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
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10039/100
👥 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

Valdese, NC 28690
District: Burke County Schools · North Carolina

NCES ID 370048000105 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-13 students YoY

Heritage Middle held near 440 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-13 headcount).

Teacher FTE held 29.2 → 29.1 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-13 students YoY 370048000105 · Valdese, NC Middle · SMALL · TRAD

475 enr · 16.4:1 · 57.4% lunch · RII 39

Nearest enrollment peer: Freedom High (1,299 students)

Heritage Middle held near 440 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-13 headcount). Teacher FTE held 29.2 → 29.1 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · North Carolina schools → · Find another →

Heritage Middle in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Heritage Middle reports 475 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Heritage Middle compares

Heritage Middle held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs 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 methodology

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
$12,261
per pupil, district-wide - below North Carolina avg of $12,294
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.

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

District finance for Burke County Schools reports $12,261 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

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

Burke County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide middle schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~475 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)

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. CCD year-over-year: 453 (2022-23) → 440 (2023-24), nearly flat (-13).

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, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. 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.

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .