Education

Child care costs in Highlands County are above the statewide average and above child care costs in comparable counties such as Citrus County.

Source: County Health Data, Highlands, FL, countyhealthrankings.org, 2025

Kindergarten readiness in Highlands County is consistently below the state average. Students that do not demonstrate “kindergarten readiness” have a reduced chance of success acquiring necessary literacy and mathematics skills to graduate from high school.

Source: 2023-24 Highlands School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How well do Highlands County students perform on state standardized tests?

EOC assessments are computer-based assessments that measure student proficiency against Florida state academic standards for specific courses. These tests are designed to allow benchmarking of students against peers statewide and nationally in various subject matter.

A score of 3 is considered to be passing and reflects adequate knowledge of the course subject matter. A score of 4 is above average performance. A score of 5 is excellent and reflects a very high mastery of subject matter. Students that score a 1 or 2 are considered not to have learned course material on a level sufficient to pass the course.

As a whole, students in Highlands County score lower than their counterparts statewide. Highlands County students are more likely to receive scores of 1 or 2, reflecting inadequate knowledge of course material.  Consequently, Highlands students are less likely to receive a score of 4 or 5, demonstrating high level mastery of course material.

Source: 2024-25 Highlands School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How well do Highlands County students perform in high school?

Highlands County’s graduation rate is consistently around 84%. This is consistently lower than the statewide graduation rate (approx. 90%).

Source: 2023-24 Highlands School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How are Highlands County students scoring on college entrance exams?

Fewer than 30% of Highlands County high school graduates take the ACT. Statewide, 43% of high school graduates take the ACT. Additionally, Highlands County graduates typically score below the statewide average on the ACT.

Source: 2023-24 Highlands School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

Despite a higher SAT participation rate among Highlands County graduates compared to the state average, their average scores typically fall below that average, and the gap has expanded since 2020. Highlands County’s average SAT score has seen a notable decline since 2020, dropping from 982 to 939. This decline contrasts with the statewide average, which only decreased slightly from 1018 to 1002 during the same period.

Source: 2023-24 Highlands School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

Are Highlands County students pursuing higher education?

Students that enrolled in college or technical school after graduating from high school.

In Highlands County, just under 50% of student enrolled in a post-secondary program in the 2021-2022 school year (49.0%). The statewide rate of post-secondary enrollment for the same year was just above Highlands at 53.7%.

Source: 2023-24 Highlands School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

More than 30% of Highlands County residents have completed a post-secondary degree (30.2%). Another 24.2% of Highlands County residents have completed some college, but did not attain a degree. Only 13.6% of Highlands County residents have not earned a high school diploma or GED equivalency.

Source: American Community Survey, 5-yr estimates, Highlands County, 2023

26% of Highlands residents rate below a Basic Literacy Level (Level 2).  This represents an adult literacy rate lower than the state average and lower than comparable, nearby Citrus County. Individuals reading below “Basic Literacy” struggle to read paragraphs, summarize information, and compare read information to outside knowledge.

Source: Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIAAC)