Enrollment
464
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Crystal, MN
Forest Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Forest Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 273178001321
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Crystal · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 62.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Crystal, MN.
School address
District: Robbinsdale Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 273178001321 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Elementary
Forest Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Crystal, Minnesota, enrolling 464 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 464 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 167 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #20.
Its student body is led by African American (34%) and White (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Robbinsdale Public School District also operates Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High (1,840 students) and Robbinsdale Cooper Senior High (1,396 students) alongside Forest Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Forest Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.3% | ▲ 46% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 464 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
464
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$16,508
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
African American 33.6%
White 25.4%
Hispanic or Latino 18.8%
Two or More 15.9%
Asian 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Largest group: African American at 33.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 76.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 76.0, Forest Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Robbinsdale Public School District, which includes Forest Elementary.
$16,508
Per student
+8%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 55.0%
Federal 12.0%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robbinsdale Cooper Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plymouth Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion El. | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robbinsdale Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,840
- Students per teacher
- 30.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 749
- Students per teacher
- 26.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~464 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Forest Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Robbinsdale Public 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 Elementary
How many students attend Forest Elementary?
Forest Elementary has 464 students enrolled. It is a public school in Crystal, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary is 16.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Elementary?
62.3% of students at Forest Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Forest Elementary is African American at 33.6% of enrollment, in Crystal, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Elementary?
Forest Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Elementary rank among public schools in Crystal?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Crystal, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Crystal on the city page.
Is Forest Elementary a good school?
Forest Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota 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 Robbinsdale Public School District?
Besides Forest Elementary, Robbinsdale Public School District also operates Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High (1,840 students), Robbinsdale Cooper Senior High (1,396 students), and Plymouth Middle (749 students). See the Robbinsdale Public 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.