1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at De Forest High right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,137
High
DISTRICT 607 · STATE 475
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DE FOREST AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550318000355
De Forest High
815 Jefferson St, DeForest, WI 53532 · (608) 842-6600 · Dane County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL1,137 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
80 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.7:1 · STATE 14.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
16%
184 students
DISTRICT 18% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 286 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 295 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 269 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 287 | 25% |
Student demographics
35%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 54% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within De Forest Area School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
56.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
67.7%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 56% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 68% typical for Wisconsin schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wisconsin's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like De Forest High
De Forest High's state test result (56.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Forest High this school | 1,137 | 16.2% | 56.0% |
| Monona Grove High Monona | 1,170 | 19.3% | 45.7% |
| Oregon High Oregon | 1,339 | 16.9% | 40.5% |
| West De Pere High De Pere | 1,050 | 19.7% | 61.0% |
| De Pere High De Pere | 1,466 | 19.2% | 62.9% |
| New Berlin West Middle/High New Berlin | 1,036 | 16.6% | 72.4% |
Matched among Wisconsin high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where De Forest High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Dane County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #92 of 402 | #7 of 20 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,137 | #68 of 532 | #12 of 28 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.2:1 | #146 of 325 | #8 of 19 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 34.6% | #131 of 325 | #12 of 19 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 16.2% | #377 of 418 | #20 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +8.2% | #63 of 128 | #5 of 10 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,137
+122 (+12%) vs 2020
+71% since 1990-91, when it was 663
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
was 14.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,137 | 80.2 | 14.2:1 | 16% (184) |
| 2023-24 | 1,118 | 78.5 | 14.2:1 | 18% (196) |
| 2022-23 | 1,099 | 75 | 14.7:1 | 17% (192) |
| 2020-21 | 1,015 | 69 | 14.7:1 | 20% (207) |
| 2017-18 | 1,051 | 69.2 | 15.2:1 | 16% (170) |
| 2015-16 | 1,060 | 67 | 15.8:1 | 21% (218) |
| 2010-11 | 982 | 63 | 15.6:1 | 22% (214) |
| 2000-01 | 969 | 70 | 13.8:1 | 8% (75) |
| 1990-91 | 663 | 53 | 12.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for De Forest High.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (1,051 to 1,137); teachers up 16% (69.2 to 80.2).
About De Forest High
De Forest High is a large high school with its address in DeForest, Wisconsin. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 1,137 students. The school's enrollment is 139% bigger than the 475 average for high schools in Wisconsin.
A total of 7 schools make up De Forest Area School District, with 4,246 students enrolled.
White students make up 80% of enrollment at De Forest High. The next largest groups are 7% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 4% Black, and 3% Asian. The White share in Dane County as a whole is similar, at about 77%. Pick two students at random and there is a 35% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The ratio of students to teachers is 14.2:1, with 80.2 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. That is close to the 14.6:1 average for high schools in Wisconsin. About 16% of students, or 184, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Dane County, the average is 32%.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for De Forest High is -11.8 points: 56.0% actual, 67.7% predicted.
In the county around the school, Dane County, the median household income is $89,975, about 55% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 5%. Dane County is home to 169 public schools and about 78,525 public school students.
Eagle Point Elementary is the closest public school, about 0.4 miles away in a straight line. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Nearby schools with test data average 63.9% proficiency; De Forest High posts 56.0%.
De Forest High is coded as Suburb: Large in federal locale data.
Federal data show a 12% enrollment gain, from 1,015 in 2020-21 to 1,137 in 2024-25.
Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Dane County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
572,674
Census ACS
Median income
$89,975
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
55%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
169
78,525 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in De Forest Area School District
- Harvest Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 966 students
- De Forest MiddleMiddle · 602 students
- Windsor ElementaryElementary · 526 students
- Eagle Point ElementaryElementary · 389 students
- Yahara ElementaryElementary · 329 students
- Early Learning ProgramElementary · 297 students
Other schools in DeForest
- Harvest Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 966 students
- Eagle Point ElementaryElementary · 389 students
- Yahara ElementaryElementary · 329 students
- Early Learning ProgramElementary · 297 students
Nearby schools
- Eagle Point Elementary0.4 mi · 389
- Early Learning Program0.4 mi · 297
- De Forest Middle0.5 mi · 602
- Yahara Elementary1.6 mi · 329
- Harvest Intermediate School1.8 mi · 966
- Windsor Elementary1.9 mi · 526
Frequently asked questions
About De Forest HighHow large is De Forest High?
De Forest High enrolls approximately 1,137 students in grades 09-12.
Is De Forest High an elementary, middle, or high school?
De Forest High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at De Forest High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at De Forest High is approximately 14.2:1 (80 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at De Forest High?
Student demographics at De Forest High are roughly 80% White, 7% Hispanic, 4% Black, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is De Forest High public or private?
De Forest High is a public K-12 school, overseen by De Forest Area School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.