Highland Community School District

Public school district in Riverside, Iowa, United States

Highland Community School District

Location

Washington and Johnson counties

United States
District information
Type| Public school district
Motto| "Home of the Huskies"
Grades| preK-12
Established| 1963
Superintendent| Ken Crawford (shared with Lone Tree)
Schools| 3
Budget| $10,497,000 (2020-21)[1]
NCES District ID| 1914010[1]
Students and staff
Students| 565 (2022-23)[1]
Teachers| 43.70 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Staff| 42.26 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Student–teacher ratio| 12.93[1]
Athletic conference| SEISC
District mascot| Highland Husky
Colors| Red, Black, and White

Other information
Cities served| Riverside and Ainsworth, Iowa
Mission Statement| Provide all students the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to fulfill their potential and become positive contributors to society.[2]
Yearbook| The Highlander
Website| http://www.highlandhuskies.org

The Highland Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in unincorporated Washington County, Iowa,[3] that serves much of eastern Washington County and a small portion of southern Johnson County,[4] including Riverside, Ainsworth, and surrounding rural areas.

The high school and middle school are connected in one building, also housing the district headquarters, located between Riverside and Ainsworth in an unincorporated area in Washington County.[5][6] The elementary school is located in Riverside.[7]

## History

[edit]

The district was formed in 1963 as the consolidation of Riverside and Ainsworth schools.

In 2018, the Lone Tree Community School District administration announced that the district will begin sharing a superintendent with the Highland district.[8]

## Schools

[edit]

### Highland Elementary School

[edit]

Located in Riverside, Highland Elementary is the district's sole elementary school, housing grades Kindergarten through fifth. The school also provides a preschool program for children ages four and five. Formerly known as Riverside Elementary, the school was renamed Highland Elementary in 2017 when Ainsworth Elementary closed and all elementary-aged students in the district consolidated into one school.[9]

### Highland Middle School

[edit]

Highland Middle School is the single middle school in the district. The school opened in the fall of 2003, with one addition and remodeling project since. It is connected to Highland High School. It is located in the rural area between Riverside and Ainsworth at 1715 Vine Avenue. The school serves grades 6 through 8.[10]

### Highland High School

[edit]

Highland High School, the sole high school in the district, serves grades 9 through 12. The building was built in 1965, with renovations and additions since then. A connection to the middle school allows the sharing of some courses between schools. It is currently a 1A school in athletics and extracurricular activities.[11]

#### Athletics

[edit]

The Huskies compete in the Southeast Iowa Superconference in the following sports:[12]

* Cross Country
* Volleyball
* Football
* Wrestling
* Basketball
* Bowling
* Track and Field
* Golf
* Soccer
* Baseball
* Softball
* 2007 Class 1A State Champions[13]

## Former Schools

[edit]

From 1963 to 2017, the district operated two elementary schools. One school was located in Ainsworth with the other located in Riverside.

The most recent Ainsworth Elementary building was constructed in 1973 and received renovations and an expansion in 1999. Circa 2001 it had about 120 students.[14] Due to declining enrollment and increased costs, the Highland Board of Education made the decision to close the Ainsworth school at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 school year. Starting the fall of 2017, all elementary students in the district began to attend school in Riverside, which was renamed Highland Elementary.[15] In 2017 Ainsworth Elementary had 70 students. District leadership stated that it would have had to spend upkeep of $50,000 if it remained open.[16]

Prior to the opening of the middle school in 2003, seventh through twelfth grade students in the district attended the Highland Junior-Senior High School, which was located at the current-day high school site. Sixth grade students attended either Ainsworth or Riverside Elementary School.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* List of school districts in Iowa
* List of high schools in Iowa

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f "Highland Comm School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
2. ^ http://www.highland.k12.ia.us Highland Community School District mission statement
3. ^ Home. Highland Community School District. Retrieved on June 21, 2018. "Highland CSD 1715 Vine Avenue Riverside, Iowa 52327"
4. ^ "Highland." Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved on June 21, 2018.
5. ^ Home. Highland Middle School. Retrieved on June 21, 2018. "Highland Middle School 1715 Vine Ave. Riverside, Iowa 52327"
6. ^ Home. Highland High School. Retrieved on June 21, 2018. "Highland High School 1715 Vine Ave. Riverside, Iowa 52327"
7. ^ Home. Highland Elementary School. Retrieved on June 21, 2018. "Highland Elementary School 220 Schnoebelen St. Riverside, Iowa 52327"
8. ^ Fickau, Ethan (January 8, 2018). "Districts to share superintendent, avoid merging". KCRG. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
9. ^ Cerwinske, Joe (February 13, 2017). "BREAKING NEWS: Ainsworth Elementary Officially Closing its Doors | KCII Radio | The One to Count on". kciiradio.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
10. ^ http://www.highland.k12.ia.us/vnews/display.v/ART/483c4ce6e6eb4 Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Middle School, Highland, accessed September 17, 2010.
11. ^ http://www.highland.k12.ia.us/vnews/display.v/SEC/High School Archived 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine High School, Highland, accessed November 8, 2010.
12. ^ "Southeast Iowa Superconference". Southeast Iowa Superconference. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
13. ^ "Highland". Iowa High School Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
14. ^ Home. Ainsworth Elementary School. March 21, 2001. Retrieved on June 21, 2018.
15. ^ Bourgeois, Jake (February 16, 2017). "Featured - Kalona news - A tearful decision - Ainsworth Elementary School to close". The Kalona News. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
16. ^ "Two eastern Iowa elementary schools closing". KCRG. February 13, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Highland Community School District website
* Highland Community School District at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
* City of Riverside website