The Highland Park School District is a diverse learning community that serves over 1,650 students in four schools. Students come from 39 different nations of origin and speak 29 distinct languages. Thirty-seven percent of the students are white, 25% Asian, 19% Hispanic, 11% black, and 8% multiracial. 

Its proximity to Rutgers University makes Highland Park a "college town" in which many residents work or study at the university. The community is also neighbor to the cultural center of Middlesex County (New Brunswick) and this affords students and their families/guardians a vast number of opportunities otherwise not provided by a traditional school district. Highland Park’s schools have taken advantage of its locale by forging a range of partnerships with the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, the Rutgers University Psychology Department, George Street Playhouse, and other regional organizations. 

The school district has distinguished itself in a multitude of ways, winning honors and recognition for its achievement and the expertise of its faculty and leadership. All of Highland Park's schools are Bronze Certified Jersey Sustainable Schools. The Highland Park Middle School was awarded the Jefferson Award's top honor for its Students in Action win. Highland Park High School was recognized by the College Board as one of only 477 schools in North America to have received AP District Honor Roll distinction for its commitment to increasing accessibility to the AP Test while holding among the highest average scores among its peer schools. The high school earned a U.S. News and World Report Silver Medal and is ranked 784 in the nation, 36 in New Jersey. Overall, the school district has received an A ranking from Niche.Com .
 
Highland Park's schools are committed to collaborating with the entire community to chart its future. The Pathway to Excellence, the district's strategic plan, is framed by three goals that were identified by 61 residents, school personnel, and the board of education.