Highlands Elementary School

1326 Pennsylvania Boulevard

School District

Mt. Diablo Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

public

School Map for Mt. Diablo Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 16, 2025

Highlands has been great for my child who will be graduating this year. He has great friends and teachers.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2024

Carinha teachers and attentive staff overall. My kids are happy
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2024

my kids love their school! The teachers are kind and the environment is friendly!
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2021

We have been at Highlands for 4 years now. I currently have a 3rd and 1st grader. We have been very happy and especially love that the full staff (from office staff, to custodians to teachers and principal etc..) are very hands on. With the challenging year we had (this year and last) we have been incredibly happy with how quickly everyone seemed to acclimate to the new ‘normal’. I truly feel that we did not miss a beat and am quite happy with how well all of our teachers stepped up during this difficult time.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2021

My second child is currently attending Highlands. My first attended 1st thru 5th and overall we were very satisfied with the experience and education he received. Towards the end of his years at Highlands the principal changed and the whole feel of the school changed for the better. The sense of community and team effort is one of the things we enjoy most about the school. There is not a single school that I know of, where every single teacher is “the best” and parents want their child to have that teacher and Highlands is the same. However, I can confidently say that at least 75% of the teachers are on top of their game and are phenomenal teachers. Does every grade level or every teacher do everything identical? No and in my opinion that is a good thing. I believe the staff as a whole has the best interest of the students in mind and does their very best to meet and exceed what the children need. I do not assume that every single child is provided exactly what they need but I do not believe that is a staff issue and instead a lack in funding issue. I wholeheartedly believe I could not have had my oldest at a better school, and I look forward to my 2nd child continuing here and then in a few years my 3rd child attending Highlands.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2021

I have been a parent at Highlands for 11 strait years. I also work in this district. With all the schools that I have been into, I have not seen a more dedicated and passionate teachers and staff then at Highlands. As a parent, my 3 children have received a fantastic education. We only have two years left at Highlands, it is a place that our family will deeply miss.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2021

Highlands is great from the front office staff and Principal to the classroom teachers. Everyone truly cares for kids and the teachers engage them in fun and meaningful ways. Our kids have had a wonderful experience since coming to Highlands!
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2019

I have had an average experience at this school. This could be a wonderful school if the needs of the children are placed before politics and money.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2019

Very bad. Unfortunate that such bad schools are in good neighborhoods. This is the worse school ever and would not recommend if you have other options.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2018

OVerall very good community of parents who try very hard to make school succeed.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2016

My child attended here for one week. In that week, the on site daycare Dianne Adair (which we enrolled in for aftercare) forgot to pick my child up 3 out of 5 days. Even after reminders from myself and my husband after the first time. Also my child's kindergarten teacher released her to another parent, who happened to know me and call me, thank God! Safety is clearly an issue here which is why I am thankful we were able to transfer out. I heard good things about the school beforehand but unfortunately my experiences left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2014

My child is now a 3rd grader here at highlands. It's been a wonderful experience since kindergarten for us as well as our child! I would highly recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2014

While our child's teacher was well meaning and personable, we regretted not selecting a home in a better school district. Teachers have very few resources, which are exclusively directed towards meeting Common Core reading and math standards. No computers in the classroom or foreign language program. I have never seen such a pitiful library in an elementary school, despite the constant PTA fundraising. While several reviews boast lots of "parental involvement," this involvement mainly consists of large numbers of unemployed parents loitering without purpose and further congesting the chaotic pick up and drop off process. I think the school's rating of 8/10 reflects its test scores compared to other (poor performing) California schools, but otherwise, I would rate this school a 5. Glad to be moving to a better district next year!
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2013

I would overall rate this school as being only worried about child attendance and money! The overall feeling at this school is that you must be there whether your child is sick or not so that the school gets the payment for your child being there. I have a teenager who has gone to many schools prior to us living her where we had much better experiences. Since we have moved to concord and our child has attended highlands its been a nightmare! I can't wait till we move, and if we don't move soon we are considering putting her in concord Christian just to get away from the politics that have a heavy sway in this school and also the Mt Diablo school district. It's all about Money and school ratings! I am a fed up parent with a weary child who is barely learning anything with the overfilled classes and impatient teachers.