Highland Middle School, Highland IN

Original Research by School Decision on Highland Middle School

Highland Middle School serves grades six through eight in the School Town of Highland, a suburban district in Lake County within the Chicago metropolitan area. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that places it at a moderate size for a middle school. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: roughly half of students are white, a little over a third are Hispanic, about one in ten is Black, and small shares are Asian or multiracial. A substantial share of families qualify for free or reduced‑price meals, giving the school a socioeconomic mix that is common in older suburban communities.

Academically, Highland Middle School stands out among its peers in Lake County. On the state’s ILEARN assessments, overall proficiency across tested subjects falls in the top quartile when compared with other districts in the county – a meaningful benchmark given that Lake County includes a wide range of urban, suburban, and rural districts. In math, just over two of every five students met proficiency standards, and in English language arts about the same share did. Science results were somewhat higher, with roughly three of five students scoring proficient. There was no recent social studies data available; the one result on file is from several years ago under a different state test and is not comparable to current assessments.

While these proficiency levels place the school well above the median for the county, they also mean that many students are reaching grade‑level expectations and that a sizeable portion are not yet there. A parent may want to ask the school what supports are in place for students who need additional help, as well as how the school works to push those who are already proficient to keep growing.

The middle school years are a time when families often look for a safe and orderly environment, but the data provided do not include information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios. Those are gaps a family might want to explore by talking with the school directly or checking the district’s public reporting. The district itself appears to be in a period of stability; a search for recent referendums, curriculum changes, or other news turned up no major changes meeting the bar for lasting impact.

Highland the town is a mostly built‑out suburb with a small downtown, a growing Hispanic population, and a median age that skews older. Home values and rents are moderate relative to the broader Chicago area. The housing market has seen steady appreciation, and the town offers a range of subdivisions from the mid‑century era as well as newer infill. Residents have access to parks, a rail‑trail system, and recently improved commuter rail connections to Chicago.

For a family seeking a middle school that performs above average for its county, with a diverse student body and a stable community setting, Highland Middle School is worth a close look. The academic picture is mixed in absolute terms but strong in context, and the school’s size and grade band offer a focused environment for early adolescence. The main unknowns – student behavior, staffing, and support programs – are ones that can be filled in with a visit and a conversation.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grades 3-844%

School 44% · District 47% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grades 3-847%

School 47% · District 44% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Science

Grades 3-860%

School 60% · District 55% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grades 3-864%

School 64% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolSchool Town of Highland, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income64%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income44%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income49%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income56%Higher-income67%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income46%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income37%12 pp gap