Forest City High School

Set in Forest City, Iowa, Forest City High School is an intimate senior high, overseen by Forest City Comm School District. It teaches 304 students across grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 35% smaller than the state mean of about 468.

Forest City Comm School District runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 1,082 students. Forest City High School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Forest City High School reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%). Beyond that, the school shows 11% Hispanic, 3% multiracial.

Looking at school resources, Forest City High School shows 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.1:1. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 32% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Forest City High School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 76.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 78.3%.

In the broader community, Winnebago County reports that median household income runs about $67,642, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Forest City High 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 Middle School, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Forest City High School ranks 7th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 81.8%.

The school occupies an outlying site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Forest City High School has declined 20%, going from 379 students in 2018 to 304 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 88% to 83% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 14.3:1 in 2018 to 11.1:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Forest City High School community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.