Enrollment
384
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Forest, VA
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 510036002142
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 81
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 larger than 98% of Virginia schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Forest · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 19.2:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 15.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Elementary has class sizes larger than 98% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Forest, VA.
School address
District: Bedford County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510036002142 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.7%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Elementary
Forest Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Forest, Virginia, enrolling 384 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.2:1 is larger than about 98% of Virginia schools and 38% above the 13.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 15.7% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the Virginia average.
Enrollment of 384 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 102 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #81, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Asian (9%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 384 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Forest's public schools, it stands alongside Thomas Jefferson Elementary (567 students): Forest Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.2:1 vs 16.7:1).
Bedford County Public Schools also operates Jefferson Forest High (1,282 students) and Forest Middle (854 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 Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.2:1 | ▲ 38% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.7% | ▼ 73% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 384 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.2:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
384
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.2:1
students per teacher
- 38% above state mean
Top 98% in Virginia - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,790
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
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 384 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 71.1%
Asian 9.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 71.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.3, Forest Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County Public Schools, which includes Forest Elementary.
$12,790
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.7%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Forest High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Forest Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Staunton River High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Staunton River Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower 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
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar other schools in Forest
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~384 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Forest Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bedford County Public Schools'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 384 students enrolled. It is a public school in Forest, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Elementary is 19.2:1, which is 38% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Elementary?
15.7% of students at Forest Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Forest Elementary is White at 71.1% of enrollment, in Forest, VA.
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 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 rank among schools in Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Forest, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Forest on the city page.
Is Forest Elementary a good school?
Forest Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Virginia 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 Bedford County Public Schools?
Besides Forest Elementary, Bedford County Public Schools also operates Jefferson Forest High (1,282 students), Forest Middle (854 students), and Staunton River High (816 students). See the Bedford County Public Schools 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.