Enrollment
642
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Burnsville, NC
Mountain Heritage High
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Heritage High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370507002030
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mountain Heritage High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #1 of 7
- public schools in Burnsville · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Mountain Heritage High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mountain Heritage High ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Burnsville, NC.
School address
District: Yancey County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370507002030 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Heritage High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mountain Heritage High
Mountain Heritage High is a mid-sized high school in Burnsville, North Carolina, enrolling 642 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 642 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 482 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #147.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 35/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 321 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Yancey County Schools also operates Blue Ridge Elementary (382 students) and Burnsville Elementary (350 students) alongside Mountain Heritage High.
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 Mountain Heritage High compares
Mountain Heritage High 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 30% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 642 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
642
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 31% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$14,275
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 321 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
60
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.2 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 78.3%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
Two or More 1.2%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 78.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Mountain Heritage High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Yancey County Schools, which includes Mountain Heritage High.
$14,275
Per student
+19%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.4%
State 63.8%
Federal 17.9%
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 Mountain Heritage High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Burnsville Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Yancey Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cane River Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Micaville Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mountain Heritage High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 210
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar high 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 (~642 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mountain Heritage High's federal record.
- Compare Mountain Heritage High against another school. Compare schools
- Yancey 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 Mountain Heritage High
How many students attend Mountain Heritage High?
Mountain Heritage High has 642 students enrolled. It is a high school in Burnsville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Heritage High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Heritage High is 13.7:1, which is 13% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 13% 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 Mountain Heritage High?
46.3% of students at Mountain Heritage High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Heritage High?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Heritage High is White at 78.3% of enrollment, in Burnsville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Heritage High?
Mountain Heritage High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Mountain Heritage High rank among public schools in Burnsville?
By Resource Investment Index, Mountain Heritage High ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Burnsville, 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 Burnsville on the city page.
Is Mountain Heritage High a good school?
Mountain Heritage High earns 43/100 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 Yancey County Schools?
Besides Mountain Heritage High, Yancey County Schools also operates Blue Ridge Elementary (382 students), Burnsville Elementary (350 students), and East Yancey Middle (259 students). See the Yancey 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.