Enrollment
388
Oregon · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Forest Grove, OR
Federal NCES profile for Joseph Gale Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
The verdict
Joseph Gale Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Oregon schools.
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.
NCES ID 410516001187 Verify on NCES CCD record →
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
How Joseph Gale Elementary School compares with Oregon and U.S. medians
Smaller classes than state median
14.9:1 - 2.7 below the Oregon state median of 17.6:1, indicating smaller average class loads than typical schools in the state.
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
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
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.
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.8% of enrollment.
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Joseph Gale Elementary School is more mixed than the Oregon school average of 47.1.
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Grove Sd 15, which includes Joseph Gale Elementary School.
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.
| 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.
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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.
Joseph Gale Elementary School has 388 students enrolled. It is a public school in Forest Grove, OR.
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.
87.5% of students at Joseph Gale Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Oregon average of 52.8%.
The largest demographic group at Joseph Gale Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 62.8% of enrollment, in Forest Grove, OR.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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PlainSchools, “Joseph Gale Elementary School, Forest Grove OR.” Compiled from NCES Common Core of Data, Civil Rights Data Collection, and the NCES F-33 finance survey; data as of June 2026. https://plainschools.com/schools/joseph-gale-elementary-school-or
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