Enrollment
452
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Amherst, NY
Heritage Heights Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 362850003828
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage Heights Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #2 of 4
- schools in Amherst · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- large classes for New York
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage Heights Elementary School has class sizes larger than 70% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Heights Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 schools in Amherst, NY.
School address
District: Sweet Home Central School District · New York
NCES ID 362850003828 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage Heights Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage Heights Elementary School
Heritage Heights Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Amherst, New York, enrolling 452 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.9:1 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 452 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 925 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #705, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and African American (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 452 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Sweet Home Central School District also operates Sweet Home Senior High School (1,105 students) and Sweet Home Middle School (858 students) alongside Heritage Heights Elementary School.
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 Heights Elementary School compares
Heritage Heights Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▲ 9% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 37% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 452 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
452
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 70% in New York - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$23,573
per pupil, district-wide
- below New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 452 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 46.7%
African American 18.6%
Asian 15.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 46.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.3, Heritage Heights Elementary School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sweet Home Central School District, which includes Heritage Heights Elementary School.
$23,573
Per student
-11%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.5%
State 31.4%
Federal 9.1%
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.
How Heritage Heights Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Home Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sweet Home Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Maplemere Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Glendale Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Willow Ridge Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heritage Heights Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,105
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 858
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~452 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage Heights Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Heritage Heights Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Sweet Home Central School District'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 Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Heritage Heights Elementary School?
Heritage Heights Elementary School has 452 students enrolled. It is a public school in Amherst, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage Heights Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage Heights Elementary School is 12.9:1, which is 9% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage Heights Elementary School?
35.5% of students at Heritage Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage Heights Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Heritage Heights Elementary School is White at 46.7% of enrollment, in Amherst, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Heights Elementary School?
Heritage Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Heights Elementary School rank among schools in Amherst?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Heights Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 schools in Amherst, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Amherst on the city page.
Is Heritage Heights Elementary School a good school?
Heritage Heights Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York 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 Sweet Home Central School District?
Besides Heritage Heights Elementary School, Sweet Home Central School District also operates Sweet Home Senior High School (1,105 students), Sweet Home Middle School (858 students), and Maplemere Elementary School (488 students). See the Sweet Home Central School District 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.