Enrollment
665
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hernando, FL
Forest Ridge Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Ridge Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120027004325
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Ridge Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Florida schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- small classes for Florida
- 60.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 665
- students enrolled
Forest Ridge Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 72% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Ridge Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Ridge Elementary School
Forest Ridge Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Hernando, Florida, enrolling 665 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 60.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 665 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 1,061 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #526.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 665 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Citrus also operates Lecanto High School (1,735 students) and Citrus High School (1,465 students) alongside Forest Ridge Elementary 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 Ridge Elementary School compares
Forest Ridge Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 19% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.6% | ▲ 17% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 665 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
665
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 28% in Florida - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.8%
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
$10,865
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
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 665 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 64.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.4%
Two or More 5.7%
Asian 3.9%
African American 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 64.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.8, Forest Ridge Elementary School is about as mixed as the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Citrus, which includes Forest Ridge Elementary School.
$10,865
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 34.9%
Federal 24.9%
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 Ridge Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecanto High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Citrus High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Crystal River High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Inverness Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crystal River Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Ridge Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,465
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 911
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 906
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~665 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Ridge Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Ridge Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Citrus'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 Ridge Elementary School
How many students attend Forest Ridge Elementary School?
Forest Ridge Elementary School has 665 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hernando, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Ridge Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Ridge Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 19% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 8% 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 Ridge Elementary School?
60.6% of students at Forest Ridge Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Ridge Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Ridge Elementary School is White at 64.8% of enrollment, in Hernando, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Ridge Elementary School?
Forest Ridge Elementary School 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).
Is Forest Ridge Elementary School a good school?
Forest Ridge Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Florida 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 Citrus?
Besides Forest Ridge Elementary School, Citrus also operates Lecanto High School (1,735 students), Citrus High School (1,465 students), and Crystal River High School (1,293 students). See the Citrus 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.