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Highlands School District

426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870-4048
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2025-26 school year, there are 9 public high schools serving 4,534 students in Highlands School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 3/10, 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 39% (versus the Florida public high school average of 41%), and reading proficiency score of 42% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Highlands School District have a Graduation Rate of 81%, which is less than the Florida average of 88%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Lake Placid High School, with 85% 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
1,346 Schools
# Students
12,535 Students
1,018,139 Students
# Teachers
668 Teachers
47,302 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
18:1

Student By Grade

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 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 81% has increased from 77% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (FL)
#55 out of 73 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
47%
52%
42%
52%
44%
52%
81%
87%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.68
0.70
% American Indian
n/a
n/a
% Asian
1%
3%
% Hispanic
38%
37%
% Black
17%
21%
% White
39%
35%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
5%
4%
All Ethnic Groups

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 $11,616. 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
Spending
$134 MM
$33,354 MM
Revenue / Student
$11,065
$11,962
Spending / Student
$10,661
$11,616

Best Highlands School District Public High Schools (2025-26)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Highlands County Hospital/homebound Program
Special Education School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5583
Gr: K-12 | 21 students Minority enrollment: 71%
Rank: #22.
Highlands Virtual School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5610
Gr: K-12 | 133 students Minority enrollment: 44%
Rank: #33.
Hill-gustat Middle School
(Math: 50% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
4700 Schumacher Rd
Sebring, FL 33872
(863) 471-5437
Gr: 6-12 | 631 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 64%
Rank: #44.
Sebring High School
(Math: 35% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
3514 Kenilworth Blvd
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5500
Gr: 9-12 | 1,901 student Student-teacher ratio: 26:1 Minority enrollment: 55%
Rank: #55.
Avon Park High School
(Math: 40% | Reading: 37%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
700 E Main St
Avon Park, FL 33825
(863) 452-4311
Gr: 9-12 | 946 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 72%
Rank: #66.
Lake Placid High School
(Math: 30% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
202 Green Dragon Dr
Lake Placid, FL 33852
(863) 699-5010
Gr: 9-12 | 829 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 63%
Rank: #77.
The Academy At Youth Care Lane
Alternative School
(Math: 11-19% | Reading: 21-39%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
4121 Youth Care Ln
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5457
Gr: 4-12 | 70 students Minority enrollment: 74%
Rank: n/an/a
Highlands County Schools Jail Program
Alternative School
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5583
Gr: 8-12 | 3 students
Rank: n/an/a
426 School St
Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 471-5610
Gr: 6-12

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Quick Facts (2025-26)

  • District size: 24 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 12,535 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 61%
  • : 81% (Btm 50% in FL)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 47% (Btm 50%)
  • : 42% (Btm 50%)
  • : 44% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), FL Dept. of Education

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