In 2017, The Highlander was one of 49 high school publications nationwide to be named a finalist for the National Scholastic Press Association's "Pacemaker" award. Repeating that honor in 2020, The Highlander was one of 28 high school publications nationwide to be named a finalist for the "Pacemaker" award. In 2019, The Highlander was also a finalist for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's "Crown Award" for student journalism. Individual articles that have received recognition have addressed topics such as refugees in Northern Virginia, gender identity, and student athletes with concussions.