FORDER ELEM.

As a moderately sized elementary-level community in ST LOUIS, Missouri, FORDER ELEM. instructs 397 students from grades K through 5, one of the schools within MEHLVILLE R-IX. That puts it 26% above the typical public school in Missouri, which averages around 315 students.

Within MEHLVILLE R-IX, which oversees 19 schools and 10,095 students, FORDER ELEM. is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, FORDER ELEM. reports that 76% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder comes out to 8% Asian, 6% multiracial, 5% Black, 5% Hispanic. By comparison, St. Louis County as a whole is about 62% White, so the school skews meaningfully more White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.7:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 46% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, FORDER ELEM. tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 50.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 45.0%.

In the surrounding community, census data for St. Louis County shows median household earnings sit near $82,936, 47% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, St. Louis County runs 275 public schools (combined enrollment of about 134,601 students), of which FORDER ELEM. is one.

The closest other public school is HANCOCK PLACE MIDDLE, roughly 0.2 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts FORDER ELEM. at 8th of 9; the average score across the group is 59.9%.

FORDER ELEM. operates from a suburban location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at FORDER ELEM. has ticked up 5%, going from 379 students in 2018 to 397 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, 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.