Enrollment
1,139
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Jackson, MS
Forest Hill High School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Hill High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280219000384
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Hill High School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi.
- #7 of 7
- high schools in Jackson · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Hill High School has class sizes larger than 97% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Hill High School ranks #7 of 7 high schools in Jackson, MS.
School address
District: Jackson Public School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280219000384 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Hill High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Hill High School
Forest Hill High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Jackson, Mississippi, enrolling 1,139 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19:1 is larger than about 97% of Mississippi schools and 43% 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.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Mississippi, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,139 students.
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 33 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #33, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 380 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.5% 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 43 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Jackson Public School District also operates Murrah High School (1,259 students) and Callaway High School (994 students) alongside Forest Hill 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 Hill High School compares
Forest Hill 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 43% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,139 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,139
Bigger than 93% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 43% above state mean
Top 97% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
61.2%
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
$12,155
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 380 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 172 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 43 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
African American 91.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 1.3%
White 1.1%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 91.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.5, Forest Hill High School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Public School District, which includes Forest Hill High School.
$12,155
Per student
+1%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 39.7%
Federal 24.5%
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 Hill High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrah High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Callaway High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jim Hill High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lanier High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Provine High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Hill High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,259
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 791
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~1,139 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Hill High School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Hill High School against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson Public School District'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 Hill High School
How many students attend Forest Hill High School?
Forest Hill High School has 1,139 students enrolled. It is a high school in Jackson, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Hill High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Hill High School is 19:1, which is 43% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Hill High School?
100.0% of students at Forest Hill High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Hill High School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Hill High School is African American at 91.7% of enrollment, in Jackson, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Hill High School?
Forest Hill High School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Hill High School rank among high schools in Jackson?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Hill High School ranks #7 of 7 high schools in Jackson, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Jackson on the city page.
Is Forest Hill High School a good school?
Forest Hill High School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi. 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 Jackson Public School District?
Besides Forest Hill High School, Jackson Public School District also operates Murrah High School (1,259 students), Callaway High School (994 students), and Jim Hill High School (975 students). See the Jackson Public School District 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.