Enrollment
436
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bennington, NE
Heritage Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 310399002261
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Nebraska schools.
- #3 of 5
- schools in Bennington · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Nebraska
- 16.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage Elementary has class sizes larger than 81% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Elementary ranks #3 of 5 schools in Bennington, NE.
School address
District: Bennington Public Schools · Nebraska
NCES ID 310399002261 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.3%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage Elementary compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage Elementary
Heritage Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bennington, Nebraska, enrolling 436 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 16.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 436 puts it in the larger third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 158 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #80.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 436 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Bennington Public Schools spends $9,704 per pupil, 45% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Bennington Public Schools also operates Bennington High School (1,068 students) and Bennington South Middle School (599 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 Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.3% | ▼ 47% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 436 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
436
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 81% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$9,704
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 436 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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
White 73.6%
African American 8.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
Two or More 6.0%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 73.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.0, Heritage Elementary is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bennington Public Schools, which includes Heritage Elementary.
$9,704
Per student
-45%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.4%
State 39.5%
Federal 6.0%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bennington South Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pine Creek Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Anchor Pointe Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bennington Middle School | Similar size | Similar 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
- 1,068
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 556
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~436 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Heritage Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bennington Public Schools'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 436 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bennington, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary is 16.1:1, which is 19% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage Elementary?
16.3% of students at Heritage Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heritage Elementary is White at 73.6% of enrollment, in Bennington, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Elementary?
Heritage Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Heritage Elementary rank among schools in Bennington?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Elementary ranks #3 of 5 schools in Bennington, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bennington on the city page.
Is Heritage Elementary a good school?
Heritage Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Nebraska 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 Bennington Public Schools?
Besides Heritage Elementary, Bennington Public Schools also operates Bennington High School (1,068 students), Bennington South Middle School (599 students), and Pine Creek Elementary (556 students). See the Bennington Public Schools 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.