Enrollment
330
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forest City, IA
Forest City Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Forest City Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191179000717
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest City Middle School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Forest City · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest City Middle School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest City Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Forest City, IA.
School address
District: Forest City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191179000717 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest City Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest City Middle School
Forest City Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Forest City, Iowa, enrolling 330 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 35.5% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 330 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 471 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #38, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 333 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Forest City Comm School District also operates Forest City Elementary School (448 students) and Forest City High School (304 students) alongside Forest City 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 City Middle School compares
Forest City Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 2% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 330 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
330
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 31% in Iowa - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,100
per pupil, district-wide
- below Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 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 84.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 6.7%
African American 1.2%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.2, Forest City Middle School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest City Comm School District, which includes Forest City Middle School.
$12,100
Per student
-6%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.3%
State 47.7%
Federal 10.0%
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 City Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest City High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest City Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~330 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest City Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Forest City Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest City Comm School District'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 City Middle School
How many students attend Forest City Middle School?
Forest City Middle School has 330 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forest City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest City Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest City Middle School is 12.7:1, which is 14% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 19% lower 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 City Middle School?
35.5% of students at Forest City Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest City Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Forest City Middle School is White at 84.2% of enrollment, in Forest City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest City Middle School?
Forest City Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher 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 City Middle School rank among public schools in Forest City?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest City Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Forest City, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Forest City on the city page.
Is Forest City Middle School a good school?
Forest City Middle School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa 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 City Comm School District?
Besides Forest City Middle School, Forest City Comm School District also operates Forest City Elementary School (448 students) and Forest City High School (304 students). See the Forest City Comm School District 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.