Enrollment
66
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Kalamazoo, MI
Forest Academy
Federal NCES profile for Forest Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 260099008277Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Academy earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #5 of 5
- elementary schools in Kalamazoo · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 71.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Academy has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Academy ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Kalamazoo, MI.
School address
District: Forest Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260099008277 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Academy
Forest Academy is a higher-need, small charter elementary school in Kalamazoo, Michigan, enrolling 66 students.
At 16.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 66 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 113 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #92, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Forest Academy spends $22,525 per pupil, 67% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Kalamazoo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Stem Academy (298 students): Forest Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 19.9:1).
Forest Academy is a single-school charter district, so Forest Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 66 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of Michigan's single-school districts.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Forest Academy compares
Forest Academy on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.2% | ▲ 31% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 66 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
66
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 48% in Michigan - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,525
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Academy, which includes Forest Academy.
$22,525
Per student
+67%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 48.3%
Federal 9.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools in Kalamazoo
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~66 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Academy's federal record.
- Compare Forest Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Academy's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Forest Academy
How many students attend Forest Academy?
Forest Academy has 66 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Kalamazoo, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Academy is 16.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Academy?
71.2% of students at Forest Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Academy?
Forest Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Forest Academy rank among elementary schools in Kalamazoo?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Academy ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Kalamazoo, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Kalamazoo on the city page.
Is Forest Academy a good school?
Forest Academy earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Forest Academy?
None; Forest Academy is a single-school charter district, and Forest Academy is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.