The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 41% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Highland Ms
Highland MS is a grades five through eight public school serving a small portion of Blackhawk School District, located in Beaver Falls, a small Rust Belt city along the Beaver River northwest of Pittsburgh. The school is positioned in a working-class to middle-class community that is working to reinvent itself through downtown revitalization and new housing development at the city's edges.
The school enrolls a student body that is overwhelmingly white, with a meaningful share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the area. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across the four grade bands the school serves, and the total student population is moderate in size for a middle school.
State test results show proficiency in reading and math in the low-to-mid range. Math proficiency sits slightly below reading, while science proficiency, measured most recently, is higher. Across the tested subjects and grades, Highland's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the school districts in Beaver County, a meaningful benchmark that suggests the school is performing better than the typical district in its immediate comparative region.
The school sits on Shenango Road in Beaver Falls, in an area that is primarily car-dependent, though the downtown and its revitalized parks and civic anchors are nearby. Beaver Falls has a walkable downtown core with shops and recurring events, and the school district is among the top 50 employers in the county. Geneva College, a private liberal arts institution, anchors College Hill above the downtown and is a local presence.
The community and housing context shows residential homes and rentals in moderate price ranges relative to state and national benchmarks. New construction activity in the school district is limited mostly to subdivisions on the periphery, such as Chippewa Trails in Chippewa Township. The area's economic picture includes a mix of healthcare, retail, education, and small manufacturing; unemployment is stable and median household income is near national norms.
Data on graduation rate, special-population enrollment (including students with IEPs and English learners), attendance patterns, course and program offerings, and recent district-level changes were not available, so a parent may want to look into these topics directly with the school and district to understand the full picture of student support, academic pathways, and community priorities.
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