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Heritage Elementary School

Q: Is Heritage Elementary School a good school?

Heritage Elementary School ranks 907 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

907^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Heritage Elementary School is a K–5 school in Richlands, NC, serving 565 students in Onslow County Schools, an area with a deep military footprint. In the most recent state ranking, the school earned two stars and placed at the 39th percentile, a step back from the previous four years when it consistently sat in the mid-40s. About 53% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism runs at just 19.8%—better than the district (22.7%) and the state (24.2%)—making attendance a genuine strength.

Reading is Heritage Elementary School's most consistent challenge, with proficiency below district and state averages in every grade—47.1% in 3rd grade down to 46.3% in 5th. Early-grade math is a different story: 3rd-grade scores ran well above the district for several consecutive years, but those gains fade by 5th grade, where math proficiency (52.6%) trails the state (62.9%). Science improved sharply, jumping from 50.6% to 64.2% proficient, though it still sits slightly below the state. The nearby comparison is telling: Carolina Forest Elementary and Stateside Elementary serve similar populations yet run roughly 15–28 points ahead in reading, while Richlands Elementary, just 1.7 miles away with nearly identical poverty rates, beats Heritage in some upper-grade subjects despite ranking slightly lower overall.

Heritage's mid-tier rating also masks uneven outcomes across student groups. Military-connected students, a significant population in this region, have ranked in the bottom fifth of the state for two straight years, while low-income students dropped from the 55th to the 35th percentile in one year. On the positive side, special-education students climbed to the 71st percentile before settling at the 54th, and the school's core strengths—attendance, early-grade math, and a recent science surge—offer a solid foundation. For parents weighing their options, Heritage Elementary School is a stable, mid-range school whose clearest opportunities are literacy in the upper grades and sustaining early math momentum.

565

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

52.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7444 Richlands Highway
Richlands, NC 28574

(910) 324-3139

District: Onslow County Schools

Students who attend Heritage Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Trexler Middle
High:	Richlands High

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.0%

Hispanic:

18.2%

African American:

8.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Heritage Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 61st percentile in 2021 → 39th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (55% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 61st-percentile peak (2021) to 39th (2026)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg61%

907^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▲ up 10 pts since 2019

From bottom 29% (2019) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

136^th of 246Onslow County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	907 of 1492	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.5	810 of 1490	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	824 of 1505	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.2	813 of 1502	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.8	778 of 1514	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.6	587 of 1489	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.5	1041 of 1473	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	30.0	711 of 924	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	57.9	305 of 927	67.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	30.9	453 of 634	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.7	343 of 646	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.6	732 of 878	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	1008 of 1447	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.8	701 of 1451	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.8	717 of 1455	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.7	905 of 1459	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	807 of 1458	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.1	564 of 1440	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.3	967 of 1424	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	382 of 743	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.1	587 of 710	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.8	450 of 669	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	482 of 582	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.8	389 of 500	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.9	353 of 612	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	423 of 981	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.0	369 of 961	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.6	373 of 951	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	314 of 915	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	502 of 893	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.7	208 of 843	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	30.4	674 of 865	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	930 of 1434	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.8	649 of 1437	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.5	763 of 1450	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.4	760 of 1437	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.9	448 of 1366	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.4	267 of 1329	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	37.6	919 of 1361	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	807 of 1451	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.6	851 of 1450	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	880 of 1464	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.3	637 of 1461	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.2	719 of 1464	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	560 of 1444	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.4	1067 of 1430	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.2	59 of 67	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.4	59 of 72	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	70 of 75	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	76 of 81	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	53 of 85	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.2	44 of 76	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.6	64 of 72	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.3	159 of 181	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	138 of 154	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.9	70 of 133	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	5.9	100 of 103	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.3	378 of 815	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.1	238 of 821	71.0%	★★★★☆
2024	37.9	479 of 801	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	986 of 1146	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	977 of 1172	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	934 of 1166	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.1	936 of 1183	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	930 of 1194	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.3	705 of 1172	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.0	1080 of 1183	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2026)57th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2026)54th percentile+14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)49th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)44th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)30th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2022)29th percentile-20 vs school

African American (2024)23rd percentile-22 vs school

White (2026)14th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)12th percentile-27 vs school

Military Connected (2026)12th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science64%-4 vs state

Mathematics58%-6 vs state

Reading49%-8 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 19, 2014

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

Schools Near Heritage Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Heritage Elementary School	Public	K-5	7444 Richlands Highway	Richlands	28574	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 324-3139	565	40	14.1	52.9%	367 (65.0%)	47 (8.3%)	103 (18.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	44 (7.8%)	39.9	907^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.2%		46.5	810^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.6%	97	65.5	56.0	52.6	47.1	52.0	46.3	64.2	$9,000	$730	$8,269
Richlands Elementary	Public	K-5	415 Cow Horn Road	Richlands	28574	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 324-4142	591	41	14.4	49.7%	376 (63.6%)	54 (9.1%)	104 (17.6%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.8%)	36.4	971^st of 1492 public elementary schools	34.9%		51.2	724^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.4%	247	55.1	47.0	59.2	48.1	51.0	52.0	60.2	$8,461	$1,005	$7,456
Stateside Elementary	Public	K-5	132 Stateside Blvd	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 478-3460	579	38	15.1	47.8%	299 (51.6%)	98 (16.9%)	123 (21.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (9.3%)	65.8	494^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.9%		53.8	677^th of 1490 public elementary schools	54.6%	183	71.0	70.2	58.9	66.4	61.7	57.9	75.8	$9,013	$862	$8,151
Clear View Elementary	Public	K-5	180 Clear View School Rd	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(910) 455-2667	535	35	15.2	52.7%	328 (61.3%)	71 (13.3%)	76 (14.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (10.7%)	50.7	719^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.8%		46.4	812^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.5%	93	75.9	57.6	58.7	52.9	54.1	51.4	65.3
Summersill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	250 Summersill School Road	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 455-2672	482	40	11.9	74.3%	202 (41.9%)	125 (25.9%)	88 (18.3%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.7%)	33	1042^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	30.2%		46.8	807^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.8%	235	50.0	64.7	50.0	34.3	60.3	44.3	54.3	$10,099	$866	$9,233
Meadow View Elementary	Public	K-5	1026 Fire Tower Rd	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 478-3522	520	38	13.8	61.2%	312 (60.0%)	59 (11.3%)	96 (18.5%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (9.0%)	26.6	1160^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.3%		41.4	893^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	40.1%	267	50.6	52.7	48.9	47.2	46.2	37.9	55.7	$8,585	$807	$7,778
Comfort Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4384 Hwy 41 West	Comfort	28522	Jones County	Jones County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 324-4249	127	9	13.8	97.6%	90 (70.9%)	10 (7.9%)	10 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (13.4%)	56.9	628^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.9%		62	530^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.4%	98	81.3	75.0	61.1	56.3	75.0	55.6	38.9	$13,374	$1,886	$11,488
Carolina Forest Elementary	Public	K-5	141 Carolina Forest Boulevard	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 346-1778	570	39	14.6	47.9%	207 (36.3%)	140 (24.6%)	118 (20.7%)	32 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	66 (11.6%)	70	416^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.1%		73	344^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.9%	72	82.1	54.1	71.3	75.0	63.3	60.0	77.5	$8,201	$658	$7,543
Parkwood Elementary	Public	K-5	2900 Northwoods Dr	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-6711	457	32	14.2	52.5%	221 (48.4%)	81 (17.7%)	93 (20.4%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	51 (11.2%)	42.1	875^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.4%		53.8	675^th of 1490 public elementary schools	54.7%	200	60.0	45.7	52.3	45.0	51.9	61.6	68.6	$9,969	$731	$9,237
Blue Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	1260 Burgaw Hwy	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-1717	498	38	13.2	67.3%	235 (47.2%)	87 (17.5%)	118 (23.7%)	4 (0.8%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (9.4%)	19.6	1286^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.8%		26	1158^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.3%	128	47.0	42.5	36.7	37.9	53.8	36.1	49.2	$10,673	$1,191	$9,482

Frequently Asked Questions about Heritage Elementary School

Is Heritage Elementary School a good school?

Heritage Elementary School ranks 907^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Heritage Elementary School?

Students at Heritage Elementary School are 65% White, 18% Hispanic, 8% African American, 8% Two or more races.

How many students attend Heritage Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 565 students attended Heritage Elementary School.

What district is Heritage Elementary School in?

Onslow County Schools

What schools do graduates of Heritage Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Trexler Middle
High : Richlands High

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.