Enrollment
977
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sacramento, CA
Heron
Federal NCES profile for Heron, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060003611734
👥 S:T ratio 7
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heron earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #13 of 124
- elementary schools in Sacramento · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 28.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Heron has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heron ranks #13 of 124 elementary schools in Sacramento, CA.
School address
District: Natomas Unified · California
NCES ID 060003611734 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heron compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heron
Heron is a large elementary school in Sacramento, California, enrolling 977 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 977 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 890 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #204.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (28%) and White (22%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 79/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Sacramento's elementary schools, it stands alongside Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences (1,091 students): Heron is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.3:1 vs 23.7:1).
Natomas Unified also operates Inderkum High (2,194 students) and Westlake Charter (1,493 students) alongside Heron.
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 Heron compares
Heron on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.9% | ▼ 48% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 977 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
977
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 65% in California - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$13,690
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 28.2%
White 22.1%
Asian 19.5%
Two or More 14.8%
African American 13.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 28.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 79.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 79.2, Heron is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Natomas Unified, which includes Heron.
$13,690
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 60.5%
Federal 9.4%
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 Heron Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inderkum High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westlake Charter | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Natomas High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Paso Verde | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| H. Allen Hight Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heron's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,194
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,493
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,157
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 760
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools in Sacramento
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences
Standard public school
1,091 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Las Palmas Elementary
Standard public school
1,001 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
Mary Tsukamoto Elementary
Standard public school
989 students 26:1 students per teacher
Arnold Adreani Elementary
Standard public school
944 students 27:1 students per teacher
Paso Verde
Standard public school
897 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Maeola E. Beitzel Elementary
Standard public school
888 students 25.4:1 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 (~977 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heron's federal record.
- Compare Heron against another school. Compare schools
- Natomas Unified'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 Heron
How many students attend Heron?
Heron has 977 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sacramento, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heron?
The student-teacher ratio at Heron is 23.3:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heron?
28.9% of students at Heron are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heron?
The largest demographic group at Heron is Hispanic or Latino at 28.2% of enrollment, in Sacramento, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 79.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heron?
Heron has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Heron rank among elementary schools in Sacramento?
By Resource Investment Index, Heron ranks #13 of 124 elementary schools in Sacramento, 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 Sacramento on the city page.
Is Heron a good school?
Heron earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California 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 Natomas Unified?
Besides Heron, Natomas Unified also operates Inderkum High (2,194 students), Westlake Charter (1,493 students), and Natomas High (1,157 students). See the Natomas Unified 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.