School Town of Highland

09/02/2026

Kindergarteners in Mr. Beckham's art class at Johnston Elementary School have been practicing their glue skills during the first few weeks of school!

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¡Los estudiantes de Kindergarten en la clase de arte con el Sr. Beckham de Johnston han practicado sus habilidades de pegamento durante las primeras semanas de escuela!

09/01/2026

Students in Mrs. Gordon’s 6th grade English class at Highland Middle School are starting the year by drawing their life path! This project makes students reflect on the experiences that have shaped them into who they are today.

As they start a new chapter of their life at HMS, this is a great project to begin with!

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¡Los estudiantes de sexto grado en la clase de inglés con la Sra. Gordon comienzan el año escolar con su Life Path! Este proyecto hace que los estudiantes de HMS reflexionen sobre las experiencias que han cambiado sus vidas.

Mientras empieza un nuevo capítulo en su vida en HMS, ¡es un proyecto perfecto para hacer al principio del año!

08/28/2026

Come support the Highland High School Football team tonight in our home opener against Whiting at 7:00 p.m.! We’ll see you there!

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¡Venga a apoyar a nuestro equipo de fútbol americano de HHS hoy en su partido contra Whiting a las 7:00 de la noche! ¡Nos vemos allí!

08/27/2026

08/25/2026

Happy First Day of School!

We are to finally welcome all our students and staff back for the 2026-27 school year.

Good luck to everyone as we begin another year filled with lots of learning and fun memories!

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¡Feliz primer día de escuela!

Estamos muy de finalmente darles la bienvenida a todos nuestros estudiantes y empleados para el año escolar 2026-27.

¡Buena suerte a todos mientras comenzamos otro año lleno de aprendizaje y recuerdos divertidos!

08/24/2026

Back-to-school night was a huge success at our elementary schools this evening!

Make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight – tomorrow’s a big day!

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¡La noche de regreso a la escuela en nuestras escuelas primarias fue un gran éxito hoy!

Duerman bien esta noche - ¡mañana será muy divertido!

08/24/2026

Tomorrow, August 25, is the day we’ve all been waiting for – the first day of school!

Our schools are ready, and our staff is excited to welcome students back tomorrow, August 25, for the first day of school.

Thank you to all our staff who worked tirelessly over the past two weeks to prepare for tomorrow. We are very to have such a great team at the School Town of Highland working together to provide an incredible learning environment for our students.

Here are a few quick reminders:

1) The 2026-27 Bus Routes are available on our website: https://www.highland.k12.in.us/page/bus-routes

2) Every school will have Domino’s Pizza available for lunch tomorrow! Normal lunch meal prices apply.

3) All our schools have back-to-school nights this week. Elementary back-to-school night is TONIGHT, August 24; HMS is Wednesday, August 26; HHS is Thursday, August 27. Please see our website for more scheduling information: https://www.highland.k12.in.us/article/3055500

Also, since it’s been a while, here are our arrival and dismissal times for each school:

1) Highland High School’s doors open at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast, and classes start promptly at 7:30 a.m. Dismissal is at 2:40 p.m.

2) Highland Middle School’s doors open for breakfast at 8:00 a.m., and classes start promptly at 8:25 a.m. Dismissal is at 3:20 p.m.

3) All elementary schools’ doors open for breakfast at 7:20 a.m., with students NOT eating breakfast being let in at 7:35 a.m. Classes start at 7:50 a.m. – students should be in their seats and ready to learn! Dismissal is at 2:20 p.m.

Thank you, everyone, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

08/21/2026

Dear Highland Families and Staff,

I am deeply inspired by the progress seen across our schools and community following the recent storm. My heartfelt gratitude and pride go out to everyone for your response to these challenges.

Our plan to return to school next week is still unchanged. Teachers will report for professional development on Monday, August 24. Students will report for the first day of school on Tuesday, August 25. If there are changes, we will notify you as soon as possible. We are so incredibly excited for the school year to officially begin!

All of our schools and the Administration Center now have power and wifi. Our custodians, food services, and technology staff are continuing to work every day to ensure that our buildings are ready to go for the start of the school year. Thank you very much to all of them for their efforts!

Here are some additional updates for you:

Transportation:
-Our bus drivers are currently driving their bus routes to ensure we are fully prepared for the first day of school.
-STOH Administration has worked closely with Highland Public Works to review our bus stops, and we are very thankful for the work they have done to clean them up for our students.
-You can find a list of our bus routes and other important information on our website: https://www.highland.k12.in.us/page/bus-routes

What's Next:
-Staff & Student Schedule: Teachers will report for professional development on Monday, August 24, and students will begin their first day of school on Tuesday, August 25.
-Elementary Back-to-School Nights: Scheduled for Monday, August 24. Please visit our website (https://www.highland.k12.in.us/article/3055500) for specific elementary building schedules.
-Secondary Back-to-School Nights: Highland Middle School will host its event for parents on Wednesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m. Highland High School’s event will take place on Thursday, August 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Make-up Days:
-The Indiana Department of Education sent all Northwest Indiana superintendents the form to request waiver days. I will update you as soon as I receive confirmation on what may be approved.

We’ve also got some exciting news - all of our schools will have Domino’s Pizza available for lunch on the first day of school! Regular lunch meal prices apply.

Thank you all very much for your patience and understanding as we worked through this devastating storm together. As always, we will continue to keep you informed of any updates. Please enjoy your weekend, and we will see you next week!

Regards,
John Schwuchow, Ph.D.
Incoming School Town of Highland Superintendent

08/19/2026

Dear Highland community,

Here is another collection of community resources that may be beneficial to you. We hope that you continue to stay safe!

https://app.smore.com/n/h4rt6

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Estimada comunidad de Highland,

Aquí está otra colección de recursos que podrían ayudarle después de las tormentas. ¡Esperamos que continúe manteniéndose seguro/a!

https://app.smore.com/n/h4rt6

Highland Community Resources

08/18/2026

Our School Town of Highland custodians are absolutely incredible!

We are so thankful every single day for all that they do. When the storm hit last Tuesday, they immediately started working to restore our buildings and have not stopped since.

Thank you all for working every single day to make sure that our 3,000+ students have a safe learning environment. We are always to have you with us!

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¡Nuestros conserjes de STOH son increíbles!

Estamos muy agradecidos por todo lo que hacen cada día. Cuando la tormenta pasó el martes pasado, ellos empezaron inmediatamente a limpiar nuestros edificios y todavía están trabajando para preparar nuestro distrito para el primer día de escuela.

¡Muchísimas gracias por asegurarse de que nuestras escuelas sean seguras! ¡Estamos muy de ustedes!