Is Heritage Elementary a good school?

Heritage Elementary ranks 3420 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Heritage Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 365 students attended Heritage Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Heritage Elementary?

Students at Heritage Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 10% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Heritage Elementary attend?

Students who attend Heritage Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Stephen R. Fitz Intermediate High : Los Amigos High

Heritage Elementary

Summary:

Heritage Elementary is a public elementary school located in Santa Ana, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 365 students. It is part of the Garden Grove Unified School District, which is ranked 402 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Heritage Elementary faces significant challenges, particularly in terms of chronic absenteeism and academic performance. The school has seen a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 9.2% in 2018-2019 to 35.5% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than nearby schools like Newhope Elementary (27.0%) and Rosita Elementary (27.7%). Academically, Heritage Elementary's performance, as measured by the Smarter Balanced Assessments, is consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 37.56% of Heritage Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 59.43% in the Garden Grove Unified School District and 47.04% statewide.

The high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds at Heritage Elementary, with 93.97% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, likely contributes to the academic challenges faced by the school. However, Heritage Elementary's strong performance in supporting its English Language Learner population, ranking in the top 4 stars out of 5 in California for the 2023-2024 school year, is a positive aspect that could be leveraged to improve overall academic outcomes. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and implementing targeted interventions and support programs focused on the unique needs of the school's student population could be crucial steps in improving student outcomes at Heritage Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

426 South Andres Pl.
Santa Ana, CA 92704-1123

(714) 663-6108

District: Garden Grove Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3420^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,697

Students who attend Heritage Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Stephen R. Fitz Intermediate
High:	Los Amigos High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.3

Number of students: 365

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.5%

Asian:

9.9%

White:

0.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 94%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Heritage Elementary ranks worse than 58.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 40^th among 44 ranked elementary schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 36.19. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (88.5%), Asian (9.9%), White (0.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 94% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Garden Grove Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary is 24.3. 25 elementary schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Heritage Elementary employs 15 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Heritage Elementary is $12,697, which is the 5^th highest among 44 elementary schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Heritage Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Heritage Elementary 3420^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Heritage Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Garden Grove Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Garden Grove Unified 402^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Heritage Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	36.38	2848^th	4809	40.8%
2005	36.91	2892^nd	4822	40.0%
2006	28.33	3427^th	4818	28.9%
2007	27.67	3723^rd	5113	27.2%
2008	29.38	3638^th	5113	28.8%
2009	45.55	2726^th	5193	47.5%
2010	41.29	3092^nd	5314	41.8%
2011	42.31	3063^rd	5377	43.0%
2012	48.29	2724^th	5390	49.5%
2013	39.98	3315^th	5530	40.1%
2015	15.19	5081^st	5611	9.4%
2016	28.15	3914^th	5614	30.3%
2017	29.76	3856^th	5692	32.3%
2018	19.97	4685^th	5662	17.3%
2019	27.33	4163^rd	5789	28.1%
2022	33.93	3538^th	5883	39.9%
2023	37.45	3318^th	5874	43.5%
2024	36.19	3420^th	5862	41.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.81	2330^th	3246	28.2%
2019	37.86	1928^th	3275	41.1%
2022	52.62	1069^th	3311	67.7%
2023	63.33	672^nd	3250	79.3%
2024	55.59	904^th	3160	71.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.65	3942^nd	5084	22.5%
2019	34.86	3518^th	5173	32.0%
2022	44.80	2615^th	5264	50.3%
2023	46.41	2598^th	5374	51.7%
2024	43.97	2817^th	5511	48.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.53	4342^nd	5413	19.8%
2019	29.21	3885^th	5492	29.3%
2022	32.97	3493^rd	5635	38.0%
2023	41.34	2942^nd	5617	47.6%
2024	37.92	3199^th	5605	42.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	18.13	2441^st	2585	5.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.13	4657^th	5431	14.3%
2019	27.10	4013^th	5510	27.2%
2022	35.29	3340^th	5663	41.0%
2023	34.27	3459^th	5650	38.8%
2024	35.58	3367^th	5636	40.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Heritage Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.87	4253^rd	4830	11.9%
2019	29.16	3748^th	4963	24.5%
2022	35.89	3228^th	5084	36.5%
2023	37.74	3087^th	5098	39.4%
2024	36.41	3230^th	5102	36.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, May 17, 2019

Great teachers, atmospheres, and curriculum Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

I attended Heritage a couple of years back. I have to say it was one of the best times of my life. I've met some amazing teachers as well as classmates. Even though Heritage is not the richest school, it still tried to provide us with the best. I remembered it was November of 2008, and we were going to science camp. Everyone thought that we would have to sit in those crappy school bus for 3 hours drive to the camp, but the school surprised us by raising enough money to get us the expensive tour bus. I honestly can say that everyone was very happy. Heritage was the best 6+ years of my childhood. If you give me a choice of going back in time to either go to Heritage or a rich school, I'd still pick Heritage. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Heritage Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	103	10	131	482	6	n/a	n/a	732
1989	110	13	142	320	5	n/a	n/a	590
1990	108	12	161	424	4	n/a	n/a	709
1991	104	14	177	491	6	n/a	n/a	792
1992	87	17	205	464	8	n/a	n/a	781
1993	82	15	252	475	6	n/a	n/a	830
1994	53	11	299	518	1	n/a	n/a	882
1995	58	10	281	556	0	n/a	n/a	905
1996	58	10	281	556	0	n/a	n/a	905
1997	60	6	293	619	1	n/a	n/a	979
1998	34	4	173	448	0	n/a	n/a	659
1999	34	5	148	513	0	n/a	n/a	700
2000	31	9	152	562	0	n/a	n/a	754
2001	34	4	148	602	0	n/a	n/a	788
2002	27	3	145	659	1	n/a	n/a	835
2003	27	3	145	659	1	n/a	n/a	835
2004	19	2	122	685	0	n/a	n/a	828
2005	18	2	103	701	0	n/a	n/a	824
2006	14	3	107	609	0	n/a	n/a	733
2007	15	2	104	597	0	n/a	n/a	718
2008	14	1	94	592	n/a	n/a	n/a	701
2009	8	0	89	573	0	0	1	671
2010	9	0	84	546	1	0	0	640
2011	14	1	77	539	1	0	0	632
2012	15	0	69	516	0	0	0	600
2013	16	0	83	501	1	0	0	601
2014	15	1	75	509	0	0	0	600
2015	14	4	70	490	0	0	0	578
2016	14	2	68	455	0	0	0	539
2017	12	4	65	458	0	0	0	539
2018	5	1	52	402	0	0	1	461
2019	3	1	54	393	0	0	1	452
2020	2	1	45	371	0	0	2	421
2021	4	1	45	340	0	0	1	391
2022	5	2	49	330	0	0	5	391
2023	3	1	36	323	0	0	2	365

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Heritage Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	732	29.3	24.9	n/a
1989	590	25.3	23.3	n/a
1990	709	28.4	24.9	n/a
1991	792	29.4	26.9	n/a
1992	781	29.9	26.1	82.5
1993	830	32.0	25.9	79.6
1994	882	32.9	26.8	84.5
1995	905	34.9	25.9	78
1996	905	34.9	25.9	78
1997	979	38.4	25.5	84.2
1998	659	29.0	22.7	86
1999	700	31.0	22.6	90.7
2000	754	34.0	22.2	82.9
2001	788	36.0	21.9	84
2002	835	38.5	21.7	82.8
2003	835	38.5	21.7	82.8
2004	828	37.5	22.1	86.8
2005	824	37.5	22.0	91.5
2006	733	34.5	21.2	78.3
2007	718	35.0	20.5	84.3
2008	701	35.0	20.0	90
2009	671	32.0	20.3	89.7
2010	640	31.5	20.2	90
2011	632	n/a	n/a	90.7
2012	600	26.0	23.0	n/a
2013	601	24.0	25.0	88.7
2014	600	24.0	25.0	94.3
2015	578	24.0	24.0	94.6
2016	539	24.0	22.4	89.6
2017	539	23.0	23.4	88.7
2018	461	19.0	24.2	90.2
2019	452	17.0	26.5	89.8
2020	421	n/a	n/a	91.9
2021	391	17.1	22.7	89
2022	391	14.5	26.9	91.6
2023	365	15.0	24.3	94

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Heritage Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	732	29.3	24.9	n/a
1989	590	25.3	23.3	n/a
1990	709	28.4	24.9	n/a
1991	792	29.4	26.9	n/a
1992	781	29.9	26.1	82.5
1993	830	32.0	25.9	79.6
1994	882	32.9	26.8	84.5
1995	905	34.9	25.9	78
1996	905	34.9	25.9	78
1997	979	38.4	25.5	84.2
1998	659	29.0	22.7	86
1999	700	31.0	22.6	90.7
2000	754	34.0	22.2	82.9
2001	788	36.0	21.9	84
2002	835	38.5	21.7	82.8
2003	835	38.5	21.7	82.8
2004	828	37.5	22.1	86.8
2005	824	37.5	22.0	91.5
2006	733	34.5	21.2	78.3
2007	718	35.0	20.5	84.3
2008	701	35.0	20.0	90
2009	671	32.0	20.3	89.7
2010	640	31.5	20.2	90
2011	632	n/a	n/a	90.7
2012	600	26.0	23.0	n/a
2013	601	24.0	25.0	88.7
2014	600	24.0	25.0	94.3
2015	578	24.0	24.0	94.6
2016	539	24.0	22.4	89.6
2017	539	23.0	23.4	88.7
2018	461	19.0	24.2	90.2
2019	452	17.0	26.5	89.8
2020	421	n/a	n/a	91.9
2021	391	17.1	22.7	89
2022	391	14.5	26.9	91.6
2023	365	15.0	24.3	94

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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