Enrollment
658
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Des Plaines, IL
Forest Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 171212001464
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Elem School earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #1 of 17
- public schools in Des Plaines · Resource Index
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 658
- students enrolled
Forest Elem School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elem School ranks #1 of 17 public schools in Des Plaines, IL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Elem School
Forest Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Des Plaines, Illinois, enrolling 658 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 658 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Ccsd 62 spends $25,337 per pupil, 49% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Des Plaines's public schools, it stands alongside Early Learning Center (290 students): Forest Elem School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.5:1 vs 19.3:1).
Ccsd 62 also operates Chippewa Middle School (652 students) and North Elementary School (599 students) alongside Forest Elem 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 Elem School compares
Forest Elem School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 18% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 658 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
658
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 23% in Illinois - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$25,337
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
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.
Student demographics
White 42.4%
Hispanic or Latino 31.3%
Asian 19.5%
African American 3.5%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 42.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.2, Forest Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ccsd 62, which includes Forest Elem School.
$25,337
Per student
+49%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+53%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.9%
State 25.4%
Federal 7.7%
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 Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Algonquin Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Iroquois Community School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 652
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 411
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools in Des Plaines
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~658 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Ccsd 62'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 Elem School
How many students attend Forest Elem School?
Forest Elem School has 658 students enrolled. It is a public school in Des Plaines, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Elem School is 11.5:1, which is 18% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Elem School is White at 42.4% of enrollment, in Des Plaines, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Elem School?
Forest Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (higher 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 Elem School rank among public schools in Des Plaines?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elem School ranks #1 of 17 public schools in Des Plaines, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Des Plaines on the city page.
Is Forest Elem School a good school?
Forest Elem School earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools. 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 Ccsd 62?
Besides Forest Elem School, Ccsd 62 also operates Chippewa Middle School (652 students), North Elementary School (599 students), and Algonquin Middle School (597 students). See the Ccsd 62 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.