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Forest City Middle School

Summary:

Forest City Middle School is a public middle school serving around 330 students in grades 5-8 in the Forest City Community School District in Forest City, Iowa. The school has consistently performed well on academic assessments, with a majority of its students scoring proficient or better in core subjects across all grade levels.

One of the key strengths of Forest City Middle School is its strong academic performance, which has exceeded the state average in several areas, particularly in 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts and 7th grade Mathematics. The school has maintained a high statewide ranking, placing in the top 25% of Iowa middle schools for several years. However, its ranking has declined in recent years, dropping from a 4-star rating in 2020-2021 to a 2-star rating in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's student-teacher ratio is relatively low, ranging from 12.1 to 12.3 over the past three school years, suggesting a more personalized learning environment for students.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Clear Lake Middle School, North Iowa Middle School, Lake Mills Middle School, and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Middle School, Forest City Middle School stands out for its consistently strong academic performance, particularly in Mathematics. However, the school's higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 36% to 40.61% over the past three school years, may indicate that it serves a more economically diverse student population, which could present unique challenges that the school and district need to address.


Detail:

Public 5-8

 216 W School St
       Forest City, IA  50436

(641) 585-4772

District: Forest City Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
172nd of 337 Iowa Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,622 Help


Students who attend Forest City Middle School usually attend:

High:    Forest City High School

Feeder schools for Forest City Middle School:

Elementary:    Forest City Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  12.3 Help
Number of students:  330

Racial breakdown:

White:
81.2%
Hispanic:
10.9%
Two or more races:
4.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  40.6% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Forest City Middle School ranks worse than 51% of middle schools in Iowa. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.83. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Teachers
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Forest City Middle School is $13,622.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Forest City Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.
SchoolDigger ranks Forest City Middle School 172nd of 337 Iowa public middle schools. (See Forest City Middle School in the ranking list.)

Forest City Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Forest City Community School District 144th of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Forest City Middle School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools IA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2012 73.10 59th 349 83.1%
2013 59.06 147th 350 58.0%
2014 75.64 53rd 337 84.3%
2015 57.86 162nd 349 53.6%
2016 65.93 104th 343 69.7%
2017 59.47 133rd 327 59.3%
2018 72.65 67th 318 78.9%
2019 82.05 29th 342 91.5%
2021 80.88 36th 324 88.9%
2022 79.99 40th 337 88.1%
2023 72.14 73rd 334 78.1%
2024 54.83 172nd 337 49.0%
See the entire list of Iowa Middle School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Forest City Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    






Data source: Iowa Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Forest City Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 261 1 4 9 2 n/a n/a 0 277
1989 282 1 2 8 2 n/a n/a 0 295
1990 305 1 4 10 3 n/a n/a 0 323
1991 315 1 5 8 1 n/a n/a 0 330
1992 330 2 7 8 1 n/a n/a 0 348
1993 353 1 4 8 1 n/a n/a 0 367
1994 351 1 6 7 3 n/a n/a 0 368
1995 357 1 4 6 4 n/a n/a 0 372
1996 357 1 4 6 4 n/a n/a 0 372
1997 338 3 2 5 3 n/a n/a 0 351
1998 328 1 2 4 1 n/a n/a 0 336
1999 346 4 2 7 2 n/a n/a 0 361
2000 348 2 2 8 0 n/a n/a 0 360
2001 339 2 5 12 2 n/a n/a 0 360
2002 297 3 6 9 3 n/a n/a 0 318
2003 297 3 6 9 3 n/a n/a 0 318
2004 320 3 5 5 1 n/a n/a 0 334
2005 310 2 4 1 3 n/a n/a 0 320
2006 299 2 5 6 0 n/a n/a 0 312
2007 287 2 3 7 0 n/a n/a 0 299
2008 256 6 5 6 0 n/a n/a 0 273
2009 250 6 5 5 0 n/a n/a 0 266
2010 226 7 6 12 0 0 10 0 261
2011 246 5 7 13 0 0 6 0 277
2012 248 3 5 14 1 0 4 0 275
2013 260 5 3 15 1 1 2 0 287
2014 264 4 4 16 1 1 3 0 293
2015 248 5 4 16 0 0 3 0 276
2016 234 2 4 16 1 0 6 0 263
2017 210 5 4 12 1 2 8 0 242
2018 215 9 2 11 1 2 8 0 248
2019 212 9 4 14 1 2 6 0 248
2020 280 10 2 25 0 0 10 0 327
2021 260 6 1 25 0 0 8 0 300
2022 265 6 2 30 0 0 15 0 318
2023 268 7 3 36 1 0 15 0 330

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Forest City Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 277 23.7 11.6 n/a
1989 295 27.4 10.7 11.5
1990 323 26.4 12.2 0
1991 330 26.0 12.6 12.1
1992 348 25.0 13.9 10.3
1993 367 24.7 14.9 11.7
1994 368 27.5 13.4 8.7
1995 372 28.9 12.9 10.2
1996 372 28.9 12.9 10.2
1997 351 28.5 12.3 9.1
1998 336 30.5 11.0 12.2
1999 361 28.6 12.6 16.3
2000 360 27.7 13.0 16.4
2001 360 29.0 12.4 21.1
2002 318 31.5 10.1 19.8
2003 318 31.5 10.1 19.8
2004 334 26.0 12.8 24.9
2005 320 27.5 11.6 21.9
2006 312 30.9 10.1 25.6
2007 299 27.0 11.1 31.4
2008 273 25.5 10.7 32.6
2009 266 23.0 11.6 30.1
2010 261 22.9 11.3 39.5
2011 277 23.0 12.0 39
2012 275 22.9 11.9 33.1
2013 287 23.1 12.4 36.9
2014 293 21.1 13.8 34.5
2015 276 23.0 12.0 37.3
2016 263 23.0 11.4 40.7
2017 242 24.1 10.0 40.9
2018 248 22.9 10.7 41.1
2019 248 21.9 11.3 37.9
2020 327 24.7 13.2 39.1
2021 300 24.7 12.1 36
2022 318 26.2 12.1 37.7
2023 330 26.6 12.3 40.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Forest City Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 277 23.7 11.6 n/a
1989 295 27.4 10.7 11.5
1990 323 26.4 12.2 0
1991 330 26.0 12.6 12.1
1992 348 25.0 13.9 10.3
1993 367 24.7 14.9 11.7
1994 368 27.5 13.4 8.7
1995 372 28.9 12.9 10.2
1996 372 28.9 12.9 10.2
1997 351 28.5 12.3 9.1
1998 336 30.5 11.0 12.2
1999 361 28.6 12.6 16.3
2000 360 27.7 13.0 16.4
2001 360 29.0 12.4 21.1
2002 318 31.5 10.1 19.8
2003 318 31.5 10.1 19.8
2004 334 26.0 12.8 24.9
2005 320 27.5 11.6 21.9
2006 312 30.9 10.1 25.6
2007 299 27.0 11.1 31.4
2008 273 25.5 10.7 32.6
2009 266 23.0 11.6 30.1
2010 261 22.9 11.3 39.5
2011 277 23.0 12.0 39
2012 275 22.9 11.9 33.1
2013 287 23.1 12.4 36.9
2014 293 21.1 13.8 34.5
2015 276 23.0 12.0 37.3
2016 263 23.0 11.4 40.7
2017 242 24.1 10.0 40.9
2018 248 22.9 10.7 41.1
2019 248 21.9 11.3 37.9
2020 327 24.7 13.2 39.1
2021 300 24.7 12.1 36
2022 318 26.2 12.1 37.7
2023 330 26.6 12.3 40.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Forest City Middle School

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $262 (1.9%) $13,360 (98.1%) $13,622

Data source: Iowa Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Forest City Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 29th of 342 Middle schoolsRanks 73rd of 334 Middle schools
 13.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Forest City Middle School)81.890.7
 8.9%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Forest City Community School District)81.890.7
 8.9%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)67.572.7
 5.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Forest City Middle School)76.681.6
 5%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Forest City Community School District)76.681.6
 5%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)69.469.9
 0.5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Forest City Middle School)87.278.7
 8.5%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Forest City Community School District)87.278.7
 8.5%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)69.974.2
 4.3%
7th Grade Mathematics (Forest City Middle School)78.276
 2.2%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Forest City Community School District)78.276
 2.2%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)70.168.9
 1.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Forest City Middle School)85.185.2
 0.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Forest City Community School District)85.185.2
 0.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)69.576
 6.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Forest City Middle School)95.986.4
 9.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Forest City Community School District)95.986.4
 9.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)71.872
 0.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students248330
 33.1%
African American97
 22.2%
American Indian11
Asian43
 25%
Hispanic1436
 157.1%
Pacific Islander20
 100%
White212268
 26.4%
Two or More Races615
 150%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients37.9%40.6%
 2.7%

Schools Near Forest City Middle School








Frequently Asked Questions about Forest City Middle School

Students at Forest City Middle School are 81% White, 11% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 330 students attended Forest City Middle School.

Students who attend Forest City Middle School usually go on to attend Forest City High School

Forest City Middle School ranks 172nd of 337 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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