Twenty Advanced Placement classes are offered[8] and the school is consistently a local leader in National Merit Finalists.

[citation needed] Until 2009, Highlands won the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution State Championships in six out of seven years, and placed in the top 25 at the National Finals in 2007.

Prior to the realignment effected in the fall of 2007 that expanded the sport from four divisions to six, the football team played 3A.

[18] Consisting of four sections, primarily news, sports, opinion and entertainment, there are also smaller individual categories or repeating segments such as "Crazy Kitchen Insanity" (focusing on cooking recipes) and "Voices In The Halls".

The Hilltopper also publishes articles regarding national news, such as the 2022 Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident and the COVID-19 vaccine.

Frimming's version of Between Two Ferns is notable for its deadpan comedy uncommon in school journalism.