Enrollment
953
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120150001511
Forest Hill Elementary School — West Palm Beach, FL
Federal NCES profile for Forest Hill Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 19
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: Palm Beach · Florida
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)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Hill Elementary School compares with Florida 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 Hill Elementary School reports 953 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 68.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the Florida average and 37% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 477 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palm Beach spends $14,596 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.0% from local sources (property taxes), 21.7% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Hill Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▼ 30% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.9% | ▲ 36% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 953 | top 79% | — | — |
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
70.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 11% in Florida — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.4%
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
$14,596
per pupil, district-wide
— above Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 477 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 953 Top 79% in Florida — larger than 21% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 68.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.9% +36% vs state
NCES ID 120150001511
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 73.8%
African American 13.5%
White 8.2%
Asian 2.6%
Two or More 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 477:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes Forest Hill Elementary School.
$14,596
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
Similar other schools in West Palm Beach
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Berkshire Elementary School
Standard public school
1,076 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Golden Grove Elementary School
Standard public school
956 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Everglades Elementary
Standard public school
818 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Pine Jog Elementary School
Standard public school
817 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Meadow Park Elementary School
Standard public school
813 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Hope-Centennial Elementary School
Standard public school
802 students 16:1 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 Hill Elementary School
How many students attend Forest Hill Elementary School?
Forest Hill Elementary School has 953 students enrolled. It is a other school in WEST PALM BEACH, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Hill Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Hill Elementary School is 12.9:1, which is 30% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 19% lower 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 Hill Elementary School?
70.9% of students at Forest Hill Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Hill Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Hill Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 73.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in WEST PALM BEACH, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Hill Elementary School?
Forest Hill Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.