Is Park Forest Middle School a good school?

Yes! Park Forest Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 39 th of 891 Pennsylvania middle schools.

How many students attend Park Forest Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 815 students attended Park Forest Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Park Forest Middle School?

Students at Park Forest Middle School are 79% White, 9% Asian, 6% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% African American.

What high school do graduates of Park Forest Middle School attend?

Students who attend Park Forest Middle School usually go on to attend State College Area High School

Park Forest Middle School

Summary:

Park Forest Middle School is a high-performing public middle school in State College, Pennsylvania, serving 815 students in grades 6-8 and part of the State College Area School District, which is ranked 48th out of 610 districts in the state.

Park Forest Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Pennsylvania, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance is particularly strong, with over 80% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Science. It also performs exceptionally well across various student subgroups, ranking highly for female, male, Asian, White, and multi-racial students. Additionally, the school has very low dropout rates, ranging from 0.0% to 1.6%, significantly lower than the state average. Park Forest Middle School spends more per student than the state average, with spending ranging from $19,254 to $21,402 per student.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Mount Nittany Middle School, Park Forest Middle School consistently outperforms its peers in Math, Science, and English Language Arts proficiency. The school also has a relatively low percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with only 14.23% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to some nearby schools like West Branch Middle School and Tyrone Area Middle School, which have over 50% of their students in this category. Additionally, Park Forest Middle School has a lower student-teacher ratio than some nearby schools, ranging from 11.8 to 13.2 over the past few years.

Detail:

Public 6-8

2180 School Dr
State College, PA 16803-1130

(814) 272-8217

District: State College Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
39^th of 891 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,402

Students who attend Park Forest Middle School usually attend:

High:

State College Area High School

Feeder schools for Park Forest Middle School:

Elementary:	Corl Street Elementary School
	Gray's Woods Elementary School
	Park Forest Elementary School
	Radio Park Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.2

Number of students: 815

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.1%

Asian:

9.2%

Two or more races:

5.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 14.2%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Park Forest Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Park Forest Middle School ranks better than 95.6% of middle schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.71. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (79.1%), Asian (9.2%), two or more races (5.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 14.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Park Forest Middle School is 13.2. (See more...)

Compare Park Forest Middle School employs 61.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Park Forest Middle School is $21,402.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Park Forest Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Park Forest Middle School 39^th of 891 Pennsylvania public middle schools. (See Park Forest Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

White students:

State College Area School District:

SchoolDigger ranks State College Area School District 48^th of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Park Forest Middle School.

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Your rating for Park Forest Middle School?

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Rank History for Park Forest Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile
2003	82.91	91^st	643	85.8%
2004	89.30	41^st	663	93.8%
2005	82.88	104^th	687	84.9%
2006	83.01	77^th	736	89.5%
2007	82.18	70^th	749	90.7%
2008	85.06	63^rd	753	91.6%
2009	82.16	85^th	770	89.0%
2010	82.95	80^th	805	90.1%
2011	83.07	76^th	825	90.8%
2012	85.86	39^th	834	95.3%
2013	83.90	65^th	758	91.4%
2014	83.14	74^th	728	89.8%
2015	87.16	73^rd	835	91.3%
2016	85.71	94^th	870	89.2%
2017	88.41	72^nd	877	91.8%
2018	87.61	71^st	861	91.8%
2019	90.66	48^th	891	94.6%
2021	86.81	72^nd	797	91.0%
2022	91.07	52^nd	883	94.1%
2023	91.16	51^st	893	94.3%
2024	93.71	39^th	891	95.6%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	87.84	21^st	187	88.8%
2024	89.83	19^th	199	90.5%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	68.76	214^th	874	75.5%
2024	81.00	98^th	877	88.8%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	92.32	40^th	860	95.3%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	87.93	40^th	660	93.9%
2024	94.60	22^nd	672	96.7%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	93.30	35^th	870	96.0%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	79.39	23^rd	144	84.0%
2024	79.89	23^rd	145	84.1%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for White students at Park Forest Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	82.80	74^th	681	89.1%
2024	88.25	50^th	673	92.6%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Park Forest Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	790	25	11	12	2	n/a	n/a	0	840
1989	757	18	24	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	815
1990	799	25	36	24	3	n/a	n/a	0	887
1991	874	22	30	19	2	n/a	n/a	0	947
1992	855	25	35	11	8	n/a	n/a	0	934
1993	880	30	42	10	2	n/a	n/a	0	964
1994	945	30	35	8	3	n/a	n/a	0	1021
1995	823	28	41	12	3	n/a	n/a	0	907
1996	823	28	41	12	3	n/a	n/a	0	907
1997	775	33	55	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	892
1998	768	23	31	12	5	n/a	n/a	0	839
1999	747	33	51	9	3	n/a	n/a	0	843
2000	732	41	57	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	846
2001	778	32	55	12	2	n/a	n/a	0	879
2002	833	21	59	24	10	n/a	n/a	0	947
2003	833	21	59	24	10	n/a	n/a	0	947
2004	784	25	55	37	3	n/a	n/a	0	904
2005	792	28	58	32	3	n/a	n/a	0	913
2006	774	21	49	35	4	n/a	n/a	0	883
2007	748	23	50	23	3	n/a	n/a	0	847
2008	721	24	55	23	2	n/a	n/a	0	825
2009	710	25	55	25	3	n/a	n/a	12	830
2010	710	32	54	23	1	n/a	n/a	20	840
2011	688	26	55	23	1	8	22	0	823
2012	672	17	58	18	0	4	19	0	788
2013	699	23	63	16	0	4	19	0	824
2014	705	21	62	18	1	1	18	0	826
2015	704	22	68	31	1	1	20	0	847
2016	629	26	83	32	2	0	38	0	810
2017	608	21	79	34	0	0	51	0	793
2018	602	19	78	33	0	0	56	0	788
2019	629	18	54	36	0	3	45	0	785
2020	595	19	61	39	0	3	52	0	769
2021	618	15	62	39	0	3	60	0	797
2022	612	14	74	39	2	0	59	0	800
2023	645	12	75	30	4	1	48	0	815

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 Park Forest Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	840	59.7	14.0	n/a
1989	815	61.3	13.2	n/a
1990	887	60.9	14.5	0
1991	947	74.6	12.6	n/a
1992	934	73.2	12.7	n/a
1993	964	63.4	15.2	n/a
1994	1021	59.8	17.1	n/a
1995	907	55.2	16.4	n/a
1996	907	55.2	16.4	n/a
1997	892	55.7	16.0	n/a
1998	839	59.7	14.1	n/a
1999	843	62.8	13.4	n/a
2000	846	66.4	12.7	17.5
2001	879	67.6	13.0	12.9
2002	947	68.4	13.8	14.6
2003	947	68.4	13.8	14.6
2004	904	69.2	13.1	11.7
2005	913	69.4	13.2	15.1
2006	883	64.6	13.7	12.3
2007	847	69.6	12.2	12.4
2008	825	66.2	12.5	11.4
2009	830	66.9	12.4	12.6
2010	840	67.9	12.3	15.2
2011	823	67.2	12.2	14.1
2012	788	67.2	11.7	10.7
2013	824	64.7	12.7	15.7
2014	826	65.4	12.6	12.1
2015	847	67.0	12.6	13.8
2016	810	69.0	11.7	17.7
2017	793	67.6	11.7	14.5
2018	788	64.7	12.1	17
2019	785	65.8	11.9	17.7
2020	769	66.6	11.5	13
2021	797	67.1	11.8	12.4
2022	800	65.2	12.2	11.9
2023	815	61.6	13.2	14.2

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 Park Forest Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	840	59.7	14.0	n/a
1989	815	61.3	13.2	n/a
1990	887	60.9	14.5	0
1991	947	74.6	12.6	n/a
1992	934	73.2	12.7	n/a
1993	964	63.4	15.2	n/a
1994	1021	59.8	17.1	n/a
1995	907	55.2	16.4	n/a
1996	907	55.2	16.4	n/a
1997	892	55.7	16.0	n/a
1998	839	59.7	14.1	n/a
1999	843	62.8	13.4	n/a
2000	846	66.4	12.7	17.5
2001	879	67.6	13.0	12.9
2002	947	68.4	13.8	14.6
2003	947	68.4	13.8	14.6
2004	904	69.2	13.1	11.7
2005	913	69.4	13.2	15.1
2006	883	64.6	13.7	12.3
2007	847	69.6	12.2	12.4
2008	825	66.2	12.5	11.4
2009	830	66.9	12.4	12.6
2010	840	67.9	12.3	15.2
2011	823	67.2	12.2	14.1
2012	788	67.2	11.7	10.7
2013	824	64.7	12.7	15.7
2014	826	65.4	12.6	12.1
2015	847	67.0	12.6	13.8
2016	810	69.0	11.7	17.7
2017	793	67.6	11.7	14.5
2018	788	64.7	12.1	17
2019	785	65.8	11.9	17.7
2020	769	66.6	11.5	13
2021	797	67.1	11.8	12.4
2022	800	65.2	12.2	11.9
2023	815	61.6	13.2	14.2

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 Park Forest Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$09 (0.0%)	$19,245 (100.0%)	$19,254
2020	$181 (0.9%)	$19,808 (99.1%)	$19,989
2021	$460 (2.3%)	$19,685 (97.7%)	$20,145
2022	$463 (2.2%)	$20,939 (97.8%)	$21,402

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Park Forest 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 48^th of 891 Middle schools	Ranks 51^st of 893 Middle schools	0.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Math (Park Forest Middle School)	61.5	59.4	2.1%
6th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	39	36.4	2.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Park Forest Middle School)	82.1	76.6	5.5%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	63	55.6	7.4%
7th Grade Math (Park Forest Middle School)	64.9	59	5.9%
7th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	38.2	33.2	5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Park Forest Middle School)	83.1	77	6.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.5	54.5	6%
8th Grade Math (Park Forest Middle School)	59.3	47.4	11.9%
8th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	32.2	26	6.2%
8th Grade Science (Park Forest Middle School)	76.9	81.3	4.4%
8th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)	58.2	57	1.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Park Forest Middle School)	82.7	72.6	10.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	57.9	52.8	5.1%
All Grades Math (Park Forest Middle School)	62	55.6	6.4%
All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)	42.4	39.3	3.1%
All Grades Science (Park Forest Middle School)	76.9	81.3	4.4%
All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)	68	65.6	2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Park Forest Middle School)	82.6	75.5	7.1%
All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.9	53.8	7.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	785	815	3.8%
African American	18	12	33.3%
American Indian	0	4
Asian	54	75	38.9%
Hispanic	36	30	16.7%
Pacific Islander	3	1	66.7%
White	629	645	2.5%
Two or More Races	45	48	6.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	17.7%	14.2%	3.5%

Schools Near Park Forest Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSSA Math (2024)					PSSA Science (2024)		PSSA English Language Arts (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Park Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	2180 School Dr	State College	16803	Centre County	State College Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 272-8217	815	62	13.2	14.2%	645 (79.1%)	12 (1.5%)	30 (3.7%)	75 (9.2%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (5.9%)	93.7	39^th of 891 public middle schools	95.6%		91.2	51^st of 893 public middle schools	94.3%	12		56.0	63.2	59.6	59.5	82.6	82.6		79.5	80.8	79.8	80.0	$21,402	$463	$20,939
Centre Learning Community Charter School	Public, Charter	5-8	2643 W College Ave	State College	16801	Centre County	Centre Learning Community Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(814) 861-7980	75	7	10.1	28.0%	67 (89.3%)	1 (1.3%)	4 (5.3%)	2 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	78	160^th of 891 public middle schools	82.0%		81.4	135^th of 893 public middle schools	84.9%	25			46.4	42.2	50.8	63.2	63.2			60.7	63.2	68.3	$27,308	$494	$26,814
Mount Nittany Middle School	Public	6-8	656 Brandywine Dr	State College	16801	Centre County	State College Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 466-5133	695	62	11.1	20.1%	529 (76.1%)	18 (2.6%)	29 (4.2%)	50 (7.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (9.6%)	89.7	65^th of 891 public middle schools	92.7%		88.7	74^th of 893 public middle schools	91.7%	9		57.6	55.6	46.8	53.1	76.0	76.0		76.6	77.2	70.1	74.5	$21,999	$511	$21,488
Bellefonte Area Middle School	Public	6-8	100 N School St	Bellefonte	16823	Centre County	Bellefonte Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 355-5466	576	47	12.1	27.6%	525 (91.1%)	5 (0.9%)	16 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	71.2	235^th of 891 public middle schools	73.6%		73.2	216^th of 893 public middle schools	75.8%	19		43.5	44.7	34.9	40.9	70.6	70.6		53.6	59.4	57.8	56.5	$12,928	$00	$12,928
Philipsburg-Osceola Area Middle School	Public	6-8	200 Short St Suite A	Philipsburg	16866	Centre County	Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 342-4906	379	27	13.8	57.3%	366 (96.6%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	65.9	302^nd of 891 public middle schools	66.1%		57.4	382^nd of 893 public middle schools	57.2%	80		51.3	30.8	25.2	35.4	62.3	62.3		64.9	49.6	60.7	58.3	$20,113	$2,155	$17,958
West Branch Middle School	Public	5-8	444 Allport Cutoff	Morrisdale	16858	Clearfield County	West Branch Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 345-5615	257	18	14.3	48.2%	247 (96.1%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.3%)	47.2	495^th of 891 public middle schools	44.4%		53.4	433^rd of 893 public middle schools	51.5%	62	30.3	18.3	39.3	33.3	30.6	50.8	50.8	34.8	40.0	43.9	42.2	40.2	$17,806	$2,092	$15,715
Tyrone Area Middle School	Public	5-8	1001 Clay Ave	Tyrone	16686	Blair County	Tyrone Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 684-4240	530	34	15.5	51.1%	513 (96.8%)	5 (0.9%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	67.1	285^th of 891 public middle schools	68.0%		68	268^th of 893 public middle schools	70.0%	17	24.6	32.6	45.9	43.6	37.0	65.4	65.4	42.5	46.8	58.6	54.8	51.0	$18	$01	$17

Park Forest Middle School

Park Forest Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

State College Area School District:

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for all students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for Female students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for Disabled students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for Asian students at Park Forest Middle School

Rank History for White students at Park Forest Middle School

Review counts

Enrollment information for Park Forest Middle School

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

Student/Teacher Ratio Park Forest Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Park Forest Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Park Forest Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Park Forest Middle School

Frequently Asked Questions about Park Forest Middle School

Rate Park Forest Middle School!

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