Enrollment
740
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forest, MS
Forest Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280147000212
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Forest · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Forest, MS.
School address
District: Forest Municipal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280147000212 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Elementary School
Forest Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Forest, Mississippi, enrolling 740 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 740 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 103 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (52%) and African American (39%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 740 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 25.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Forest Municipal School Dist also operates Hawkins Middle School (460 students) and Forest High School (438 students) alongside Forest Elementary 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 Elementary School compares
Forest Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 740 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
740
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 67% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.3%
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
$10,331
per pupil, district-wide
- below Mississippi avg of $11,990
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
Per 740 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
Hispanic or Latino 51.5%
African American 38.9%
White 6.2%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.9, Forest Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Municipal School Dist, which includes Forest Elementary School.
$10,331
Per student
-14%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.1%
State 43.6%
Federal 25.4%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkins Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 460
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Mississippi, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~740 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Municipal School Dist'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 School
How many students attend Forest Elementary School?
Forest Elementary School has 740 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forest, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 7% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Forest Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 51.5% of enrollment, in Forest, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Elementary School?
Forest Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Elementary School rank among public schools in Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Forest, MS. 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 on the city page.
Is Forest Elementary School a good school?
Forest Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi 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 Municipal School Dist?
Besides Forest Elementary School, Forest Municipal School Dist also operates Hawkins Middle School (460 students) and Forest High School (438 students). See the Forest Municipal School Dist 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.