As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 169 students and 22.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.6:1.[1] In the 2016–17 school year, Highlands was tied for the 40th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 190 students.[7]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[8]
In September 2023, voters in both Atlantic Highlands and Highlands approved a ballot measure that would consolidate the two K–6 districts with the Henry Hudson regional district to form a single K–12 district starting in the 2024–25 school year.[12]
The district's board of education, comprised of seven members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[19][20][21]
^Highlands Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Highlands School District. Accessed May 15, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades pre-kindergarten through six in the Highlands School District. Composition: The Highlands School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Highlands."
^Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 40. Highlands Borough (tie) Enrollment: 190; Grades: Pre-K-6; County: Monmouth; Town population: 5,005"
^About Henry Hudson, Henry Hudson Regional High School. Accessed April 3, 2020. "This school district serves the towns of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands and students in grades seven through twelve."
^Jennings, Rob. "N.J. voters approve merging 3 school districts into 1", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 27, 2023. Accessed May 15, 2024. "The K-6 school districts in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands will be joining the Henry Hudson Regional School District, which already serves students from both municipalities, starting in July 2024."
^Superintendent, Highlands School District. Accessed May 15, 2024.
^Business Office, Highlands School District. Accessed May 15, 2024.
^Silakowski, Ian. "AH Council Introduced to New Tri-District Superintendent", Atlantic Highlands Herald, March 2, 2014. Accessed October 13, 2014. "The first new order of business involved Atlantic Highlands Board of Education President Saranne Weimer introducing Susan Compton, the Tri-District Superintendent of Schools for Atlantic Highlands and Highlands Elementary, and Henry Hudson Regional School."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Highlands School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 15, 2024. "The Highlands School District is a Type II district located in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey. As a Type II District, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The board is comprised of seven members elected to three year-terms.... On September 26, 2023, the voters of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands approved the proposal to form a new regional school district for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with Henry Hudson Regional School District.... The nine member transitional Board of Education will be comprised of two-thirds from Highlands and Atlantic Highlands and one-third from the existing Henry Hudson Regional School Board." See "Roster of Officials" on page 10.
