Heritage education uses local resources and the built environment to teach students concepts and skills in the arts, humanities, sciences, and math. This can be manifest in interdisciplinary programs that would seem ideal for teaching students about historic preservation and instilling children with a preservation ethic. Additionally, place-based educational programs have demonstrated proven success in academic achievement, student engagement, and creating a sense of stewardship and understanding of the environment. Examining heritage education methods and experiences in Salem, Massachusetts provides a lens to investigate how public schools and historic sites are using these potential opportunities. Both the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, owned by the National Park Service, and the Peabody Essex Museum are located in Salem and provide free curriculum-based heritage educational programming for Salem Public Schools. These programs provide strong institutional support and are widely appreciated by public school teachers. Historic New England, based in Boston, offers education programs throughout the region at its many locations, some of which are used by Salem schools. All three organizations have made offering well-researched programs based on their historic resources a priority because of the widespread benefits apparent to students and their organizational missions. Although teachers espouse the benefits of these programs, the initiative and leadership needed to increase, improve, and strengthen these programs from inside the public schools is not currently present.