Enrollment
376
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Ana, CA
Heritage Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 11/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061488001849
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage Elementary earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of California schools.
- #50 of 51
- elementary schools in Santa Ana · Resource Index
- 11
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.1:1
- large classes for California
- 86.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage Elementary has class sizes larger than 80% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Elementary ranks #50 of 51 elementary schools in Santa Ana, CA.
School address
District: Garden Grove Unified · California
NCES ID 061488001849 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage Elementary
Heritage Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Ana, California, enrolling 376 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.1:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 86.6% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 376 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,384 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,315, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Ana's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mcfadden Institute of Technology (1,074 students): Heritage Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25.1:1 vs 20.3:1).
Garden Grove Unified also operates Garden Grove High (2,148 students) and La Quinta High (2,041 students) alongside Heritage Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Heritage Elementary compares
Heritage Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.1:1 | ▲ 17% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 56% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 376 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.1:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
376
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.1:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 80% in California - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
38.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,783
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 87.5%
Asian 10.4%
White 1.9%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.3, Heritage Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garden Grove Unified, which includes Heritage Elementary.
$16,783
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.3%
State 56.8%
Federal 12.9%
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.
How Heritage Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| La Quinta High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bolsa Grande High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Santiago High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pacifica High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heritage Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,148
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,041
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,701
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,664
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,634
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Ana
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mcfadden Institute of Technology
Standard public school
1,074 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy
Standard public school
980 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Santiago Elementary
Standard public school
906 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Romero-Cruz Academy
Standard public school
827 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Greenville Fundamental Elementary
Standard public school
817 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Manuel Esqueda Elementary
Standard public school
811 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~376 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Heritage Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Garden Grove Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Heritage Elementary
How many students attend Heritage Elementary?
Heritage Elementary has 376 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary is 25.1:1, which is 17% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 60% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage Elementary?
86.6% of students at Heritage Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heritage Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 87.5% of enrollment, in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Elementary?
Heritage Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Heritage Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Ana?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Elementary ranks #50 of 51 elementary schools in Santa Ana, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Santa Ana on the city page.
Is Heritage Elementary a good school?
Heritage Elementary earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Garden Grove Unified?
Besides Heritage Elementary, Garden Grove Unified also operates Garden Grove High (2,148 students), La Quinta High (2,041 students), and Bolsa Grande High (1,701 students). See the Garden Grove Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.