Enrollment
448
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sterling Heights, MI
Heritage Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 263447007026
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage Junior High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #1 of 23
- schools in Sterling Heights · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 46.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage Junior High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Junior High School ranks #1 of 23 schools in Sterling Heights, MI.
School address
District: Utica Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263447007026 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage Junior High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage Junior High School
Heritage Junior High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sterling Heights, Michigan, enrolling 448 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 448 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 729 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #42, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 172 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Utica Community Schools also operates Adlai Stevenson High School (1,881 students) and Henry Ford Ii High School (1,663 students) alongside Heritage Junior High 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 Junior High School compares
Heritage Junior High School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▼ 15% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.2% | ▼ 15% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 448 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
448
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 31% in Michigan - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.7%
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
$12,513
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.6 FTE
Per 172 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Utica Community Schools, which includes Heritage Junior High School.
$12,513
Per student
-7%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.1%
State 63.4%
Federal 9.5%
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 Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adlai Stevenson High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry Ford Ii High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eisenhower High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Utica High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Malow Junior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heritage Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,881
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,663
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,625
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,391
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,084
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~448 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Heritage Junior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Utica Community 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 Junior High School
How many students attend Heritage Junior High School?
Heritage Junior High School has 448 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sterling Heights, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage Junior High School is 14.9:1, which is 15% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 5% 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 Junior High School?
46.2% of students at Heritage Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Junior High School?
Heritage Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Junior High School rank among schools in Sterling Heights?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Junior High School ranks #1 of 23 schools in Sterling Heights, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sterling Heights on the city page.
Is Heritage Junior High School a good school?
Heritage Junior High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Utica Community Schools?
Besides Heritage Junior High School, Utica Community Schools also operates Adlai Stevenson High School (1,881 students), Henry Ford Ii High School (1,663 students), and Eisenhower High School (1,625 students). See the Utica Community 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.