Enrollment
369
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180462000780
River Forest Middle School — Hobart, IN
Federal NCES profile for River Forest Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 71
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: River Forest Community Sch Corp · Indiana
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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.3%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How River Forest Middle School compares with Indiana 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
River Forest Middle School reports 369 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 64% above the Indiana average and 57% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 369 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding River Forest Community Sch Corp spends $13,055 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.6% from local sources (property taxes), 65.0% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), 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 River Forest Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.2:1 | ▲ 7% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.3% | ▲ 64% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 35% | — | — |
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.
Economic need
81.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 64% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 74% in Indiana — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,055
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 369 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 369 Top 35% in Indiana — larger than 65% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.3% +64% vs state
NCES ID 180462000780
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 42.5%
White 31.7%
African American 17.3%
Two or More 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 369:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 88
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for River Forest Community Sch Corp, which includes River Forest Middle School.
$13,055
Per student
-10%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 65.0%
Federal 11.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar middle schools in Hobart
1 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 River Forest Middle School
How many students attend River Forest Middle School?
River Forest Middle School has 369 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hobart, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Forest Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at River Forest Middle School is 17.2:1, which is 7% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at River Forest Middle School?
81.3% of students at River Forest Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Forest Middle School?
The largest demographic group at River Forest Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 42.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hobart, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Forest Middle School?
River Forest Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) 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.