Original Research by School Decision on Highlands Community Charter District
Highlands Community Charter District operates within Sacramento County as a district-level charter serving grades one through twelve. The vast majority of its enrollment is concentrated in grade nine, with a much smaller presence in grades ten and twelve. The district's student body is diverse, with roughly equal representation across White, Asian, and Hispanic students, along with smaller shares of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The district exists in a period of profound institutional instability. In June 2025, the California State Auditor released a report finding that Highlands had improperly received substantial public K-12 funding it was ineligible to collect, citing uncredentialed teachers, wasteful spending, and questionable financial transactions. That audit triggered closure proceedings and reshaped the district's operations. At its peak, the district had operated more than fifty school sites with substantial enrollment across Sacramento County. Following the audit, it closed most of those sites and enrollment contracted dramatically. The district then faced a charter revocation vote by its authorizer, Twin Rivers Unified, in January 2026, though the Sacramento County Board of Education reversed that decision, allowing the school to remain open while it pursues a new charter authorization. The current charter with Twin Rivers runs through June 2027, leaving the district's longer-term continuation unresolved.
These compliance and financial findings led to significant changes in instructional structure. The audit found that Highlands had eliminated eleventh grade in order to avoid standardized testing. The district now serves primarily adult students in first, second, and twelfth grades. It has proposed restoring eleventh grade and outlined plans to add seven career technical education programs, though those expansions remain in proposal stage and depend on the district's ability to hire credentialed teachers and stabilize its authorizer relationship.
State assessment data and four-year graduation rates are not available, which aligns with the district's current grade configuration and the testing-avoidance practices identified in the audit. Chronic absenteeism data show the district's rate is at the bottom of the range compared with other Sacramento County districts. The district's per-pupil spending sits below the county median, which may reflect the district's recent contraction and restructuring rather than established spending patterns.
A parent or prospective student considering enrollment should understand that this district is in active institutional reconstruction. The audit's findings are a matter of public record, the closure of most sites in mid-2025 is recent, and the authorizer relationship remains unsettled. Families interested in enrollment should seek current information directly from the district about which sites are operating, what grade levels and programs are available, and what the timeline and pathway to charter renewal looks like. The district's future operations depend significantly on regulatory and authorizer decisions still unfolding.
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