Other / mixed grade configuration · Forest Grove, OR

Joseph Gale Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Joseph Gale Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 410516001187
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
40
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
61
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Joseph Gale Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Oregon schools.

#3 of 8
public schools in Forest Grove · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
14.9:1
small classes for Oregon
87.5%
free-lunch eligible

Joseph Gale Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Oregon schools. Computed live against every Oregon school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Joseph Gale Elementary School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Forest Grove, OR.

School address

Enrollment

388

Oregon · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

26.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.9:1

vs 17.6:1 Oregon avg

-15% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

87.5%

vs 52.8% Oregon avg

+66% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Joseph Gale Elementary School compares with Oregon and U.S. medians

Smaller 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 Joseph Gale Elementary School

Joseph Gale Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Forest Grove, Oregon, enrolling 388 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Oregon schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 87.5% of students qualify for free meals, 66% above the Oregon average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 388 students, its enrollment sits close to the Oregon median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,273 scored Oregon schools.

Among 122 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Oregon schools statewide, it ranks #12, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and White (33%) (diversity index 49/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Forest Grove's public schools, it stands alongside Fern Hill Elementary School (249 students): Joseph Gale Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.9:1 vs 11.3:1).

Forest Grove Sd 15 also operates Forest Grove High School (1,849 students) and Neil Armstrong Middle School (838 students) alongside Joseph Gale 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 Joseph Gale Elementary School compares

Joseph Gale Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Oregon and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Oregon Oregon avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 14.9:1 ▼ 15% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 87.5% ▲ 66% 52.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 388 top 40% - -

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

14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
388
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
87.5%
free-lunch eligible - 66% above the Oregon average of 52.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher - 15% below state mean
Top 26% in Oregon - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
50.8%
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
$15,351
per pupil, district-wide - below Oregon avg of $18,086
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 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

Hispanic or Latino 62.8%
White 33.3%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 49.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Joseph Gale Elementary School is more mixed than the Oregon school average of 47.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Grove Sd 15, which includes Joseph Gale Elementary School.

$15,351
Per student
-15%
vs Oregon
Avg $18,086
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.4%
State 60.8%
Federal 11.8%

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 Joseph Gale Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Forest Grove High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Neil Armstrong Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Tom Mccall Upper Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Harvey Clarke Elementary School Similar size Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Echo Shaw Elementary School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Joseph Gale Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Forest Grove Sd 15 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Forest Grove

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 Oregon, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Joseph Gale Elementary School'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 Joseph Gale Elementary School

How many students attend Joseph Gale Elementary School?

Joseph Gale Elementary School has 388 students enrolled. It is a public school in Forest Grove, OR.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Joseph Gale Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Joseph Gale Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 15% lower than the Oregon average of 17.6:1 and 5% 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 Joseph Gale Elementary School?

87.5% of students at Joseph Gale Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Oregon average of 52.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joseph Gale Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Joseph Gale Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 62.8% of enrollment, in Forest Grove, OR.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Joseph Gale Elementary School?

Joseph Gale Elementary School 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 Joseph Gale Elementary School rank among public schools in Forest Grove?

By Resource Investment Index, Joseph Gale Elementary School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Forest Grove, OR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Forest Grove on the city page.

Is Joseph Gale Elementary School a good school?

Joseph Gale Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Oregon 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 Forest Grove Sd 15?

Besides Joseph Gale Elementary School, Forest Grove Sd 15 also operates Forest Grove High School (1,849 students), Neil Armstrong Middle School (838 students), and Tom Mccall Upper Elementary (673 students). See the Forest Grove Sd 15 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.