Enrollment
404
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 261407005052
Forest Elementary School — Farmington Hills, MI
Federal NCES profile for Forest Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 50
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Farmington Public School District · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Forest Elementary School reports 404 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 17.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% below the Michigan average and 67% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Farmington Public School District spends $19,282 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.0% from local sources (property taxes), 48.7% from the state, and 6.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Forest Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 13% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.1% | ▼ 69% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 404 | top 59% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
17.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 69% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 37% in Michigan — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,282
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 404 Top 59% in Michigan — larger than 41% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 17.1% -69% vs state
NCES ID 261407005052
Student demographics
White 67.8%
African American 18.6%
Asian 5.9%
Two or More 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
Largest group: White at 67.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Farmington Public School District, which includes Forest Elementary School.
$19,282
Per student
+22%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 48.7%
Federal 6.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,157
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 714
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Farmington Hills
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Hillside Elementary School
Standard public school
682 students 17:1 students per teacher
Ja Lanigan Elementary School
Standard public school
473 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Wood Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
434 students 16:1 students per teacher
Kenbrook Elementary School
Standard public school
388 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Beechview Elementary School
Standard public school
366 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Forest Elementary School
How many students attend Forest Elementary School?
Forest Elementary School has 404 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in FARMINGTON HILLS, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 13% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Elementary School?
17.1% of students at Forest Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Elementary School is White at 67.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in FARMINGTON HILLS, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Elementary School?
Forest Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.