Heritage High

Summary:

Heritage High is a public magnet high school serving grades 9-12 in Newport News, Virginia, with a diverse student population of 1,111. The school faces significant academic challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 10-15% of Virginia high schools based on the SchoolDigger statewide ranking.

Heritage High's performance varies greatly by racial subgroup, with Hispanic and White students performing relatively well, but African American students ranking in the bottom 20% of schools statewide. This suggests substantial achievement gaps along racial lines. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 85.06% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, much higher than state and district averages. Despite a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 13.9, the school's academic outcomes have steadily declined over the past decade, from ranking 269 out of 324 Virginia high schools in 2016-2017 to 322 out of 329 in 2023-2024.

While Heritage High struggles academically, there are several higher-performing high schools in close proximity, such as Menchville High and Warwick High, which are part of the Newport News City Public Schools district. The contrast in academic outcomes between these schools and Heritage High is stark, highlighting the significant challenges the school faces. As a public magnet school, Heritage High may have the opportunity to leverage its specialized focus and resources to improve academic outcomes, but the data does not currently indicate the magnet program is translating into stronger performance.


Detail:

Public, Magnet 9-12

 5800 Marshall Ave
       Newport News, VA  23605


(757) 928-6100

District: Newport News City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
322nd of 329 Virginia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,846 Help


Feeder schools for Heritage High:

Elementary:    Carver Elementary
    Discovery Stem Academy
    John Marshall Early Childhood Center
    Newsome Park Elementary
Middle:    Crittenden Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  13.9 Help
Number of students:  1,111

Racial breakdown:

African American:
77.5%
Hispanic:
8.7%
White:
6.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  85.1% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Heritage High ranks worse than 97.9% of high schools in Virginia. It also ranks last among 6 ranked high schools in the Newport News City Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.89. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Heritage High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
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
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Compare Details Heritage High has the largest high school student body size in the Newport News City Public Schools District.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Heritage High is $8,846, which is the 3rd highest among 6 high schools in the Newport News City Public Schools District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Heritage High:

SchoolDigger ranks Heritage High 322nd of 329 Virginia public high schools. (See Heritage High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Newport News City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Newport News City Public Schools 110th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Heritage High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 22.79 287th 308 6.8%
2006 42.67 205th 314 34.7%
2007 33.81 251st 313 19.8%
2008 32.06 259th 316 18.0%
2009 21.35 297th 313 5.1%
2010 17.76 303rd 317 4.4%
2011 19.06 302nd 320 5.6%
2012 12.44 309th 321 3.7%
2013 10.93 313th 321 2.5%
2014 9.63 316th 322 1.9%
2015 17.81 306th 322 5.0%
2016 28.69 270th 321 15.9%
2017 28.83 269th 324 17.0%
2018 23.04 297th 326 8.9%
2019 19.22 304th 327 7.0%
2021 8.56 308th 327 5.8%
2022 13.78 312th 325 4.0%
2023 23.57 298th 326 8.6%
2024 16.89 322nd 329 2.1%
See the entire list of Virginia High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 64.47 66th 193 65.8%
2024 28.57 160th 198 19.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 19.26 311th 320 2.8%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 21.48 301st 320 5.9%
2024 8.11 318th 322 1.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 18.26 223rd 249 10.4%
2024 18.07 231st 253 8.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 21.89 293rd 321 8.7%
2024 23.01 296th 322 8.1%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 28.83 207th 240 13.8%
2024 24.35 227th 249 8.8%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 61.64 87th 232 62.5%
2024 56.89 97th 233 58.4%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Heritage High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 74.22 31st 315 90.2%
2024 43.58 223rd 314 29.0%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia 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.

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






Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Heritage High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1997 257 703 13 20 6 n/a n/a 0 999
1998 259 783 9 23 5 n/a n/a 0 1079
1999 319 943 10 25 7 n/a n/a 0 1304
2000 374 1081 13 29 8 n/a n/a -4 1501
2001 422 1150 18 37 6 n/a n/a 0 1633
2002 419 1259 21 33 9 n/a n/a 0 1741
2003 419 1259 21 33 9 n/a n/a 0 1741
2004 336 1248 23 33 11 n/a n/a 0 1651
2005 303 1331 15 24 11 n/a n/a 0 1684
2006 264 1357 8 24 6 n/a n/a 2 1661
2007 235 1462 12 27 6 n/a n/a 3 1745
2008 202 1492 9 24 9 n/a n/a 7 1743
2009 166 1493 9 34 9 n/a n/a 5 1716
2010 137 1330 8 35 7 n/a n/a 5 1522
2011 123 1203 7 52 5 1 2 0 1393
2012 109 1070 10 49 3 1 2 0 1244
2013 97 973 4 42 6 2 8 0 1132
2014 113 1101 2 53 6 2 16 0 1293
2015 118 1167 3 63 4 1 15 0 1371
2016 104 1147 4 69 3 2 21 0 1350
2017 102 1128 4 66 2 2 26 0 1330
2018 75 1085 7 54 1 4 26 0 1252
2019 75 1007 6 58 2 4 20 0 1172
2020 77 971 7 82 2 5 29 0 1173
2021 70 976 10 81 4 4 46 0 1191
2022 74 929 12 88 4 3 58 0 1168
2023 71 861 9 97 3 1 69 0 1111

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 High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1997 999 n/a 0.0 43.4
1998 1079 n/a 0.0 45.8
1999 1304 77.0 16.9 45.2
2000 1501 n/a 0.0 48.1
2001 1633 101.8 16.0 43.2
2002 1741 140.2 12.4 46.5
2003 1741 140.2 12.4 46.5
2004 1651 121.9 13.5 46.6
2005 1684 121.6 13.8 54.2
2006 1661 109.0 15.2 50.8
2007 1745 101.6 17.2 54
2008 1743 83.0 21.0 54
2009 1716 82.3 20.9 55.6
2010 1522 78.4 19.4 60.8
2011 1393 72.4 19.2 61.9
2012 1244 87.7 14.1 66.9
2013 1132 79.3 14.2 65.1
2014 1293 84.8 15.2 69.2
2015 1371 86.0 15.9 73.1
2016 1350 84.0 16.0 67
2017 1330 83.5 15.9 82.6
2018 1252 77.6 16.1 80.8
2019 1172 74.0 15.8 82.2
2020 1173 77.3 15.1 73.5
2021 1191 77.9 15.2 n/a
2022 1168 78.5 14.8 73.8
2023 1111 79.7 13.9 85.1

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 High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1997 999 n/a 0.0 43.4
1998 1079 n/a 0.0 45.8
1999 1304 77.0 16.9 45.2
2000 1501 n/a 0.0 48.1
2001 1633 101.8 16.0 43.2
2002 1741 140.2 12.4 46.5
2003 1741 140.2 12.4 46.5
2004 1651 121.9 13.5 46.6
2005 1684 121.6 13.8 54.2
2006 1661 109.0 15.2 50.8
2007 1745 101.6 17.2 54
2008 1743 83.0 21.0 54
2009 1716 82.3 20.9 55.6
2010 1522 78.4 19.4 60.8
2011 1393 72.4 19.2 61.9
2012 1244 87.7 14.1 66.9
2013 1132 79.3 14.2 65.1
2014 1293 84.8 15.2 69.2
2015 1371 86.0 15.9 73.1
2016 1350 84.0 16.0 67
2017 1330 83.5 15.9 82.6
2018 1252 77.6 16.1 80.8
2019 1172 74.0 15.8 82.2
2020 1173 77.3 15.1 73.5
2021 1191 77.9 15.2 n/a
2022 1168 78.5 14.8 73.8
2023 1111 79.7 13.9 85.1

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 High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $199 (2.5%) $7,832 (97.5%) $8,032
2020 $198 (2.2%) $8,982 (97.8%) $9,180
2021 $212 (2.4%) $8,634 (97.6%) $8,846

Data source: Virginia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Heritage High

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 304th of 327 High schoolsRanks 298th of 326 High schools
 1.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Writing (Heritage High)6745
 22%
   End of Course Writing (Newport News City Public Schools)7662
 14%
   End of Course Writing (Virginia)8174
 7%
End of Course Geometry (Heritage High)3150
 19%
   End of Course Geometry (Newport News City Public Schools)7762
 15%
   End of Course Geometry (Virginia)8380
 3%
End of Course Algebra I (Heritage High)7681
 5%
   End of Course Algebra I (Newport News City Public Schools)8180
 1%
   End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)8680
 6%
End of Course Algebra II (Heritage High)9782
 15%
   End of Course Algebra II (Newport News City Public Schools)9280
 12%
   End of Course Algebra II (Virginia)9186
 5%
End of Course Chemistry (Heritage High)5013
 37%
   End of Course Chemistry (Newport News City Public Schools)7826
 52%
   End of Course Chemistry (Virginia)8864
 24%
End of Course Biology (Heritage High)5244
 8%
   End of Course Biology (Newport News City Public Schools)6956
 13%
   End of Course Biology (Virginia)8370
 13%
End of Course Earth Science (Heritage High)7829
 49%
   End of Course Earth Science (Newport News City Public Schools)7251
 21%
   End of Course Earth Science (Virginia)8172
 9%
End of Course English Reading (Heritage High)7873
 5%
   End of Course English Reading (Newport News City Public Schools)8178
 3%
   End of Course English Reading (Virginia)8685
 1%
End of Course Geography (Heritage High)5339
 14%
   End of Course Geography (Newport News City Public Schools)6849
 19%
   End of Course Geography (Virginia)8066
 14%
End of Course VA and US History (Heritage High)3520
 15%
   End of Course VA and US History (Newport News City Public Schools)5122
 29%
   End of Course VA and US History (Virginia)6838
 30%
End of Course World History I (Heritage High)723
 69%
   End of Course World History I (Newport News City Public Schools)7921
 58%
   End of Course World History I (Virginia)8066
 14%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students11721111
 5.2%
African American1007861
 14.5%
American Indian23
 50%
Asian69
 50%
Hispanic5897
 67.2%
Pacific Islander41
 75%
White7571
 5.3%
Two or More Races2069
 245%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients82.2%85.1%
 2.9%


Schools Near Heritage High









Frequently Asked Questions about Heritage High

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,111 students attended Heritage High.

Students at Heritage High are 77% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% White, 6% Two or more races.

Heritage High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Carver Elementary
Elementary : Discovery Stem Academy
Elementary : John Marshall Early Childhood Center
Elementary : Newsome Park Elementary
Middle : Crittenden Middle

Heritage High ranks in the bottom 2.1% of Virginia high schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

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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