Highland Lakes School, Glendale AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Highland Lakes School

Highland Lakes School is a regular public school in Glendale, Arizona, serving prekindergarten through eighth grade under the Deer Valley Unified School District. With a sizable enrollment for a PK-8 campus, it draws students from the surrounding neighborhoods in the northern part of Glendale, an area of the city that has seen steady residential growth. The school is not a charter or magnet, and free or reduced-price meal data was not available, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so a family looking for those specifics would need to check with the school directly.

Academically, Highland Lakes performs well relative to other schools in the district and across Maricopa County. On a combined measure of proficiency across tested subjects and grades, it places in the top quarter among the county's districts, a strong signal. Looking at the state assessment results for the most recent year, English language arts proficiency holds at a solid level in third and fourth grades, then dips in fifth grade before recovering to a similar level through eighth grade. Math proficiency starts strong in the early grades but declines steadily as students move through middle school, with seventh and eighth grade results notably lower than the earlier years. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grades, fall around the midpoint of the scale. The pattern of declining math scores in the upper grades is worth a closer look, and a parent may want to ask the school how it supports math instruction in middle school.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and smaller populations of Asian, Black, multiracial, Native American, and Pacific Islander students. The absence of data on economic disadvantage and special education makes it harder to gauge the full range of student support needs, but the overall demographic picture suggests a peer environment that is moderately diverse in ethnicity but skews toward higher-income households given the housing context.

Housing in the school's zip code is above the national median in value, though prices have seen a modest decline over the past year. Rents are similarly elevated but have also edged down slightly, which could offer some relief for families entering the rental market. Monthly mortgage costs on a typical home are a substantial portion of income, reflecting a market that is more affordable than some Phoenix suburbs but still pricey relative to national averages. The broader Glendale economy includes major employers like Luke Air Force Base, Banner Health, and several school districts, contributing to a stable job base.

Glendale itself is a large, sprawling suburb with a mix of historic downtown areas, entertainment districts, and auto-oriented residential developments. The city is growing at a steady clip, and the Deer Valley Unified School District, which includes Highland Lakes, did not have any major near-term changes publicly reported in recent searches. Families moving to the area should be aware that Glendale is split among multiple school districts, so the specific boundary for Highland Lakes matters.

Without data on discipline, attendance, staffing, or program offerings such as gifted education or electives, a family evaluating this school should supplement this picture with a visit and conversations with the principal about how the school addresses the middle school math slide and what enrichment or support programs are available. For a family seeking a strong elementary foundation in a stable suburban setting with above-average academic results, Highland Lakes is a credible option, though the middle school years warrant particular attention.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 56% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 37% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 55% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 26% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 21% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 43% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 23% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 38% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 52% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 38% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 56% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 51% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

This schoolDeer Valley Unified District (4246), same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.