Highlands Elementary School is flanked by a number of natural areas and tree cover, located in the middle of a welcoming residential neighborhood. Edina green is present throughout the building, indicative of the amount of pride both students and staff take in their school. The school boasts an outdoor garden, rain garden and several natural areas where students both play and learn.
Highlands is one of six elementary schools in the Edina School District, serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education. Parents are given the option of sending their children through a continuous progress model, a district-wide alternative program with multi-age and multi-grade classes, or a discovery program, where students have the same teacher for first and second grades and then switch to another instructor for third and fourth grades.