Enrollment
1,173
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 470033000104
Lake Forest Middle School — Cleveland, TN
Federal NCES profile for Lake Forest Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Bradley County · Tennessee
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Forest Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Lake Forest Middle School reports 1,173 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 72.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 587 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bradley County spends $11,709 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.9% from local sources (property taxes), 46.1% from the state, and 25.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Lake Forest Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,173 | top 94% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 61% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,709
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 587 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
157
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,173 Top 94% in Tennessee — larger than 6% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 72.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470033000104
Student demographics
White 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 587:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.8%
In-school suspensions 157
Out-of-school suspensions 88
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bradley County, which includes Lake Forest Middle School.
$11,709
Per student
-5%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 46.1%
Federal 25.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,649
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,450
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,096
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 677
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 493
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar middle schools in Cleveland
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Lake Forest Middle School
How many students attend Lake Forest Middle School?
Lake Forest Middle School has 1,173 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cleveland, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest Middle School is 15.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Forest Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Lake Forest Middle School is White at 80.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cleveland, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Forest Middle School?
Lake Forest Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.