Enrollment
452
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 362850003828
Heritage Heights Elementary School — Amherst, NY
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 43
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: Sweet Home Central School District · New York
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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-1% 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
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
Heritage Heights Elementary School reports 452 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the New York average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 452 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sweet Home Central School District spends $29,107 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 59.5% from local sources (property taxes), 31.4% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 Heritage Heights Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New York state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 37% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 452 | top 55% | — | — |
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
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
11.6:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 53% in New York — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$29,107
per pupil, district-wide
— below New York avg of $29,727
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 452 Top 55% in New York — larger than 45% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 11.6:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.5% -37% vs state
NCES ID 362850003828
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 452:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.6%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sweet Home Central School District, which includes Heritage Heights Elementary School.
$29,107
Per student
-2%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+49%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,105
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 858
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
Similar other schools in Amherst
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Heritage Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Heritage Heights Elementary School?
Heritage Heights Elementary School has 452 students enrolled. It is a other 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 11.6:1, which is 1% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 27% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in AMHERST, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Heights Elementary School?
Heritage Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.