Enrollment
1,345
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Escondido, CA
Heritage K-8 Charter
Federal NCES profile for Heritage K-8 Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060166011228Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage K-8 Charter earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #7 of 23
- elementary schools in Escondido · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22:1
- students per teacher
- 29.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage K-8 Charter has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage K-8 Charter ranks #7 of 23 elementary schools in Escondido, CA.
School address
District: Heritage K-8 Charter District · California
NCES ID 060166011228 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage K-8 Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage K-8 Charter
Heritage K-8 Charter is a large charter elementary school in Escondido, California, enrolling 1,345 students.
At 22:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,345 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 504 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #207.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (46%) and White (35%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 448 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Heritage K-8 Charter District spends $11,224 per pupil, 32% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Escondido's elementary schools, it stands alongside Classical Academy (1,581 students): Heritage K-8 Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22:1 vs 29.3:1).
Heritage K-8 Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Heritage K-8 Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 K-8 Charter compares
Heritage K-8 Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.7% | ▼ 46% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,345 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,345
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 53% in California - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
4.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,224
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 448 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 46.1%
White 35.4%
Asian 11.5%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.7, Heritage K-8 Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Heritage K-8 Charter District, which includes Heritage K-8 Charter.
$11,224
Per student
-32%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 69.6%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Escondido
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Classical Academy
Standard public school
1,581 students 29.3:1 students per teacher
Community Montessori
Standard public school
795 students 27.4:1 students per teacher
L. R. Green Elementary
Standard public school
717 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Oak Hill Elementary
Standard public school
679 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Bernardo Elementary
Standard public school
664 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Reidy Creek Elementary
Standard public school
626 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,345 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage K-8 Charter's federal record.
- Compare Heritage K-8 Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Heritage K-8 Charter 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 K-8 Charter
How many students attend Heritage K-8 Charter?
Heritage K-8 Charter has 1,345 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Escondido, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage K-8 Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage K-8 Charter is 22:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage K-8 Charter?
29.7% of students at Heritage K-8 Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage K-8 Charter?
The largest demographic group at Heritage K-8 Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 46.1% of enrollment, in Escondido, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage K-8 Charter?
Heritage K-8 Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 K-8 Charter rank among elementary schools in Escondido?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage K-8 Charter ranks #7 of 23 elementary schools in Escondido, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Escondido on the city page.
Is Heritage K-8 Charter a good school?
Heritage K-8 Charter earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California 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 Heritage K-8 Charter District?
None; Heritage K-8 Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Heritage K-8 Charter is its only campus.
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.