Enrollment
309
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forest Lake, MN
Forest Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Forest Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 271227000594
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Lake Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Forest Lake · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 38.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Lake Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Lake Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Forest Lake, MN.
School address
District: Forest Lake Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271227000594 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Lake Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Lake Elementary
Forest Lake Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Forest Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 309 students.
At 14:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.7% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 309 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 347 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #166.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Asian (11%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 309 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Forest Lake Public School District also operates Forest Lake Area High School (1,805 students) and Forest Lake Area Middle School (916 students) alongside Forest Lake 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 Lake Elementary compares
Forest Lake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.7% | ▼ 10% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 309 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
309
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 46% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.3%
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
$13,685
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 309 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 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 67.3%
Asian 10.7%
Two or More 9.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
African American 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 67.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.9, Forest Lake Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Lake Public School District, which includes Forest Lake Elementary.
$13,685
Per student
-10%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 56.4%
Federal 9.7%
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 Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Lake Area High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forest Lake Area Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lino Lakes Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wyoming Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbus Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,805
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~309 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Forest Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Lake 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 Lake Elementary
How many students attend Forest Lake Elementary?
Forest Lake Elementary has 309 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forest Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Lake Elementary is 14:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 11% 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 Lake Elementary?
38.7% of students at Forest Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Forest Lake Elementary is White at 67.3% of enrollment, in Forest Lake, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Lake Elementary?
Forest Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Lake Elementary rank among elementary schools in Forest Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Lake Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Forest Lake, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Forest Lake on the city page.
Is Forest Lake Elementary a good school?
Forest Lake Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Lake Public School District?
Besides Forest Lake Elementary, Forest Lake Public School District also operates Forest Lake Area High School (1,805 students), Forest Lake Area Middle School (916 students), and Lino Lakes Elementary (501 students). See the Forest Lake 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.