Enrollment
438
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Forest, MS
Forest High School
Federal NCES profile for Forest High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280147000213
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest High School earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Mississippi schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Forest · Resource Index
- 17
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest High School has class sizes larger than 89% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest High School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Forest, MS.
School address
District: Forest Municipal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280147000213 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest High School
Forest High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Forest, Mississippi, enrolling 438 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.2:1 is larger than about 89% of Mississippi schools and 22% above the 13.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
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.
With 438 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 267 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #262, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and African American (42%) (diversity index 59/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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.
Discipline events run high: 201 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 438 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Forest Municipal School Dist also operates Forest Elementary School (740 students) and Hawkins Middle School (460 students) alongside Forest High 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 High School compares
Forest High 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 22% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 89% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.7%
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 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
148
in-school suspensions + 53 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 33.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 45.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
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 47.5%
African American 42.2%
White 7.8%
Two or More 2.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.0, Forest High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Municipal School Dist, which includes Forest High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hawkins Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 460
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high 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 (~438 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest High School's federal record.
- Compare Forest High 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 High School
How many students attend Forest High School?
Forest High School has 438 students enrolled. It is a high school in Forest, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest High School is 16.2:1, which is 22% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest High School?
100.0% of students at Forest High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest High School?
The largest demographic group at Forest High School is Hispanic or Latino at 47.5% of enrollment, in Forest, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest High School?
Forest High School has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Forest High School rank among public schools in Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest High School ranks #4 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 High School a good school?
Forest High School earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Mississippi 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 Forest Municipal School Dist?
Besides Forest High School, Forest Municipal School Dist also operates Forest Elementary School (740 students) and Hawkins Middle School (460 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.