Enrollment
448
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lynchburg, VA
Heritage Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510234000959
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia schools.
- #12 of 14
- schools in Lynchburg · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 89.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Elementary ranks #12 of 14 schools in Lynchburg, VA.
School address
District: Lynchburg City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510234000959 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.9%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage Elementary
Heritage Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lynchburg, Virginia, enrolling 448 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 89.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 448 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 396 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #304, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (50%) and White (21%) (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 448 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lynchburg's public schools, it stands alongside Tomahawk Elementary (667 students): Heritage Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 15.2:1).
Lynchburg City Public Schools also operates E.C. Glass High (1,220 students) and Heritage High (1,113 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 Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.9% | ▲ 56% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 448 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
448
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 27% in Virginia - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$15,211
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 448 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 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
African American 50.4%
White 21.4%
Two or More 14.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Asian 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 50.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Heritage Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lynchburg City Public Schools, which includes Heritage Elementary.
$15,211
Per student
+4%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.2%
State 50.0%
Federal 16.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| E.C. Glass High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sandusky Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle for Innovation | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Linkhorne Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar 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
- 1,220
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,113
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Lynchburg
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Tomahawk Elementary
Standard public school
667 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Leesville Road Elementary
Standard public school
646 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Sheffield Elementary
Standard public school
443 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Robert S. Payne Elementary
Standard public school
435 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Bedford Hills Elementary
Standard public school
402 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Linkhorne Elementary
Standard public school
378 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~448 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Heritage Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lynchburg City 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 448 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lynchburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary is 12.4:1, which is 11% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage Elementary?
89.9% of students at Heritage Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heritage Elementary is African American at 50.4% of enrollment, in Lynchburg, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Elementary?
Heritage Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Lynchburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Elementary ranks #12 of 14 schools in Lynchburg, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lynchburg on the city page.
Is Heritage Elementary a good school?
Heritage Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia 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 Lynchburg City Public Schools?
Besides Heritage Elementary, Lynchburg City Public Schools also operates E.C. Glass High (1,220 students), Heritage High (1,113 students), and Sandusky Middle (583 students). See the Lynchburg City 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.