Skip to main content

Public high school · Antelope Valley Union High · Palmdale, California

Highland High

Highland High rates 4.7, below most Antelope Valley Union High high schools, whose rated median is 5.3.

High schools, 1 to 10This campus against public high schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
4.7this school

4.7 on a one-to-ten scale; the Antelope Valley Union High median is 5.3.

#8,127 of 9,557 schools in California · Antelope Valley Union High: 13 high schools rated, median 5.3

The brief

An Antelope Valley Union High high school where students score 14 points below what's typical for similar communities.

It ranks 8,127 of 9,557 schools in California and 11 of 13 in Antelope Valley Union High.

Highland High is listed in Antelope Valley Union High, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math13%21 points below the California average of 34%2025 CAASPP
Reading41%12 points below the California average of 53%2025 CAASPP
Proficiency is down 31 points across the 17-year record (2009–2025) and has held near 27% recently.2025 CAASPP; 30 test records from CA state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
5.0
25% of the rating
Academics
4.2
25% of the rating
College Readiness
5.8
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
3.4
20% of the rating
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2025

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 4/4 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 30% (multi-year average, 2009-2025) · reading/ELA 49% (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2025 CAASPP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: 2025 CAASPP. A newer release may be available.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2025 CAASPP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: 2025 CAASPP. A newer release may be available.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 93551; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2025; directory SY 2023–24

About our dataHow we calculate scores

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Highland High and the 20 nearest high schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

Open the Los Angeles school map to see school quality against home prices across the metro.

The area

Median income
$110,850
Median home value
$548,800
Median rent
$2,263/mo
College educated
30.1%
Homeownership
77.2%
Poverty rate
6.6%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 93551; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
8
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
27
Somewhat Bikeable
City reported crime
2,204/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Palmdale. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Palmdale), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

AP and IB
3 AP courses
15.3% participation · state average 2.6 AP courses · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Athletics
18 sports
9 boys' · 9 girls' · 30 teams (incl. JV) · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Advanced STEM courses
5 of 5
Algebra II, Advanced Math, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
62%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible schools within 5 miles, best rated first.
  1. Highland Highthis school
    4.7
  2. R. Rex Parris High3.2 mi
    4.1Compare →
One grade-compatible school using the same rating model sits within 5 miles, and none rates higher than Highland High.Public-school ratings. Straight-line distance from this campus. Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

The public record

What's said publicly about Highland High

Sources:School's websiteWikipedia

Synthesized from public, attributable sources. Updated April 2026.

Highland High School is located in Palmdale, California, and operates as part of the Antelope Valley Union High School District 2. The district serves approximately 22,000 students across eight comprehensive high schools, three alternative high schools, and an early college high school partnered with Antelope Valley Community College 1. Highland High School offers various academic and extracurricular programs, including Career Technical Education (CTE) academies designed to prepare students for college and careers 1. The school provides pathways in the arts, such as dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and media arts, integrating creative standards with career preparation 1. Additionally, the school participates in CIF-sanctioned athletics, offering diverse sports programs aimed at bridging high school competition with collegiate preparation 1.
Sources (2)
  1. www.highlandhs.org
  2. en.wikipedia.org
Generated by AI from public sources. Every claim is grounded in a cited source.Report inaccuracy

Questions families ask

What grades does Highland High serve?

Highland High serves students in grades 9th through 12th.

How many students attend Highland High?

Highland High has an enrollment of approximately 2,778 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland High?

The student-teacher ratio at Highland High is 25.3:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Highland High rank in CA?

Highland High ranks #8,127 of 9,557 schools in CA.

What is Highland High's MySchoolScout rating?

Highland High has a current MySchoolScout rating of 4.7 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.

What are the test scores at Highland High?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Highland High has 30% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025) and 49% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

Is Highland High a charter school?

No, Highland High is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is Highland High a Title I school?

No, Highland High is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Highland High?

62.0% of students at Highland High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
9th – 12th
Enrollment
2,778
Student-teacher ratio
25.3:1
Teachers (FTE)
110
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Large Suburb
County
Los Angeles County
Phone
(661) 538-0304
4-year graduation
86.0%
Class of 2023
Rank in district
#11 of 13
Schools in district
13
District spending per student
$15,984
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
16.4%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 93551)
54,956
Area average commute
36 min
Area median age
37.9

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Sources and official links

Keep exploring

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, California Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.