The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Highlands
Highlands is one of six elementary schools in the Braintree public school district, serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It sits in a mature inner-ring suburb of Boston, a town with a strong residential character, a major regional shopping center, and significant commercial development concentrated along its highway corridors. The town describes itself as positioned for controlled growth, with established neighborhoods, some new home construction, and condominium complexes. Housing in the area is expensive; the local market reflects a high cost of entry and substantial rents, consistent with much of the Boston metro region. Transit connections are a defining asset of the town, with an MBTA Red Line station and commuter rail lines, making it a viable commute to downtown Boston for families who work in the city.
The school itself is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet school. Data on whether it receives Title I funding was not available, and specific counts for students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners were also not reported in the available data.
Academically, Highlands shows a clear split between math and English language arts on the state’s NextGen MCAS assessments. In math, a strong majority of students met or exceeded proficiency standards, and that performance has been consistently solid over recent years, with a notable recovery after a dip during the pandemic period. The science assessment, though from an earlier testing year, also showed a majority of students reaching proficiency. In English language arts, performance was more moderate: slightly over half of students were proficient. This represents a decline from pre-pandemic levels, when the school’s ELA proficiency was considerably higher. The trend line shows ELA results have settled in a range well below where they were several years ago, a pattern a parent may wish to discuss with the school to understand what supports and strategies are in place.
Compared to districts across Norfolk County, Highlands’ overall proficiency across tested subjects sits above the midpoint. This places the school in a solid tier among its regional peers, though it is not at the very top of the county range.
The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Asian population and smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. The total enrollment is typical for an elementary school of this grade band within a suburban district.
Because Highlands only serves grades K through 4, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the provided records. The school has no course access data at this grade level, which is expected for an elementary program.
A significant district change took effect in the 2024-2025 school year: Braintree closed its separate kindergarten center and moved kindergarten into all six elementary schools, including Highlands, and also redistricted some elementary attendance boundaries to balance enrollment. The same budget cycle introduced a new elementary world language program across grades K-5. Both are lasting structural changes. For a family considering Highlands, the new elementary boundary map is the practical first step in determining whether this school is their assigned school, and the world language program is a new feature of the early elementary curriculum.
For a family evaluating Highlandss, the story is one of a well-regarded suburban elementary school within a connected Boston suburb. The math results are a clear strength. The ELA trend, while still showing a majority of students at proficiency, has cooled from its earlier highs and warrants a conversation with school leadership about how the school is addressing literacy instruction and support. The reconfiguration and redistricting add a layer of complexity for incoming families; confirming the attendance zone and understanding how the new kindergarten integration has settled will be important. The high cost of housing in the area and the town’s suburban, car-oriented character outside of its walkable center are practical considerations that will shape a family’s experience.
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