Enrollment
361
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 240051001056
Heather Hills Elementary — Bowie, MD
Federal NCES profile for Heather Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 86
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Prince George'S County Public Schools · Maryland
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.7%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heather Hills Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Heather Hills Elementary reports 361 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the Maryland average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Prince George'S County Public Schools spends $21,751 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.1% from the state, and 12.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Heather Hills Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.7% | ▼ 48% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 21% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
25.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 88% in Maryland — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$21,751
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 361 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 361 Top 21% in Maryland — larger than 79% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.7% -48% vs state
NCES ID 240051001056
Student demographics
African American 68.7%
White 14.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Asian 6.1%
Two or More 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 68.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prince George'S County Public Schools, which includes Heather Hills Elementary.
$21,751
Per student
-3%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 51.1%
Federal 12.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,012
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,712
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,580
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,544
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Bowie
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Whitehall Elementary
Standard public school
485 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Tulip Grove Elementary
Standard public school
477 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Pointer Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
416 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Yorktown Elementary
Standard public school
396 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
High Bridge Elementary
Standard public school
394 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Kenilworth Elementary
Standard public school
364 students 14:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Heather Hills Elementary
How many students attend Heather Hills Elementary?
Heather Hills Elementary has 361 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Bowie, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heather Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heather Hills Elementary is 17.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heather Hills Elementary?
25.7% of students at Heather Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heather Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heather Hills Elementary is African American at 68.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bowie, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heather Hills Elementary?
Heather Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.