Enrollment
604
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Felton, DE
Lake Forest Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lake Forest Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 100079000077
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake Forest Central Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Delaware schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Felton · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.5:1
- large classes for Delaware
- 604
- students enrolled
Lake Forest Central Elementary School has class sizes larger than 74% of Delaware schools. Computed live against every Delaware school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Forest Central Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Felton, DE.
School address
District: Lake Forest School District · Delaware
NCES ID 100079000077 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Delaware avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Forest Central Elementary School compares with Delaware and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake Forest Central Elementary School
Lake Forest Central Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Felton, Delaware, enrolling 604 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Delaware schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 604 students, its enrollment sits close to the Delaware median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 222 scored Delaware schools.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and African American (21%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 302 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Felton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lake Forest North Elementary School (424 students): Lake Forest Central Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.5:1 vs 12.1:1).
Lake Forest School District also operates Lake Forest High School (951 students) and Chipman (W.T.) Middle School (905 students) alongside Lake Forest Central 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 Lake Forest Central Elementary School compares
Lake Forest Central Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Delaware and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Delaware | Delaware avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.5:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 604 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
604
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 74% in Delaware - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$15,646
per pupil, district-wide
- below Delaware avg of $16,990
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 302 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 58.1%
African American 21.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.4%
Two or More 8.6%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 58.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.9, Lake Forest Central Elementary School is about as mixed as the Delaware school average of 61.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Forest School District, which includes Lake Forest Central Elementary School.
$15,646
Per student
-8%
vs Delaware
Avg $16,990
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.7%
State 65.3%
Federal 19.0%
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 Lake Forest Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Forest High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chipman (W.T.) Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Forest North Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake Forest South Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake Forest East Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake Forest Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 905
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar elementary schools in Felton
1 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 Delaware, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~604 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake Forest Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lake Forest Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lake Forest 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 Lake Forest Central Elementary School
How many students attend Lake Forest Central Elementary School?
Lake Forest Central Elementary School has 604 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Felton, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest Central Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 12% higher than the Delaware average of 13.9:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Forest Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lake Forest Central Elementary School is White at 58.1% of enrollment, in Felton, DE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Forest Central Elementary School?
Lake Forest Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Lake Forest Central Elementary School rank among public schools in Felton?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Forest Central Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Felton, DE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Felton on the city page.
Is Lake Forest Central Elementary School a good school?
Lake Forest Central Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Delaware 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 Lake Forest School District?
Besides Lake Forest Central Elementary School, Lake Forest School District also operates Lake Forest High School (951 students), Chipman (W.T.) Middle School (905 students), and Lake Forest North Elementary School (424 students). See the Lake Forest 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.