District · Traditional
Highland ISD
Nolan County · Region 14: Abilene · 211 students
Highland ISD is rated A by TEA, scoring 97 out of 100 for 2025-26 — above the 88.4 average of the 90 districts serving a similar share of economically disadvantaged students, and above the statewide average of 81.7. It is up 1 point since 2021-22 — both years scored under TEA's current rules, since TEA rewrote them in 2023; under the rules in force back then it scored 97.
Ranks 2nd of 1,019 Texas districts (tied with 4 others), and 1st of 42 in Region 14: Abilene (tied with 1 other).
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5 years of ratings
2021-22 is shown under the refreshed methodology TEA adopted in 2023, so it is comparable with later years. Under the original scoring it was rated A with 97 that year.
| Year | Rating | Score | Similar | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | A | 97 | 88.4 | 81.7 |
| 2024-25 | A | 97 | 87.5 | 80.3 |
| 2023-24 | A | 97 | 86.4 | 78.7 |
| 2022-23 | A | 97 | 86.4 | 79.2 |
| 2021-22 | A | 96 | 87.1 | 80.6 |
How this district's change over time is ranked
TEA publishes most measures for one year only, so a change ranking exists just where the same figure is published across years — the overall score, the five score domains, and per-student spending. This page does not yet state where Highland ISD itself places on these lists, only that the lists exist; open one to find this district's own row.
Texas districts
Region 14: Abilene
Where the score comes from
Texas builds the overall rating from the better of Student Achievement and School Progress, weighted 70%, plus Closing the Gaps at 30%. School Progress is itself the better of Academic Growth and Relative Performance. The 60, 70, 80 and 90 rules mark the letter-grade thresholds.
- Highland ISD
- Similar student population (90)
- Region 14: Abilene (42)
| Domain | Score | Grade | Points to next grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Achievement | 97 | A | — |
| School Progress | 95 | A | — |
| Closing the Gaps | 98 | A | — |
| Academic Growth | 74 | C | 6 |
| Relative Performance | 95 | A | — |
TEA does not add the domains up. The overall score is the better of Student Achievement and School Progress at 70%, plus Closing the Gaps at 30%. For this district that better measure is Student Achievement (97), so School Progress (95) is published above but does not enter the overall score at all — gaining points there changes nothing until it passes 97.
Student outcomes
STAAR performance
- Approaches grade level
- Meets grade level
- Masters grade level
- Tick: Similar student population (90)
Percentage of tests at or above each level. Masters is a subset of Meets, which is a subset of Approaches. The tick on each bar marks the average for Similar student population (90 districts) — a comparison TEA does not publish.
Graduation
- Four-Year
- 100.0%+1.6 pts vs similar
- Five-Year
- 100.0%+1.2 pts vs similar
- Six-Year
- 100.0%+1.2 pts vs similar
- Dropout Rate
- 0.0%−0.3 pts vs similar
College, career and military readiness
| Criterion | This district | similar | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total credit for CCMR criteria | 100.0% | 89.4% | +10.6 |
| Scored at or above the college ready standard on SAT, ACT, TSIA, or earned credit for a college prep course | 44.4% | 62.6% | −18.2 |
| Scored at or above the college ready standard on SAT, ACT, TSIA | 44.4% | 44.8% | −0.4 |
| Met criterion score on AP/IB exam(s) | 0.0% | 16.5% | −16.5 |
| Earned college credit for a dual credit course | 61.1% | 42.9% | +18.2 |
| Earned an industry-based certification | 72.2% | 34.9% | +37.3 |
| Earned a level I or level II certificate | 0.0% | 0.3% | −0.3 |
| Earned an associate degree | 5.6% | 2.1% | +3.5 |
| Completed an OnRamps course and qualified for college credit | 0.0% | 6.4% | −6.4 |
| Graduated with completed individualized education program (IEP) and workforce readiness | 0.0% | 2.2% | −2.2 |
| Graduated under an advanced diploma plan and identified as a current special education student | 11.1% | 6.7% | +4.4 |
| Enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces | 0.0% | 3.0% | −3.0 |
Who this district serves
Placed after the results deliberately: this is context for reading them, not an explanation of them.
- Students
- 211
- Economically disadvantaged
- 22.3%−2.3 pts vs similar
- English learners
- 0.0%−5.1 pts vs similar
- Special education
- 10.9%−4.5 pts vs similar
- Attendance
- 96.1%+0.6 pts vs similar
- Chronically absent
- 4.8%−4.3 pts vs similar
Student demographics
- African American 0.5%
- Hispanic 11.8%
- White 86.7%
- Two or More Races 0.9%
Spending per student
Compared against TEA's own peer group, which controls for size and student population, and against the state.
- Highland ISD
- TEA peer group
- Texas average
Spends $2,736 more per student than its peer group, and $9,693 more than the state average.
Teachers
- Average salary
- $64,208−$2,713 vs similar
- Teachers
- 22
- Students per staff member
- 9.5
Teaching experience
- Beginning 4.5%
- 1 to 5 years 17.6%
- 6 to 10 years 26.1%
- 11 to 20 years 21.6%
- 21 to 30 years 25.7%
- Over 30 years 4.5%
Where this district ranks best
Out of 123 rankings computed across every published metric and every comparison group, these are the placements that stand out. Press Copy for a citable sentence.
-
1of 1,019
Student Achievement
Texas average · of the 1,019 that report this measure · tied with 4 · full ranking
-
1of 1,015
Closing the Gaps
Texas average · of the 1,015 that report this measure · tied with 2 · full ranking
-
1of 90
School Progress
Similar student population · of the 90 that report this measure · tied with 1
-
1of 90
Relative Performance
Similar student population · of the 90 that report this measure · tied with 1
-
1of 89
Closing the Gaps
Similar student population · of the 89 that report this measure · tied with 1
-
1of 42
Overall score
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure · tied with 1 · full ranking
-
1of 42
Student Achievement
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure · tied with 1
-
1of 42
Closing the Gaps
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure
-
1of 42
All Subjects — Meets
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure
-
1of 42
Math — Meets
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure
-
1of 42
Math — Masters
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure
-
1of 42
Science — Meets
Region 14: Abilene · of the 42 that report this measure
These are selected high placements, not a summary. Every figure above this section is the full picture, including where this district ranks poorly. Each statement below states its cohort and its denominator so it can be checked — a rank without an n is a boast, not a fact. Ties are shown because a shared ceiling is not a sole first place. Every ranking this site publishes, including the ones no district would put in a press release.
1 schools in this district
| School | Type | Rating | Score | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland School | K-12 | A | 97 | 211 |
Where this comes from
Every figure on this page comes from data the Texas Education Agency publishes at txschools.gov, fetched 15 August 2026 and archived with a checksum so each number stays traceable to the bytes TEA served.