Forest Area High School

As an one-room-style 9-12 campus in FIFE LAKE, Michigan, Forest Area High School educates 156 students from grades 9 through 12, part of Forest Area Community Schools. Compared to the state average of about 460 students per school, that is 66% smaller than typical.

Forest Area Community Schools runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 493 students. Forest Area High School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Forest Area High School reports that 96% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Compared to Kalkaska County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Forest Area High School has 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 21.6:1, putting Forest Area High School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 45% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Kalkaska County (around 55%), the school's rate is south of typical.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Kalkaska County put median household income runs about $68,578, roughly 19% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Forest Area High School is one of 8 public schools in Kalkaska County (combined enrollment of about 1,728 students).

Nearest neighbor: Forest Area Middle School, around 0.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Forest Area High School.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 16%: 185 students in 2018 compared to 156 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 23.3:1 in 2018 to 15.2:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.