Highlands Elementary, 2500 Barney Terrace NW: grades pre-K to 6, 351 students on the 2024-25 state report card, graded C with 78 points.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, its principal’s page, Huntsville City Schools’ feeder pattern chart, school hours, enrollment page and events calendar, the City of Huntsville’s School Zone Locator, the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2024-25 and 2023-24 and the federal NCES school directory for 2023-24.
Highlands Elementary serves pre-K through sixth grade at 2500 Barney Terrace NW, Huntsville, as one of Huntsville City Schools’ elementary schools. Alabama graded it a C, with 78 points, on its 2024-25 report card.
Who to call
- Front office: 256-428-7200, 2500 Barney Terrace NW
- School website: www.huntsvillecityschools.org/o/hes
- Enrolling a new student: register online in PowerSchool from the district’s enrollment page; the Parent Support Center helps at 256-428-6911, 714 Bob Wallace Ave., and the Enrollment Office is at 256-963-9800
- Which school is my address zoned for? the city’s School Zone Locator
- Buses: the district’s transportation page
| Address | 2500 Barney Terrace NW, Huntsville, AL 35810 |
| Phone | 256-428-7200 |
| Grades | Pre-K to 6 |
| District | Huntsville City Schools |
| Feeds into | McNair Junior High, then Jemison High |
| State school code | 159-0140 |
Principal
Principal Renee Headen, according to the school’s website.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: 351 students on the 2024-25 Alabama state report card.
- Federal count: 380 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 16 students per teacher.
State report card
Alabama grades every public school from A to F each year. The grade comes from a 100-point score built from students’ achievement and growth on state tests in English language arts and math, chronic absenteeism (the share of students who missed 18 or more days), progress in English language proficiency and, for high schools, graduation rate and college and career readiness, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s report card rules.
2024-25 grade: C, 78 points. That compares with a C and 72 points on the 2023-24 card. Huntsville City Schools as a whole earned a B, with 89 points.
| Indicator | 2024-25 score |
|---|---|
| Academic achievement (ELA and math tests) | 50.76 |
| Academic growth | 100 |
| Progress in English language proficiency | 62.50 |
| Chronic absenteeism (lower is better) | 12.12% of students |
Highlands Elementary’s full report card, with results by student group, teachers and spending, is on the state’s report card site.
Attendance zone
Check an address with the city’s School Zone Locator, which Huntsville City Schools links from its enrollment page. Zones do not follow the city limits, and the locator also names the school district for each address.
In the district’s feeder pattern chart, Highlands Elementary feeds McNair Junior High and then Jemison High.
In the news
Highlands opened in 1962 on a 20-acre tract in northwest Huntsville with 598 students and 15 teachers, and 10 classrooms were added in 1964, according to the school’s history page.
Calendar and bell times
Highlands Elementary follows the Huntsville City Schools calendar, posted on the district’s events page. Coming dates:
- Oct. 26-30: pre-K classrooms closed
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
- Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving holiday for students and teachers
- Friday, Dec. 18: half day for all students, end of the second grading period
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter holidays; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
- Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday
- March 15-19: spring break
School hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for elementary schools, according to the district’s school hours page.
More
- The school’s website and staff directory
- Every public school in Huntsville, with zones and report cards
- Our Huntsville schools guide for enrollment, the school board and the district at a glance
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Highlands Elementary serve?
Highlands Elementary in Huntsville serves pre-K through sixth grade, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s 2024-25 report card.
What is Highlands Elementary’s state report card grade?
Highlands Elementary earned a C, with 78 points, on Alabama’s 2024-25 state report card, up from 72 points on the 2023-24 card.
Which middle and high school does Highlands Elementary feed into?
McNair Junior High and then Jemison High, according to the Huntsville City Schools feeder pattern chart.
What time does Highlands Elementary start?
Huntsville City Schools lists school hours of 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for elementary schools.
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