High school (grades 9-12) · Gastonia, NC

Forestview High

Federal NCES profile for Forestview High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370162002384
0/100100/10045/100
👥 S:T ratio
16
📚 AP courses
100
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
37
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Forestview High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of North Carolina schools.

#2 of 4
high schools in Gastonia · Resource Index
45
Resource Index · Typical
21:1
large classes for North Carolina
42.6%
free-lunch eligible

Forestview High has class sizes larger than 92% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Forestview High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Gastonia, NC.

Enrollment

1,133

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

54.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

+33% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

42.6%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

-35% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Forestview High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Forestview High

Forestview High is a large high school in Gastonia, North Carolina, enrolling 1,133 students.

Class loads run heavy: 21:1 is larger than about 92% of North Carolina schools and 33% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.6% of students eligible for free meals.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,133 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Among 270 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #231, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (46%) and African American (25%) (diversity index 68/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 23 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 313 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 232 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,133 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Gastonia's high schools, it stands alongside Ashbrook High (1,386 students): Forestview High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21:1 vs 24.8:1).

Gaston County Schools also operates Ashbrook High (1,386 students) and Hunter Huss High (1,165 students) alongside Forestview High.

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 Forestview High compares

Forestview High 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 21:1 ▲ 33% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 42.6% ▼ 35% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,133 top 8% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,133
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
42.6%
free-lunch eligible - 35% below 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
21:1
students per teacher - 33% above state mean
Top 92% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
42.4%
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
$11,409
per pupil, district-wide - below 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
Counselors3.6 FTE
Per 313 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
134
in-school suspensions + 98 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.5 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 45.5%
African American 24.9%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: White at 45.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 68.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 68.0, Forestview High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

AP courses offered 23
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes Forestview High.

$11,409
Per student
-5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%

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 Forestview High Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Ashbrook High Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hunter Huss High Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Gaston High Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
South Point High Similar size Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Cramerton Middle Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Forestview High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Gaston County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Gastonia

3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Forestview High's federal record.

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 Forestview High

How many students attend Forestview High?

Forestview High has 1,133 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gastonia, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Forestview High?

The student-teacher ratio at Forestview High is 21:1, which is 33% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forestview High?

42.6% of students at Forestview High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forestview High?

The largest demographic group at Forestview High is White at 45.5% of enrollment, in Gastonia, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Forestview High?

Forestview High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Forestview High rank among high schools in Gastonia?

By Resource Investment Index, Forestview High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Gastonia, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Gastonia on the city page.

Is Forestview High a good school?

Forestview High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of North Carolina 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 Gaston County Schools?

Besides Forestview High, Gaston County Schools also operates Ashbrook High (1,386 students), Hunter Huss High (1,165 students), and North Gaston High (1,061 students). See the Gaston County Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.