Forest Hills School

Forest Hills School is a sizable elementary school in Florence, Alabama, run under Florence City. The school teaches 906 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 89% larger than the state mean of about 480.

Within Florence City, which oversees 8 schools and 4,574 students, Forest Hills School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Forest Hills School records that White students make up the majority at 66%. Beyond that, the school reports 17% Black, 11% multiracial, 6% Hispanic. By comparison, Lauderdale County as a whole is about 83% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 63 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.4:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.0:1 average. An estimated 47% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Forest Hills School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 50.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 65.5%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Lauderdale County) reports that median household income runs about $62,649, about 30% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Lauderdale County's 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 12,526 students), Forest Hills School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Harlan Elementary School, roughly 1.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Forest Hills School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Forest Hills School at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 35.1%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Forest Hills School's enrollment has rose 6% since 2018, when it stood at 853 (now 906). The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 15.6:1 in 2018 to 14.4:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.