Enrollment
193
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fife Lake, MI
Forest Area Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Area Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 261457000097
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Area Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Fife Lake · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.5:1
- students per teacher
- 59.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Area Middle School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Area Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Fife Lake, MI.
School address
District: Forest Area Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261457000097 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Area Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Area Middle School
Forest Area Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Fife Lake, Michigan, enrolling 193 students.
At 17.5:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.4% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 193 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 324 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #92.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 97 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 42 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 193 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Forest Area Community Schools also operates Forest Area High School (156 students) and Fife Lake Elementary School (144 students) alongside Forest Area Middle School.
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 Area Middle School compares
Forest Area Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▼ 0% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.4% | ▲ 9% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 193 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
193
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 57% in Michigan - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.5%
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
$13,953
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 97 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.8 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.
Student demographics
White 89.1%
Two or More 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.6%
African American 1.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
Largest group: White at 89.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.2, Forest Area Middle School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Area Community Schools, which includes Forest Area Middle School.
$13,953
Per student
+3%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.2%
State 56.4%
Federal 19.4%
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.
How Forest Area Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Area High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fife Lake Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Area Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 156
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~193 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Area Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Area Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Area Community Schools'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 Area Middle School
How many students attend Forest Area Middle School?
Forest Area Middle School has 193 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fife Lake, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Area Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Area Middle School is 17.5:1, which is 0% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Area Middle School?
59.4% of students at Forest Area Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Area Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Area Middle School is White at 89.1% of enrollment, in Fife Lake, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Area Middle School?
Forest Area Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Forest Area Middle School rank among public schools in Fife Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Area Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Fife Lake, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fife Lake on the city page.
Is Forest Area Middle School a good school?
Forest Area Middle School earns 35/100 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 Area Community Schools?
Besides Forest Area Middle School, Forest Area Community Schools also operates Forest Area High School (156 students) and Fife Lake Elementary School (144 students). See the Forest Area Community Schools district page for the complete list.
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.