Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wilmington, NC

Forest Hills Global Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Forest Hills Global Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370333001374
0/100100/10047/100
👥 S:T ratio
53
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
66
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Forest Hills Global Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools.

#5 of 24
elementary schools in Wilmington · Resource Index
47
Resource Index · Typical
11.7:1
small classes for North Carolina
97.9%
free-lunch eligible

Forest Hills Global Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Forest Hills Global Elementary ranks #5 of 24 elementary schools in Wilmington, NC.

Enrollment

340

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

29.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

11.7:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

-26% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

97.9%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

+48% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Forest Hills Global Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Forest Hills Global Elementary

Forest Hills Global Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Wilmington, North Carolina, enrolling 340 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 11.7:1, Forest Hills Global Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of North Carolina schools and 26% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 97.9% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 340 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Against 417 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #69.

Its student body is led by African American (43%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 65/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 170 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 77.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Wilmington's elementary schools, it stands alongside Porters Neck Elementary (666 students): Forest Hills Global Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.7:1 vs 16.6:1).

New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students) and John T Hoggard High (2,082 students) alongside Forest Hills Global 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 Hills Global Elementary compares

Forest Hills Global Elementary on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs North Carolina North Carolina avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 11.7:1 ▼ 26% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 97.9% ▲ 48% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 340 top 72% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
97.9%
free-lunch eligible - 48% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher - 26% below state mean
Top 11% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
77.4%
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
$13,724
per pupil, district-wide - above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 170 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 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

African American 42.9%
Hispanic or Latino 38.2%
White 12.6%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 0.9%

Largest group: African American at 42.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Forest Hills Global Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Hanover County Schools, which includes Forest Hills Global Elementary.

$13,724
Per student
+14%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 51.7%
Federal 18.8%

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 Hills Global Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Emsley a Laney High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
John T Hoggard High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Eugene Ashley High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
New Hanover High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Charles P Murray Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Forest Hills Global Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

New Hanover County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Wilmington

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Forest Hills Global Elementary's federal record.

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 Hills Global Elementary

How many students attend Forest Hills Global Elementary?

Forest Hills Global Elementary has 340 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wilmington, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Hills Global Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Forest Hills Global Elementary is 11.7:1, which is 26% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Hills Global Elementary?

97.9% of students at Forest Hills Global Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Hills Global Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Forest Hills Global Elementary is African American at 42.9% of enrollment, in Wilmington, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Hills Global Elementary?

Forest Hills Global Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Hills Global Elementary rank among elementary schools in Wilmington?

By Resource Investment Index, Forest Hills Global Elementary ranks #5 of 24 elementary schools in Wilmington, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Wilmington on the city page.

Is Forest Hills Global Elementary a good school?

Forest Hills Global Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina 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 New Hanover County Schools?

Besides Forest Hills Global Elementary, New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students), John T Hoggard High (2,082 students), and Eugene Ashley High (1,893 students). See the New Hanover County Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.