Enrollment
539
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Malden, MA
Forestdale
Federal NCES profile for Forestdale, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250717001351
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forestdale earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Malden · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.8:1
- students per teacher
- 539
- students enrolled
Forestdale has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forestdale ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Malden, MA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forestdale compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forestdale
Forestdale is a mid-sized elementary school in Malden, Massachusetts, enrolling 539 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 539 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 142 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Malden's elementary schools, it stands alongside Salemwood (1,033 students): Forestdale is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.8:1 vs 13.2:1).
Malden also operates Malden High (1,890 students) and Salemwood (1,033 students) alongside Forestdale.
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 Forestdale compares
Forestdale on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.8:1 | ▼ 12% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 539 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.8:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
539
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.8:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 31% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.3%
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
$18,522
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.8 FTE
Per 142 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 37.8%
Hispanic or Latino 26.2%
African American 15.6%
Asian 12.1%
Two or More 8.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 37.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.3, Forestdale is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Malden, which includes Forestdale.
$18,522
Per student
-18%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 55.4%
Federal 12.2%
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 Forestdale Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malden High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Salemwood | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beebe | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ferryway | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Linden | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forestdale's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,890
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 920
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary schools in Malden
4 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 Massachusetts, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~539 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forestdale's federal record.
- Compare Forestdale against another school. Compare schools
- Malden'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 Forestdale
How many students attend Forestdale?
Forestdale has 539 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Malden, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forestdale?
The student-teacher ratio at Forestdale is 10.8:1, which is 12% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forestdale?
The largest demographic group at Forestdale is White at 37.8% of enrollment, in Malden, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forestdale?
Forestdale has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Forestdale rank among elementary schools in Malden?
By Resource Investment Index, Forestdale ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Malden, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Malden on the city page.
Is Forestdale a good school?
Forestdale earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Massachusetts 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 Malden?
Besides Forestdale, Malden also operates Malden High (1,890 students), Salemwood (1,033 students), and Beebe (921 students). See the Malden 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.