Enrollment
258
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fair Lawn, NJ
John a. Forrest Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for John a. Forrest Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 71/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340498000418
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John a. Forrest Elementary School earns 71/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #1 of 7
- elementary schools in Fair Lawn · Resource Index
- 71
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.3:1
- students per teacher
- 11.9%
- free-lunch eligible
John a. Forrest Elementary School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John a. Forrest Elementary School ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in Fair Lawn, NJ.
School address
District: Fair Lawn Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340498000418 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.9%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John a. Forrest Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at John a. Forrest Elementary School
John a. Forrest Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, enrolling 258 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 11.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 258 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 454 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #21, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 67/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Fair Lawn Public School District also operates Fair Lawn High School (1,687 students) and Thomas Jefferson Middle School (1,100 students) alongside John a. Forrest 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 John a. Forrest Elementary School compares
John a. Forrest Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.9% | ▼ 60% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 258 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
258
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,398
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 45.7%
Hispanic or Latino 27.9%
Asian 20.5%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 1.6%
Largest group: White at 45.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, John a. Forrest Elementary School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fair Lawn Public School District, which includes John a. Forrest Elementary School.
$23,398
Per student
-6%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.7%
State 26.5%
Federal 6.8%
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 John a. Forrest Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Lawn High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Memorial Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Radburn Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry B. Milnes Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John a. Forrest Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 1,100
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 69/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~258 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John a. Forrest Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare John a. Forrest Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fair Lawn Public School District'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 John a. Forrest Elementary School
How many students attend John a. Forrest Elementary School?
John a. Forrest Elementary School has 258 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fair Lawn, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John a. Forrest Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at John a. Forrest Elementary School is 10.3:1, which is 13% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 34% 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 John a. Forrest Elementary School?
11.9% of students at John a. Forrest Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John a. Forrest Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at John a. Forrest Elementary School is White at 45.7% of enrollment, in Fair Lawn, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John a. Forrest Elementary School?
John a. Forrest Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 71/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does John a. Forrest Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Fair Lawn?
By Resource Investment Index, John a. Forrest Elementary School ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in Fair Lawn, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Fair Lawn on the city page.
Is John a. Forrest Elementary School a good school?
John a. Forrest Elementary School earns 71/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey 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 Fair Lawn Public School District?
Besides John a. Forrest Elementary School, Fair Lawn Public School District also operates Fair Lawn High School (1,687 students), Thomas Jefferson Middle School (1,100 students), and Memorial Middle School (655 students). See the Fair Lawn Public School District 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.