Enrollment
268
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gainesville, FL
Lake Forest Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lake Forest Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120003000005
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake Forest Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Florida schools.
- #2 of 22
- schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- small classes for Florida
- 89.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Lake Forest Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 86% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Forest Elementary School ranks #2 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Forest Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake Forest Elementary School
Lake Forest Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gainesville, Florida, enrolling 268 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.8:1, Lake Forest Elementary School is leaner than roughly 86% of Florida schools and 28% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 89.1% of students qualify for free meals, 71% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 268 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 150 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #27.
Its student body is led by African American (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 179 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 67.5% 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.
Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students) and Gainesville High School (1,825 students) alongside Lake Forest 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 Elementary School compares
Lake Forest Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 28% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.1% | ▲ 71% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
268
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% above the Florida average of 52.0%
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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 14% in Florida - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
67.5%
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
$10,805
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 179 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.7 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
African American 78.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
White 8.2%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 78.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.6, Lake Forest Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alachua, which includes Lake Forest Elementary School.
$10,805
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 36.3%
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 Lake Forest Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. W. Buchholz High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gainesville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Kanapaha Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake Forest Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,416
- Students per teacher
- 30.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 30.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,132
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~268 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake Forest Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lake Forest Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Alachua'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Lake Forest Elementary School?
Lake Forest Elementary School has 268 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gainesville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest Elementary School is 12.8:1, which is 28% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 18% 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 Lake Forest Elementary School?
89.1% of students at Lake Forest Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Forest Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lake Forest Elementary School is African American at 78.0% of enrollment, in Gainesville, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Forest Elementary School?
Lake Forest Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Lake Forest Elementary School rank among schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Forest Elementary School ranks #2 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Lake Forest Elementary School a good school?
Lake Forest Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Florida 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 Alachua?
Besides Lake Forest Elementary School, Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students), Gainesville High School (1,825 students), and Eastside High School (1,291 students). See the Alachua 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.