Enrollment
1,113
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lynchburg, VA
Heritage High
Federal NCES profile for Heritage High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510234000960
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Virginia schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Lynchburg · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 93.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage High has class sizes larger than 90% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Lynchburg, VA.
School address
District: Lynchburg City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510234000960 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.8%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage High
Heritage High is a high-poverty, large high school in Lynchburg, Virginia, enrolling 1,113 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.9:1 is larger than about 90% of Virginia schools and 22% above the 13.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 93.8% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 1,113 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 120 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #79.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and White (25%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 223 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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.
Discipline events run high: 358 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,113 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Lynchburg's high schools, it stands alongside E.C. Glass High (1,220 students): Heritage High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.9:1 vs 14.9:1).
Lynchburg City Public Schools also operates E.C. Glass High (1,220 students) and Sandusky Middle (583 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 Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.9:1 | ▲ 22% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.8% | ▲ 63% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,113 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,113
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 90% in Virginia - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.8%
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 223 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
231
in-school suspensions + 127 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.2 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 50.7%
White 25.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.9%
Two or More 10.6%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 50.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.3, Heritage High is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lynchburg City Public Schools, which includes Heritage High.
$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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| E.C. Glass High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sandusky Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle for Innovation | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Linkhorne Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Heritage Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower 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
- 1,220
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- 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
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high schools in Lynchburg
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 Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,113 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage High's federal record.
- Compare Heritage High 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 High
How many students attend Heritage High?
Heritage High has 1,113 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lynchburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage High?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage High is 16.9:1, which is 22% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage High?
93.8% of students at Heritage High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage High?
The largest demographic group at Heritage High is African American at 50.7% of enrollment, in Lynchburg, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage High?
Heritage High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Lynchburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage High ranks #3 of 3 high 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 high schools in Lynchburg on the city page.
Is Heritage High a good school?
Heritage High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 High, Lynchburg City Public Schools also operates E.C. Glass High (1,220 students), Sandusky Middle (583 students), and Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle for Innovation (531 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.