Forest Area SD operates 4 public schools serving 365 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Pennsylvania. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 other schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 326 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Forest County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $43,027 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 46.9% local, 38.1% state, and 15.0% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $136,826 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 91/100, ranked #8 of 659 in Pennsylvania against a state average of 49 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
a 163:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 32.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.1% White, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
West Forest El Sch accounts for 30.7% of all Forest Area SD student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Forest Area SD-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Forest Area SD has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 84.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Forest Area SD student-counselor ratio is 163:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Forest Area SD chronic absenteeism rate is 32.8% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Forest Area SD has 4 schools, including 4 other. Total enrollment is 365 students.
How much does Forest Area SD spend per student?
Forest Area SD spends $43,027 per student. The district has an equity score of 91/100, ranking #8 in Pennsylvania.
What is the average teacher salary in Forest Area SD?
The average teacher salary in Forest Area SD is $136,826 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Forest Area SD?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Forest County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Forest Area SD?
Forest Area SD students are 95.1% White, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Forest Area SD?
Forest Area SD has an equity score of 91/100, ranking #8 out of 659 districts in Pennsylvania. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.