Enrollment
447
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forest Hill, MD
Forest Lakes Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Forest Lakes 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 240039000692
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Lakes Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 14.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 447
- students enrolled
Forest Lakes Elementary has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Harford County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240039000692 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.7%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Lakes Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Lakes Elementary
Forest Lakes Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Forest Hill, Maryland, enrolling 447 students.
At 14.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Maryland median, within a few percentage points of the 14.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.7% free-meal eligibility runs 70% below the Maryland average.
With 447 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 155 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #68.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and Hispanic or Latino (7%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 447 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Harford County Public Schools spends $15,192 per pupil, 26% below the Maryland average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Forest Hill's elementary schools, it stands alongside Forest Hill Elementary (451 students): Forest Lakes Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.9:1 vs 13.7:1).
Harford County Public Schools also operates Edgewood High (1,440 students) and Aberdeen High (1,396 students) alongside Forest Lakes 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 Lakes Elementary compares
Forest Lakes Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.7% | ▼ 70% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 447 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
447
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 70% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
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
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 56% in Maryland - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,192
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 447 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: 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 79.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: White at 79.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.1, Forest Lakes Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harford County Public Schools, which includes Forest Lakes Elementary.
$15,192
Per student
-26%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 12.0%
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 Lakes Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aberdeen High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bel Air High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| C. Milton Wright High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Harford High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Lakes Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,341
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,204
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Forest Hill
1 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 Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~447 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Lakes Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Forest Lakes Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Harford County Public Schools'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 Lakes Elementary
How many students attend Forest Lakes Elementary?
Forest Lakes Elementary has 447 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forest Hill, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Lakes Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Lakes Elementary is 14.9:1, which is 3% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Lakes Elementary?
14.7% of students at Forest Lakes Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Lakes Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Forest Lakes Elementary is White at 79.9% of enrollment, in Forest Hill, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Lakes Elementary?
Forest Lakes 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).
Is Forest Lakes Elementary a good school?
Forest Lakes Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland 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 Harford County Public Schools?
Besides Forest Lakes Elementary, Harford County Public Schools also operates Edgewood High (1,440 students), Aberdeen High (1,396 students), and Bel Air High (1,341 students). See the Harford County Public Schools 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.