The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Highland Elementary School
Highland Elementary School is a regular public school in Grants Pass, Oregon, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Grants Pass School District 7 and sits in the northwest part of the city, near Highland Avenue. The school’s grade band means it sends its students on to a middle school after fifth grade, and as an elementary school it does not have a graduation rate or high school level program data.
State testing results from the 2024–2025 school year provide the most recent academic picture. In math, proficiency varied by grade, with a lower share of third and fourth graders meeting the benchmark and a higher share of fifth graders doing so. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: just under a third of third graders were proficient, while more than half of fifth graders reached that level. Fifth graders also took the state science assessment, where something over a third of students were proficient. Only a single year of assessment data was available, so no trend can be observed yet. The school’s overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades, as calculated from these results, placed it above the midpoint among the two school districts in Josephine County. Because the comparison set is very small, that position should be read as a relative standing within a narrow field rather than a broad regional benchmark.
The student body is modest in size for an elementary school. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student population is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic presence and a smaller share of students identifying with two or more races; other racial groups each account for a very small number of students. The school did not report data on the share of students with individualized education plans or English learner status, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, situated along the Rogue River and Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. The city functions as a regional commercial and civic hub. Its population skews older, with a notable retiree presence alongside working families. Housing values in the Grants Pass area place it between the national median and the higher Oregon state median; rents have been rising modestly. The city’s downtown has a historic corridor, riverfront parks, and seasonal events, while much of the residential area is auto-oriented. The city has experienced modest population growth in recent years and has been involved in high-profile legal proceedings related to homelessness ordinances, reflecting broader growth and housing pressures.
The district recently passed a capital improvement bond that funds safety, roofing, HVAC, and classroom upgrades across its schools. It also adopted new elementary reading materials aligned with Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework, a curriculum shift that directly affects Highland Elementary’s instructional approach. These district-level changes signal a focus on facility condition and early literacy that families may want to track.
For a parent considering Highland Elementary, the school offers a standard elementary pathway in a medium-sized setting. Academic proficiency is mixed, with stronger performance in upper elementary grades and in English language arts relative to math. The community context is a mid-sized, growing county seat with a retiree-heavy demographic and a cost of living below the state average but above the national norm. The school’s high share of students eligible for meal assistance means it serves a population with significant economic need, and the absence of special education and English learner data is a gap a prospective family would want to investigate further.
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