Enrollment
50
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 240033001410
Heather Ridge — Frederick, MD
Federal NCES profile for Heather Ridge, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 88
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 90
📋 Attendance 0
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: Frederick 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
-79% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heather Ridge 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 Ridge reports 50 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 79% below the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 81% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Maryland average and 42% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 50 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Frederick County Public Schools spends $16,833 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.4% from local sources (property taxes), 38.3% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Ridge 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 | 3:1 | ▼ 79% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.3% | ▲ 50% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 50 | top 2% | — | — |
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
73.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
3:1
students per teacher
— 79% below state mean
Top 1% in Maryland — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,833
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 50 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 98.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 50 Top 2% in Maryland — larger than 98% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 3:1 -79% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.3% +50% vs state
NCES ID 240033001410
Student demographics
African American 40.8%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
White 24.5%
Two or More 8.2%
Largest group: African American at 40.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 50:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 39
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Frederick County Public Schools, which includes Heather Ridge.
$16,833
Per student
-25%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.4%
State 38.3%
Federal 11.2%
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
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,989
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,702
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar other schools in Frederick
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Waverley Elementary
Standard public school
965 students 13:1 students per teacher
Tuscarora Elementary
Standard public school
793 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Whittier Elementary
Standard public school
779 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Urbana Elementary
Standard public school
736 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Ballenger Creek Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
North Frederick Elementary
Standard public school
660 students 13.9:1 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 Ridge
How many students attend Heather Ridge?
Heather Ridge has 50 students enrolled. It is a other school in Frederick, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heather Ridge?
The student-teacher ratio at Heather Ridge is 3:1, which is 79% lower than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 81% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heather Ridge?
73.3% of students at Heather Ridge are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heather Ridge?
The largest demographic group at Heather Ridge is African American at 40.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Frederick, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heather Ridge?
Heather Ridge has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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.