Heritage Elementary School

Summary:

Heritage Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Richlands, North Carolina, serving 541 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Onslow County Schools district, which is ranked 135 out of 242 school districts in the state.

Heritage Elementary School has a predominantly white student population, with 68.39% of students identifying as white, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Northwoods Elementary (32.76% white) and Summersill Elementary (46.4% white). The school consistently outperforms the Onslow County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in mathematics and reading proficiency, particularly in the 3rd and 4th grades. However, its 5th-grade science proficiency rates are slightly lower than the district and state averages.

While Heritage Elementary School's academic performance is generally strong, its statewide ranking has been declining over the years, from 587 out of 1,489 North Carolina elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 824 out of 1,505 in the 2023-2024 school year. This suggests that the school may be struggling to keep pace with improvements in other schools across the state. Additionally, the school faces challenges in addressing achievement gaps between student subgroups, with lower rankings for African American and white students compared to Hispanic students. The increasing percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 34.69% in 2021-2022 to 52.68% in 2022-2023, may also be contributing to the school's declining performance and the observed achievement gaps.


Detail:

Public K-5

 7444 Richlands Highway
       Richlands, NC  28574


(910) 324-3139

District: Onslow County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
824th of 1,505 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,000 Help


Students who attend Heritage Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Trexler Middle
High:    Richlands High

Student/teacher ratio:  15.9 Help
Number of students:  541

Racial breakdown:

White:
68.4%
Hispanic:
15.2%
Two or more races:
9.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  52.7% Help


 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Heritage Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Heritage Elementary School ranks worse than 54.8% of elementary schools in North Carolina. It also ranks 10th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Onslow County Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.67. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (68.4%), Hispanic (15.2%), two or more races (9.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 52.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Heritage Elementary School is 15.9. 17 elementary schools in the Onslow County Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Heritage Elementary School employs 34 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Heritage Elementary School is $9,000. 13 elementary schools in the Onslow County Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Heritage Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Heritage Elementary School 824th of 1505 North Carolina public elementary schools. (See Heritage Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Onslow County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Onslow County Schools 135th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Heritage Elementary School?

Rank History for Heritage Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 33.50 1041st 1473 29.3%
2021 59.58 587th 1489 60.6%
2022 47.76 778th 1514 48.6%
2023 47.17 813th 1502 45.9%
2024 45.67 824th 1505 45.2%
See the entire list of North Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 5.86 100th 103 2.9%
2022 45.86 70th 133 47.4%
2023 17.50 138th 154 10.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 37.91 479th 801 40.2%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 37.56 919th 1361 32.5%
2021 69.38 267th 1329 79.9%
2022 59.95 448th 1366 67.2%
2023 47.40 760th 1437 47.1%
2024 47.52 763rd 1450 47.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 36.31 967th 1424 32.1%
2021 58.06 564th 1440 60.8%
2022 44.44 807th 1458 44.7%
2023 38.68 905th 1459 38.0%
2024 49.77 717th 1455 50.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 26.61 732nd 878 16.6%
2021 40.69 343rd 646 46.9%
2022 30.93 453rd 634 28.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 56.93 353rd 612 42.3%
2022 46.77 389th 500 22.2%
2023 44.19 482nd 582 17.2%
2024 51.82 450th 669 32.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 18.60 64th 72 11.1%
2021 46.23 44th 76 42.1%
2022 40.23 53rd 85 37.6%
2023 18.01 76th 81 6.2%
2024 19.32 70th 75 6.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 32.39 1067th 1430 25.4%
2021 59.48 560th 1444 61.2%
2022 50.15 719th 1464 50.9%
2023 55.34 637th 1461 56.4%
2024 41.43 880th 1464 39.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 57.89 305th 927 67.1%
2024 30.03 711th 924 23.1%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 30.38 674th 865 22.1%
2021 64.67 208th 843 75.3%
2022 43.34 502nd 893 43.8%
2023 58.62 314th 915 65.7%
2024 56.56 373rd 951 60.8%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Heritage Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 18.04 1080th 1183 8.7%
2021 41.34 705th 1172 39.8%
2022 28.83 930th 1194 22.1%
2023 28.07 936th 1183 20.9%
2024 27.49 934th 1166 19.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, 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.

Heritage Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Open Quote I have three children in Richlands Primary, one with special needs. This is an excellent school. I am proud to send my children here. The Staff and Faculty are top notch. A large portion of the students are parents of Marines who are stationed at nearby Camp Lejeune, so I'd say discipline is above average in the classes. My youngest child attending this school was originally diagnosed with developmental delays, which allowed him to get into a pre-k program as a three-year-old. After two years in that program, he was able to start Kindergarten the week of his fifth birthday, already proficient in reading and writing. This is largely atributed to the individual attention he was given by the specialsts at Richlands Primary. The school itself is relatively new and very clean. Co-located with the high school, it is surrounded by playing fields and playgrounds. My children love going to this school. We've had opportunities to transfer out of the area, but one of the main reason we hesistate is because our kids are having such a good experience at Richlands Primary. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Heritage Elementary School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2002 431 97 0 38 3 n/a n/a 0 569
2003 431 97 0 38 3 n/a n/a 0 569
2004 432 106 0 34 4 n/a n/a 0 576
2005 496 114 1 50 4 n/a n/a 0 665
2006 503 142 7 61 3 n/a n/a 0 716
2007 566 90 12 66 5 n/a n/a 53 792
2008 598 83 7 70 5 n/a n/a 61 824
2009 589 142 7 56 5 n/a n/a 0 799
2010 476 149 4 49 5 n/a n/a 0 683
2011 550 95 2 88 5 5 48 0 793
2012 600 92 2 107 3 3 46 0 853
2013 634 83 3 119 3 6 58 0 906
2014 600 75 2 117 4 5 64 0 867
2015 591 76 2 127 7 7 65 0 875
2016 594 80 3 115 6 5 80 0 883
2017 635 76 3 121 5 3 74 0 917
2018 584 76 4 112 3 2 71 0 852
2019 613 62 1 107 4 3 65 0 855
2020 589 50 1 123 8 4 75 0 850
2021 464 32 0 87 1 3 47 0 634
2022 541 57 0 101 3 4 58 0 764
2023 370 33 1 82 1 1 53 0 541

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 School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 569 34.0 16.7 45
2003 569 34.0 16.7 45
2004 576 34.0 16.9 48.4
2005 665 34.0 19.6 50.2
2006 716 34.0 21.1 45.4
2007 792 n/a n/a 40.5
2008 824 50.5 16.3 42.6
2009 799 52.4 15.2 34.9
2010 683 41.4 16.5 48.5
2011 793 44.5 17.8 45.1
2012 853 46.9 18.1 37.2
2013 906 52.4 17.2 40.7
2014 867 51.5 16.8 39.9
2015 875 50.0 17.5 43.5
2016 883 50.0 17.6 41.8
2017 917 50.5 18.1 48.5
2018 852 54.0 15.7 39.7
2019 855 53.0 16.1 50.1
2020 850 53.0 16.0 38.1
2021 634 45.0 14.0 35.6
2022 764 49.0 15.5 34.7
2023 541 34.0 15.9 52.7

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 School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 569 34.0 16.7 45
2003 569 34.0 16.7 45
2004 576 34.0 16.9 48.4
2005 665 34.0 19.6 50.2
2006 716 34.0 21.1 45.4
2007 792 n/a n/a 40.5
2008 824 50.5 16.3 42.6
2009 799 52.4 15.2 34.9
2010 683 41.4 16.5 48.5
2011 793 44.5 17.8 45.1
2012 853 46.9 18.1 37.2
2013 906 52.4 17.2 40.7
2014 867 51.5 16.8 39.9
2015 875 50.0 17.5 43.5
2016 883 50.0 17.6 41.8
2017 917 50.5 18.1 48.5
2018 852 54.0 15.7 39.7
2019 855 53.0 16.1 50.1
2020 850 53.0 16.0 38.1
2021 634 45.0 14.0 35.6
2022 764 49.0 15.5 34.7
2023 541 34.0 15.9 52.7

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Heritage Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $730 (8.1%) $8,269 (91.9%) $9,000

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Heritage Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1041st of 1473 Elementary schoolsRanks 813th of 1502 Elementary schools
 16.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Heritage Elementary School)53.474.7
 21.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Onslow County Schools)60.157.1
 3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)64.361.1
 3.2%
3rd Grade Reading (Heritage Elementary School)57.348.1
 9.2%
   3rd Grade Reading (Onslow County Schools)56.546.1
 10.4%
   3rd Grade Reading (North Carolina)56.848
 8.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Heritage Elementary School)38.740.4
 1.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Onslow County Schools)52.550.1
 2.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%
4th Grade Reading (Heritage Elementary School)44.549.5
 5%
   4th Grade Reading (Onslow County Schools)56.952.8
 4.1%
   4th Grade Reading (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Heritage Elementary School)49.250
 0.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Onslow County Schools)55.351.9
 3.4%
   5th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)60.255.9
 4.3%
5th Grade Reading (Heritage Elementary School)45.248.1
 2.9%
   5th Grade Reading (Onslow County Schools)54.246.5
 7.7%
   5th Grade Reading (North Carolina)54.648
 6.6%
5th Grade Science (Heritage Elementary School)7361
 12%
   5th Grade Science (Onslow County Schools)74.664.3
 10.3%
   5th Grade Science (North Carolina)72.665.3
 7.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students855541
 36.7%
African American6233
 46.8%
American Indian41
 75%
Asian11
Hispanic10782
 23.4%
Pacific Islander31
 66.7%
White613370
 39.6%
Two or More Races6553
 18.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients50.1%52.7%
 2.6%


Schools Near Heritage Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Heritage Elementary School

Students who attend Heritage Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Trexler Middle
High : Richlands High

In the 2022-23 school year, 541 students attended Heritage Elementary School.

Students at Heritage Elementary School are 68% White, 15% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 6% African American.

Heritage Elementary School ranks 824th of 1505 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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