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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Forest Charter?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
845
Combined
DISTRICT 240 · STATE 602
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEVADA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION·NCES 069102311839
Forest Charter
470 Searls Ave., Nevada City, CA 95959 · (530) 265-4823 · Nevada County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED32-TOWNCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL845 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
21.0:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.1:1 · STATE 18.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
376 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 65%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 77 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 39 | 5% |
| Grade 2 | 51 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 55 | 7% |
| Grade 4 | 51 | 6% |
| Grade 5 | 57 | 7% |
| Grade 6 | 69 | 8% |
| Grade 7 | 68 | 8% |
| Grade 8 | 84 | 10% |
| Grade 9 | 62 | 7% |
| Grade 10 | 70 | 8% |
| Grade 11 | 82 | 10% |
| Grade 12 | 80 | 9% |
Student demographics
37%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
39.2%
CA avg 49.1% . -3.8pp since 2014
Math
26.7%
CA avg 37.7% . -0.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 4 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 12.6% | 26.6% | 29.1% | 31.8% |
| Math | 10.1% | 16.7% | 25.3% | 48.0% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 39.2% | 26.7% |
| 2023-24 | 42.0% | 26.9% |
| 2022-23 | 48.3% | 29.1% |
| 2021-22 | 50.9% | 35.5% |
| 2018-19 | 53.4% | 33.3% |
| 2017-18 | 44.9% | 33.5% |
| 2016-17 | 49.5% | 35.7% |
| 2015-16 | 49.0% | 33.0% |
| 2014-15 | 43.0% | 27.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of CA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
33.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-20.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 53% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
845
+112 (+15%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
21.0:1
was 19.0:1
% White
78%
was 86%
% Hispanic
12%
was 9%
% Black
0%
was 1%
% Asian
1%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free or reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 845 | 40.3 | 21.0:1 | 44% (376) |
| 2023-24 | 806 | 39 | 20.7:1 | 42% (335) |
| 2022-23 | 774 | 37.6 | 20.6:1 | 42% (327) |
| 2017-18 | 733 | 38.6 | 19.0:1 | 45% (330) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Forest Charter.
About Forest Charter
Federal records list Forest Charter as a combined-grade school in Nevada City, California. The school enrolls 845 students, from kindergarten through 12. An average school in this group (combined schools in California) has about 602 students.
Forest Charter is among 5 schools run by Nevada County Office of Education, which serves 1,200 students.
Forest Charter is 78% White by enrollment. The next largest groups are 12% Hispanic and 7% multiracial. Pick two students at random and there is a 37% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Forest Charter counts 40.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 21.0 students for each one. On average, combined schools in California have 18.6:1, compared with 21.0:1 here. About 44% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Nevada County average 43%.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Forest Charter ranks in the bottom 10% of California schools. It scores 33.2%; the prediction is 53.5%.
Nevada County has these Census figures: the median household income is $89,882, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 42%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. In all, Nevada County has 46 public schools and roughly 13,561 students.
Of nearby public schools, Seven Hills Intermediate is the closest, at about 0.4 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Forest Charter. In a group of 5 nearby schools with scores, Forest Charter ranks 4th on average proficiency.
Forest Charter has an NCES locale of Town: Distant. As a charter school, Forest Charter is publicly funded and operates under a charter.
Forest Charter's enrollment climbed from 733 in 2017-18 to 845 in 2024-25. In 2017-18, 86% of students were White; in 2024-25, 78% were. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio rose to 21.0:1, from 19.0:1.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Nevada County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
102,481
Census ACS
Median income
$89,882
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
46
13,561 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Nevada County Office of Education
- Twin Ridges Home Study CharterElementary · 208 students
- Bitney Prep HighHigh · 91 students
- Nevada County Special EducationElementary · 51 students
- Earle Jamieson Educational OptionsHigh · 5 students
- Early Childhood EducationElementary
Other schools in Nevada City
- Nevada City School of the ArtsElementary · 477 students
- Seven Hills IntermediateMiddle · 432 students
- Deer Creek ElementaryElementary · 259 students
- Twin Ridges Home Study CharterElementary · 208 students
- Sierra Academy of Expeditionary LearningHigh · 191 students
- Grizzly HillElementary · 105 students
Nearby schools
- Seven Hills Intermediate0.4 mi · 432
- Nevada County Special Education0.4 mi · 51
- Deer Creek Elementary0.4 mi · 259
- Earle Jamieson Educational Options0.6 mi · 5
- Twin Ridges Home Study Charter0.7 mi · 208
- Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning0.7 mi · 191
Frequently asked questions
About Forest CharterHow many students attend Forest Charter?
Forest Charter enrolls approximately 845 students in grades KG-12.
Is Forest Charter an elementary, middle, or high school?
Forest Charter is a combined-grade school covering grades KG-12.
How many teachers does Forest Charter have?
Forest Charter employs 40 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 21.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Forest Charter?
Student demographics at Forest Charter are roughly 78% White, 12% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Forest Charter in?
Forest Charter is part of Nevada County Office of Education.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.