About Us

 

The Highland Ranch community takes our responsibility to our students very seriously. It is our priority to provide an academically challenging and emotionally nurturing environment for our students. The foundation for this is based on the Highland Ranch Expectations. Staff and parents are expected to teach our students respect, responsibility and safety not just through what we say, but by what we do. We focus on the whole child. Children thrive when they are in an environment where everyone is valued and respected and that is what everyone on our campus is expected to model every day.

 

The physical structure or our campus consists of the main campus that is built in a square, with classrooms opening onto outdoor hallways. These hallways surround an inner square structure that includes classrooms and a Learning Resource Center. As of Spring of 2004 there is also an additional two-story building equipped with an elevator. This building houses eleven classrooms and a large “common room” on each floor. There is also an outdoor court yard off the 1st floor common area.

 

Built in 1992, Highland Ranch is situated in a residential neighborhood in a rapidly growing suburban area of San Diego. Carmel Mountain Ranch is a planned community with shopping centers, library, and medical facilities within walking distance of the school.

 

Highland Ranch’s student population includes about 800 students in grades pre school through fifth, four half day sessions of Special Education Pre-School and two classes of Autistic Special Day class students in grades Kindergarten through 5th grades [2011-12 Statistics].

 

Our special needs populations includes Resource Special Education, Speech and Language, and English Learners. Each special needs population is served both according to state law and individual requirements.

 

A diverse population of ethnic groups enrich our school. 180 of our students are identified as English Learners. There are 24 different languages represented by Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, African, Japanese, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern students. 3% of our students are participating in the free and reduced lunch program.

 

As the diversity of our population increases it becomes increasingly important for our staff, students and parents to increase our knowledge and appreciation of different cultures and to evaluate our goals to meet the needs of our population 

 

Our PTA and our Foundation are actively involved and support our school and our programs. In these times of increasing budget limitations both organizations as well as independent parent groups work closely with staff to determine what our primary need areas are and to develop a plan to support those needs both financially and by volunteering. Highland Ranch lives up to its reputation as an outstanding school in the Poway Unified School District and instills in the students a commitment to lifelong learning, high achievement and dedication to the development of the Six Pillars of Character, and the modeling of these characteristics in staff and parents.

 

Highland Ranch is a school with motivated students, enthusiastic teachers, and engaged parents who come together to prepare Stallions for their future.