Forest City Elementary School

Forest City Elementary School, a reasonably sized elementary school in Forest City, Iowa, overseen by Forest City Comm School District, enrolls 448 students, covering grades pre-K through 4. That puts it 38% larger than the typical public school in Iowa, which averages around 325 students.

Forest City Comm School District comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 1,082 students; Forest City Elementary School is among them.

In terms of who attends, Forest City Elementary School lists that the largest single group is White, at 79% of enrollment. The remainder is composed of 12% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 89% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Forest City Elementary School has 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Forest City Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 36% of students at Forest City Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Forest City Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 74.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 81.0%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Winnebago County indicate median household income runs about $67,642, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Forest City Elementary School is one of 9 public schools in Winnebago County (combined enrollment of about 2,190 students).

The closest other public school is Forest City High School, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Forest City Elementary School at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 81.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 17%: 543 students in 2018 compared to 448 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 89% to 79%. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 11.8:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Forest City Elementary School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.