Enrollment
472
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kannapolis, NC
Forest Park Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Forest Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370243001040
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Park Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #9 of 11
- public schools in Kannapolis · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Park Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Park Elementary ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Kannapolis, NC.
School address
District: Kannapolis City Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370243001040 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Park Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Park Elementary
Forest Park Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Kannapolis, North Carolina, enrolling 472 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 99.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 472 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 557 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #379.
Its student body is led by African American (35%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 472 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 30.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Kannapolis's public schools, it stands alongside Charles E Boger Elementary (895 students): Forest Park Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 20.3:1).
Kannapolis City Schools also operates A L Brown High (1,753 students) and Kannapolis Middle (782 students) alongside Forest Park 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 Park Elementary compares
Forest Park 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 472 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
472
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.0%
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
$12,268
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 472 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 74 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.0 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
African American 35.0%
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
White 20.3%
Two or More 10.8%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 35.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.7, Forest Park 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 Kannapolis City Schools, which includes Forest Park Elementary.
$12,268
Per student
+2%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 49.8%
Federal 30.3%
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 Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A L Brown High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kannapolis Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gw Carver Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jackson Park Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fred L Wilson Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Park Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,753
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Kannapolis
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~472 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Park Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Forest Park Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Kannapolis City 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 Park Elementary
How many students attend Forest Park Elementary?
Forest Park Elementary has 472 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kannapolis, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Park Elementary is 13.9:1, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina 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 Park Elementary?
99.3% of students at Forest Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Forest Park Elementary is African American at 35.0% of enrollment, in Kannapolis, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Park Elementary?
Forest Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Park Elementary rank among public schools in Kannapolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Park Elementary ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Kannapolis, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Kannapolis on the city page.
Is Forest Park Elementary a good school?
Forest Park Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina 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 Kannapolis City Schools?
Besides Forest Park Elementary, Kannapolis City Schools also operates A L Brown High (1,753 students), Kannapolis Middle (782 students), and Gw Carver Elementary (503 students). See the Kannapolis City 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.