Highland Lakes’s public schools outscore 83% of Alabama districts
In Highland Lakes, 38% of tested students are proficient in math, above the Alabama average (27%). The grade covers the public school district serving Highland Lakes, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Alabama, not nationally.
From Alabama state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Highland Lakes’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 16 Alabama towns with household incomes within a quarter of Highland Lakes’s, its schools beat 56%, lower than their 83% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 60% and math 38% in spring 2022, against 47% and 27% statewide; 94% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 90%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $13,422 per student, against $13,926 across Alabama (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
12 elementary schools, then seven middle and seven high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Highland Lakes’s grade
A−: better than 83% of Alabama school districts, #23 of 187 Alabama towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Alabama average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Highland Lakes, with each school’s own grade.
Highland Lakes’s public schools are run by Shelby County School District, which also serves Calera, Chelsea, Columbiana and Harpersville and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Highland Lakes vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Alabama towns that share Highland Lakes’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Highland Lakes | A− | Shelby County |
| Hoover | A+ | Hoover City |
| Chelsea | A− | Shelby County |
Every school in Highland Lakes
25 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Alabama’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Highland Lakes’s schools
Are Highland Lakes’s schools good?
By Alabama’s own tests, yes: the public schools Highland Lakes children attend outscore 83% of Alabama’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade, #23 of 187 Alabama towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 56%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Highland Lakes in?
Shelby County School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 20,638 students in 29 schools (2024–25).
Where do Highland Lakes kids go to high school?
One of 7 high schools, depending on your address: Oak Mountain High School, Helena High School, Chelsea High School, Calera High, Shelby County High School, Montevallo High School and Vincent Middle High School.
What is Highland Lakes’s graduation rate?
94% of the class of 2023 in Shelby County School District graduated in four years, against 90% across Alabama.
How much does Highland Lakes spend per student?
$13,422 in Shelby County School District (FY2024), against $13,926 across Alabama. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Highland Lakes families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Highland Lakes → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Alabama. Stars are from neighbors.