Enrollment
390
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wantagh, NY
Forest Lake School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Lake School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 362985004007
👥 S:T ratio 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Lake School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of New York schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Wantagh · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 24.4:1
- large classes for New York
- 4.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Lake School has class sizes larger than 99% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Lake School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Wantagh, NY.
School address
District: Wantagh Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 362985004007 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+107% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.9%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-91% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Lake School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Lake School
Forest Lake School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Wantagh, New York, enrolling 390 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24.4:1 is larger than about 99% of New York schools and 107% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.9% free-meal eligibility runs 91% below the New York average.
With 390 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 275 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #250, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 36/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Wantagh Union Free School District also operates Wantagh Senior High School (826 students) and Wantagh School (672 students) alongside Forest Lake 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 Lake School compares
Forest Lake School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.4:1 | ▲ 107% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.9% | ▼ 91% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 390 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.4:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
390
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 91% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
24.4:1
students per teacher
- 107% above state mean
Top 99% in New York - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$26,476
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 78.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.6%
Asian 4.4%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 78.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Forest Lake School is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wantagh Union Free School District, which includes Forest Lake School.
$26,476
Per student
+0%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+60%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.0%
State 28.8%
Federal 6.2%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wantagh Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wantagh School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wantagh Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mandalay School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Lake School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 29.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~390 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Lake School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Lake School against another school. Compare schools
- Wantagh Union Free 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 School
How many students attend Forest Lake School?
Forest Lake School has 390 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wantagh, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Lake School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Lake School is 24.4:1, which is 107% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Lake School?
4.9% of students at Forest Lake School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Lake School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Lake School is White at 78.7% of enrollment, in Wantagh, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Lake School?
Forest Lake School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Forest Lake School rank among schools in Wantagh?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Lake School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Wantagh, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wantagh on the city page.
Is Forest Lake School a good school?
Forest Lake School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of New York 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 Wantagh Union Free School District?
Besides Forest Lake School, Wantagh Union Free School District also operates Wantagh Senior High School (826 students), Wantagh School (672 students), and Wantagh Middle School (645 students). See the Wantagh Union Free 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.