Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes are offered for juniors and seniors in English, calculus, statistics, math analysis, U.S. History, government/economics, chemistry, physics, psychology, geology, environmental science, Spanish, and French.

Highland's students are active in community service, typically among the top schools in the highest percentage of eligible donors giving blood.

[citation needed] Highland High School, located in the northeast part of Bakersfield, serves a multi-cultural population of more than 2,000 students drawn from three distinct eastside neighborhoods, two of which are uniquely "island" areas outside the immediate school neighborhood from which Highland draws approximately 53% of its students.

The CAD/drafting classes focus on architectural design, qualify for UC fine arts credit, and are articulated with Bakersfield College.

[citation needed] Highland is proud to be the county site for the deaf and hard-of-hearing program and now includes five periods of elective classes in American Sign Language (ASL) for its students.

Highland offers a variety of programs including Special Education, Title One, English Learner, Migrant PASS, Independent Study, and Work Experience.