How does Highlands High compare to other high schools in North Highlands?

Highlands High has a Scope Score of 37.2/100, ranked #1201 among California high schools. 13% of students exceed standard, with a total of 363 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Highlands High?

12.7% of students at Highlands High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 28.4% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Highlands High?

42.1% of students at Highlands High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Highlands High

High School

Twin Rivers Unified North HighlandsSacramento County95660

📍 6601 Guthrie Way

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,649 California high schools

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Building Momentum

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Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

754 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

18:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

88%

Teachers

42 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

90.4%

AP Exam Prepared

2.9%

A-G Completion

54.7%

College-Going Rate

44.7%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+32.6 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+4.7 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

7.5%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 200 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic52.3%

White17.2%

Asian6.6%

Black12.3%

Other11.5%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Highlands High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	12.7%
Met Standard	15.7%
Below Standard	71.6%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Graduation rate: 90.4%

3.0pp above state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 12.7%

3.0pp below state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

▼College readiness: 2.9%

AP exam pass rate below state avg (state avg 35.3%)

20% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 28.4%

6.4pp below state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 42.1%

7.8pp above state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 28.4%

Below state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

▼Suspension rate: 9.1%

5.0pp above state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The high school Scope Score is weighted across 7 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "28% proficient" for Highlands High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

12.7% of students exceeded standard while 15.7% met it. That exceeded rate is 3.0 points below the state average of 15.7%. That's near the Twin Rivers Unified district average of 13.0%. Compared to the 6 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 3.9 points higher (vs 8.8% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 90.4% — above the state target. 54.7% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 44.7% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 42.1%, above the state average of 34.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means