Heritage JH and Elem Sch

As a tight-knit elementary-level community in Homer, Illinois, Heritage JH and Elem Sch enrolls 270 students from grades K through 8, run under Heritage CUSD 8. That puts it 29% below the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Heritage JH and Elem Sch is one of 2 schools operated by Heritage CUSD 8, a district that caters to 391 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Heritage JH and Elem Sch reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (87%); the rest comes out to 6% Hispanic, 6% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 64% White, putting the school's mix visibly more White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Heritage JH and Elem Sch has 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Heritage JH and Elem Sch tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 44% of students at Heritage JH and Elem Sch qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is lower than Champaign County's rate of about 53%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Heritage JH and Elem Sch tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 46.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 52.5%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Champaign County) records that the typical household earns roughly $63,683 per year, 46% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Champaign County runs 66 public schools (combined enrollment of about 25,919 students), of which Heritage JH and Elem Sch is one.

The closest other public school is Prairieview-Ogden South Elem, roughly 5.5 miles away. Within ten miles, there are 8 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Heritage JH and Elem Sch at 3rd of 8; the average score across the group is 48.0%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Heritage JH and Elem Sch has contracted 4%, going from 282 students in 2018 to 270 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 1% to 6% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 12.3:1 in 2018 to 10.6:1 today.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.