual	9-12	316 West Naches Ave	Selah	98942	Yakima County	Selah School District	No	No	Yes	Yes	(509) 698-8520	35	0		45.7%	24 (68.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$21,296	$4,785	$16,511
Selah Academy Reengagement Program	Public	9-12	308 W Naches Ave	Selah	98942	Yakima County	Selah School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 698-8062	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)												$4,900	$291	$4,609
Selah Open Doors	Public	9-12	316 West Naches Ave	Selah	98942	Yakima County	Selah School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 698-8520	13	0		76.9%	9 (69.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$4,900	$291	$4,609

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland High School

Is Highland High School a good school?

Highland High School ranks 194^th of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Highland High School?

Highland High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary
Elementary : Tieton Elementary School
Middle : Highland Middle School

How many students attend Highland High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 366 students attended Highland High School.

What district is Highland High School in?

Highland School District

What is the racial makeup of Highland High School?

Students at Highland High School are 81% Hispanic, 17% White.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent 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.