Enrollment
475
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Valdese, NC
Heritage Middle
Federal NCES profile for Heritage Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370048000105
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heritage Middle earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Valdese · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 57.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Heritage Middle has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Valdese, NC.
School address
District: Burke County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370048000105 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heritage Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heritage Middle
Heritage Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Valdese, North Carolina, enrolling 475 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.4% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 475 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 480 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #263.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 238 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 118 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 475 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Burke County Schools also operates Freedom High (1,299 students) and East Burke High (874 students) alongside Heritage Middle.
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 Middle compares
Heritage Middle 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▼ 13% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 475 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
475
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 67% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.0%
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
$11,845
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 238 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
82
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.8 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
White 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.1%
Asian 6.3%
Two or More 6.3%
African American 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 73.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.2, Heritage Middle is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Burke County Schools, which includes Heritage Middle.
$11,845
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.2%
State 61.7%
Federal 23.1%
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.
How Heritage Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Burke High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robert L. Patton High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jimmy C Draughn High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heritage Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,299
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar middle 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 (~475 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heritage Middle's federal record.
- Compare Heritage Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Burke 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 Middle
How many students attend Heritage Middle?
Heritage Middle has 475 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Valdese, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heritage Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Heritage Middle is 16.4:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heritage Middle?
57.4% of students at Heritage Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heritage Middle?
The largest demographic group at Heritage Middle is White at 73.5% of enrollment, in Valdese, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heritage Middle?
Heritage Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Middle rank among public schools in Valdese?
By Resource Investment Index, Heritage Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Valdese, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Valdese on the city page.
Is Heritage Middle a good school?
Heritage Middle earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina 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 Burke County Schools?
Besides Heritage Middle, Burke County Schools also operates Freedom High (1,299 students), East Burke High (874 students), and Mountain View Elementary (762 students). See the Burke 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.