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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Forest City High School

Q: Is Forest City High School a good school?

Forest City High School ranks 75 th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

75^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 78% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Forest City High School is a public high school located in Forest City, Iowa, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 333 students. The school is part of the Forest City Community School District, which is ranked 38 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Forest City High School consistently performs above the state average in ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) test scores across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 82.4% of 10th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 74.7%. Similarly, in Mathematics, 87% of 11th graders were proficient or better, compared to the state average of 65.6%. The school has also maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 87.5% to 94.9% over the past few years, consistently outperforming the state average. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.0% to 23.4% in recent years, are an area that could be improved to align with the state's lower average.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Clear Lake High School, North Iowa High School, West Hancock High School, Lake Mills Senior High School, and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura High School, Forest City High School generally performs on par or better in terms of academic achievement, graduation rates, and other key metrics. This suggests that Forest City High School is a strong performer within the local region.

304

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,828

Per pupil spending ?

31.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

206 W School St
Forest City, IA 50436

(641) 585-2324

District: Forest City Community School District

Feeder schools for Forest City High School:

Elementary:	Forest City Elementary School
Middle:	Forest City Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.2%

Hispanic:

10.9%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Forest City High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 71st percentile in 2015 → 78th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (81% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of Iowa high schools

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school81%

District avg81%

Iowa avg69%

75^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

38^th of 313Forest City Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	75 of 340	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.1	126 of 338	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	80.6	35 of 336	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.4	59 of 332	82.2%	★★★★☆
2021	58.8	138 of 327	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.9	187 of 327	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.5	93 of 320	70.9%	★★★★☆
2017	68.5	99 of 325	69.5%	★★★★☆
2016	55.4	156 of 320	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	70.9	94 of 324	71.0%	★★★★☆
2014	53.6	174 of 322	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	73.0	70 of 351	80.1%	★★★★☆
2012	58.5	175 of 351	50.1%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science85%+18 vs state

English Language Arts80%+7 vs state

Mathematics80%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Forest City High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)			ISASP Mathematics (2025)			ISASP Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forest City High School	Public	9-12	206 W School St	Forest City	50436	Winnebago County	Forest City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 585-2324	304	27	11.0	31.6%	253 (83.2%)	5 (1.6%)	33 (10.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	72.5	75^th of 340 public high schools	77.9%		63.1	126^th of 338 public high schools	62.7%	51	73.6	82.4	84.1	79.2	74.1	87.0	84.7	$15,828	$270	$15,558
Lake Mills Senior High School	Public	9-12	102 S 4th Ave E	Lake Mills	50450	Winnebago County	Lake Mills Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 592-0893	193	19	10.3	35.2%	156 (80.8%)	2 (1.0%)	28 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)	70.6	85^th of 340 public high schools	75.0%		78.6	38^th of 338 public high schools	88.8%	47	81.1	85.7	82.2	73.0	69.0	80.0	78.6	$15,089	$496	$14,593
Garner-Hayfield-Ventura High School	Public	9-12	605 West Lyon Street	Garner	50438	Hancock County	Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 923-2632	295	22	13.6	33.9%	259 (87.8%)	8 (2.7%)	19 (6.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	76	52^nd of 340 public high schools	84.7%		72.9	74^th of 338 public high schools	78.1%	22	89.4	88.4	82.2	75.8	73.9	80.8	75.4	$15,762	$212	$15,550
West Hancock High School	Public	9-12	420 9th Ave SW	Britt	50423	Hancock County	West Hancock Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 843-3863	161	17	9.6	26.7%	123 (76.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (19.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.3%)	78.4	42^nd of 340 public high schools	87.6%		71.3	85^th of 338 public high schools	74.9%	43	87.5	86.0	79.5	87.5	79.1	84.6	74.4	$16,943	$1,042	$15,901
Clear Lake High School	Public	9-12	125 N 20th St	Clear Lake	50428	Cerro Gordo County	Clear Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 357-5235	461	30	15.3	26.9%	395 (85.7%)	7 (1.5%)	32 (6.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.8%)	74.4	61^st of 340 public high schools	82.1%		65.9	114^th of 338 public high schools	66.3%	53	81.6	83.7	82.9	73.7	76.9	82.9	81.7	$16,404	$315	$16,089
North Iowa High School	Public	9-12	111 3rd Ave NW	Buffalo Center	50424	Winnebago County	North Iowa Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 562-2525	124	8	15.5	41.1%	100 (80.6%)	1 (0.8%)	21 (16.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	54.6	181^st of 340 public high schools	46.8%		53.5	175^th of 338 public high schools	48.2%	6	79.3	67.6	75.0	75.9	74.3	60.7	71.4	$17,022	$541	$16,481

Frequently Asked Questions about Forest City High School

What schools feed into Forest City High School?

Forest City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Forest City Elementary School
Middle : Forest City Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Forest City High School?

Students at Forest City High School are 83% White, 11% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Forest City High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 304 students attended Forest City High School.

Is Forest City High School a good school?

Forest City High School ranks 75^th of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Forest City High School in?

Forest City Community School District

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Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.