Enrollment
1,778
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Wake Forest, NC
Heritage High
Federal NCES profile for Heritage High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370472003226
👥 S:T ratio 28
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage High earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Wake Forest · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 22.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage High has class sizes larger than 81% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Wake Forest, NC.
School address
District: Wake County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370472003226 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.1%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage High
Heritage High is a large high school in Wake Forest, North Carolina, enrolling 1,778 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.1% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the North Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,778 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 73 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Wake Forest's high schools, it stands alongside Wake Forest High School (2,043 students): Heritage High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18:1 vs 18.4:1).
Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students) and Enloe High (2,643 students) alongside Heritage High.
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 High compares
Heritage High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▲ 14% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.1% | ▼ 67% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,778 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,778
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 81% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.0%
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
$11,859
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
248
in-school suspensions + 102 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 53.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.5%
African American 14.5%
Asian 4.8%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 53.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.5, Heritage High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Heritage High.
$11,859
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Friendship High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Enloe High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Panther Creek High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Millbrook High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Apex High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heritage High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,643
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,609
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,498
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,449
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar high schools in Wake Forest
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,778 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage High's federal record.
- Compare Heritage High against another school. Compare schools
- Wake County 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 High
How many students attend Heritage High?
Heritage High has 1,778 students enrolled. It is a high school in Wake Forest, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage High?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage High is 18:1, which is 14% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage High?
22.1% of students at Heritage High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage High?
The largest demographic group at Heritage High is White at 53.4% of enrollment, in Wake Forest, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage High?
Heritage High has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Heritage High rank among high schools in Wake Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Wake Forest, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Wake Forest on the city page.
Is Heritage High a good school?
Heritage High earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina. 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 Wake County Schools?
Besides Heritage High, Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students), Enloe High (2,643 students), and Panther Creek High (2,609 students). See the Wake County 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.