Highlands Elementary

· San Diego County · La Mesa-Spring Valley
Public San Diego County 🏛 La Mesa-Spring Valley → CDS 3768197…
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Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

College Preparatory Middle → Lemon Grove Academy Elementary → Harriet Tubman Village Charter → Kempton Street Literacy Academy → Diego Valley East Public Charter → Compare all similar →

No UC admissions data on file for Highlands Elementary.

This school doesn't appear in UCOP's source-school records (it may send few or no applicants to UC). Its enrollment trend and similar-school comparison are still below.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment
544 (2018)354 (2026)
-34.9%

If this trend holds (-5.2%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~335 -19 $0
3 yr (2029) ~301 -53 $0
5 yr (2031) ~271 -83 $0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423/ADA). Edit the figure to match your school.

Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25

Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the San Diego County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Stability rate
89.2%
337 of 378 students

41 of 378 students who enrolled at Highlands Elementary this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (10.8% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

San Diego County median
88.7% · school is in the 54th percentile of 207 HS
Statewide median
88.7% · in the 53rd percentile of 2,648 HS

Stability by student group

Socio. disadvantaged (309) 88.3%
Hispanic / Latino (252) 87.7%
English learners (106) 81.1%
Students w/ disabilities (79) 94.9%
White (57) 96.5%
Black / African Am. (29) 79.3%

Nearest peer high schools

College Preparatory Middle 96.8% Lemon Grove Academy Elementary 85.1% Harriet Tubman Village Charter 88.0% Kempton Street Literacy Academy 86.7% Diego Valley East Public Charter 41.5%

Source: California Department of Education, Stability Rate 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 cumulative enrollees so by-design-high-churn continuation schools don't dominate the bottom of the distribution. Cumulative enrollment counts every student on the rolls during the year, so it can exceed peak-day enrollment.

Chronic absenteeism — 2024-25

Share of students missing 10% or more of expected attendance — the leading indicator that often precedes the demand decline shown above. Families disengaging tend to raise absenteeism first, then formally leave. Basis: total enrollment.

Chronic absent
21.7%
81 of 374 students

Absenteeism is in the typical CA HS range. Worth monitoring alongside the demand and retention signals above.

San Diego County median
18.9% · school is worse than 59% of 205 HS
Statewide median
20.9%
Chronic absenteeism by year (raw %)

Source: California Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 eligible students. CDE didn't publish a usable 2019-20 file (COVID).

Highlands Elementary — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • At its recent rate (-5.2%/yr), enrollment projects to ~301 by 2029 — about 53 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

354 students (2026)
~301 projected (2029)
at -5.2%/yr

That's about 53 fewer students. At per-student funding of $ per student, that's roughly $0 in annual state funding at risk.

Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423 per ADA) — adjust to your district's actual per-pupil figure. Projection extrapolates the recent annual rate — not a forecast of intent.

Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools

School Type Size UC Reach Enroll. trend
Highlands Elementary Public 354
Peer-group median -54%
College Preparatory Middle Public 399
Lemon Grove Academy Elementary Public 386
Harriet Tubman Village Charter Public 393
Kempton Street Literacy Academy Public 450
Diego Valley East Public Charter Public 408 -70%
Altus Schools East County Public 297 -16%
Diego Hills Central Public Charter Public 301 -54%
Kipp Adelante Preparatory Academy Public 306
Eje Middle Academy Public 260
Lemon Grove Academy For The Sciences And Humanities Public 505

UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class (can exceed 100% when students are admitted to multiple campuses). Enrollment trend = first-to-latest grade-12 change on file. Similar schools matched on proximity, size, type. Methodology →

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