Highland Elementary, Lake Stevens WA

Original Research by School Decision on Highland Elementary

Highland Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Lake Stevens School District. The enrollment is in the mid-range for an elementary school of this grade span. Just over a quarter of its students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which puts the school at a lower share of economic disadvantage compared to many of its regional peers. The student body is predominantly white, with sizable Latino and Asian populations, and smaller numbers of Black, multiracial, and Native American students.

On the state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Highland’s students posted results that, across tested subjects and grades, place the school in the top quartile relative to other districts in Snohomish County. This is a strong showing. In English language arts, proficiency rates were solid in every tested grade, with third graders notably high. Math proficiency was lower but still robust, with third graders again leading. In fifth grade science, about seven in ten students met the bar, which is a solid result. Because the available data covers only a single year, there is no trend line to show whether these results are stable, rising, or falling. That is worth noting for a parent interested in trajectory.

The district itself is in a period of significant capital investment. Voters approved two separate construction bonds and capital levies in recent years, one in 2022 and another in 2024, to fund new schools, safety and security upgrades, and classroom capacity improvements. A new elementary school opened in 2022 as a result of the first bond. This pattern points to a district that has been experiencing enrollment growth and is actively building to meet it. For a family considering Highland, that means the school sits within a system that is expanding and modernizing its facilities, though it also implies that the broader Lake Stevens area has been adding housing and population.

The community context for Highland Elementary is shaped by the housing market in its ZIP code. Home values in this area are significantly above the national median and also above the Washington state median, though they recently declined slightly year over year. Rents are similarly elevated, and the cost of buying a home here is high relative to income, with an estimated mortgage payment that exceeds the typical rent. This is an expensive market. The typical monthly payment for a new home buyer is notably higher than the area’s median rent, so affordability is a real consideration for households without existing equity.

A parent looking at Highland should understand that the school’s academic performance, based on the single year of data available, is above the typical level among the county’s districts. The district has been responsive to growth through voter-approved construction, and the school itself appears to serve a relatively lower-poverty population. The area is costly, and the housing market mirrors that. The data does not include information on class sizes, staffing levels, special education services, or English learner supports, nor does it report discipline rates or chronic absenteeism. A parent may want to follow up with the school directly on those topics.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 62% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 63% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 61% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 60% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 63% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 66% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

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

This schoolLake Stevens School District, 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 3Lower-income56%Higher-income81%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income75%40 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income72%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income73%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income69%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income69%39 pp gap