Highlands School District

426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870-4048
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2025 school year, there are 9 public high schools serving 4,534 students in Highlands School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in Florida.
Public High Schools in Highlands School District have an average math proficiency score of 45% (versus the Florida public high school average of 42%), and reading proficiency score of 42% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Highlands School District have a Graduation Rate of 83%, which is less than the Florida average of 87%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Sebring High School, with 89% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in Florida or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 61% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the Florida public high school average of 65% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (FL)
# Schools
24 Schools
1,351 Schools
# Students
12,535 Students
1,018,327 Students
# Teachers
668 Teachers
47,312 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
18:1
18:1

District Rank

Highlands School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 73 school districts in Florida (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 83% has increased from 72% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (FL)
#54 out of 73 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Highlands  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
48%
52%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Highlands  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Florida by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
42%
52%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Highlands  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Florida by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
44%
52%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Highlands  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Florida by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
83%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Highlands  School District and public school graduation rate of Florida by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.68
0.70
# American Indian Students
38 Students
2,850 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
n/a
# Asian Students
170 Students
29,850 Students
% Asian Students
1%
3%
# Hispanic Students
4,788 Students
371,091 Students
% Hispanic Students
38%
37%
# Black Students
2,093 Students
215,821 Students
% Black Students
17%
21%
# White Students
4,858 Students
358,997 Students
% White Students
39%
35%
# Hawaiian Students
21 Students
1,845 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
567 Students
37,873 Students
% of Two or more races Students
5%
4%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
346
2,742
# Students in K Grade:
1,233
6,456
# Students in 1st Grade:
902
6,640
# Students in 2nd Grade:
908
6,803
# Students in 3rd Grade:
921
7,448
# Students in 4th Grade:
881
7,271
# Students in 5th Grade:
859
6,880
# Students in 6th Grade:
866
19,490
# Students in 7th Grade:
918
24,772
# Students in 8th Grade:
889
26,189
# Students in 9th Grade:
1,177
233,011
# Students in 10th Grade:
1,001
236,046
# Students in 11th Grade:
893
221,011
# Students in 12th Grade:
741
213,568
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $11,065 in this school district is less than the state median of $11,962. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $10,661 is less than the state median of $11,615. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (FL)
Total Revenue
$139 MM
$34,349 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Highlands  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in Florida by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$134 MM
$33,354 MM
This chart displays total spending of Highlands  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in Florida by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$11,065
$11,962
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Highlands  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in Florida by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$10,661
$11,615
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Highlands  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in Florida by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Highlands School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Highlands County Hospital/homebound Program
Special Education School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5583
Grades: K-12
| 21 students
Rank: #22.
Hill-gustat Middle School
(Math: 55% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
4700 Schumacher Rd
Sebring, FL 33872
(863) 471-5437
Grades: 6-12
| 631 students
Rank: #33.
Sebring High School
(Math: 45% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
3514 Kenilworth Blvd
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5500
Grades: 9-12
| 1,901 students
Rank: #44.
Highlands Virtual School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5610
Grades: K-12
| 133 students
Rank: #55.
The Academy At Youth Care Lane
Alternative School
(Math: <50% | Reading: 21-39%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
4121 Youth Care Ln
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5457
Grades: 4-12
| 70 students
Rank: #66.
Avon Park High School
(Math: 41% | Reading: 37%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
700 E Main St
Avon Park, FL 33825
(863) 452-4311
Grades: 9-12
| 946 students
Rank: #77.
Lake Placid High School
(Math: 32% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
202 Green Dragon Dr
Lake Placid, FL 33852
(863) 699-5010
Grades: 9-12
| 829 students
Rank: n/an/a
Highlands County Schools Jail Program
Alternative School
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5583
Grades: 8-12
| 3 students
Rank: n/an/a
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5610
Grades: 6-12
| n/a students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 24 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 12,535 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 18:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 61%
  • : 83% (Btm 50% in FL)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 48% (Btm 50%)
  • : 42% (Btm 50%)
  • : 44% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), FL Dept. of Education

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