7 public K-12 schools in Lake Forest from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
7 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Lake Forest's 7 public schools is Lake Forest High School, scoring 56/100, against a city average of 56/100. Computed live across every Lake Forest campus reporting to NCES.
How the Lake Forest Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Lake Forest, IL enrolls 3,162 students across 7 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 10:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 56/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Lake Forest on this index is Lake Forest High School, at 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,359 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Lake Forest spans 3 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Lake Forest High School accounts for 43.0% of all Lake Forest public-school enrollment
That dominant concentration means Lake Forest-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Lake Forest school enrollment varies 9.0× across entities
Lake Forest school enrollment ranges from 151 students (lowest) to 1,359 students (highest), a spread of 1,208 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Lake Forest student-teacher ratio is 10.0:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Lake Forest
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Lake Forest is Lake Forest High School with a quality score of 56/100. There are 7 public schools in Lake Forest with 3,162 total students.
How many schools are in Lake Forest, IL? ▼
Lake Forest has 7 public schools with a total enrollment of 3,162 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 10:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
