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River Forest Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

385^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 486 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 21% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

River Forest Middle School is a public middle school in Hobart, Indiana, serving 369 students in grades 6–8 as part of the River Forest Community School Corp. It ranks 385th of 486 Indiana middle schools in 2025–2026 (21st percentile, 1 star), and its district ranks 325th of 374 (1 star). The school has earned 1 star in every year of its available rank history, with percentile ranks from 14 to 23 since 2015–2016, so performance has stayed in the bottom quartile without a clear long-term upward trend.

Academically, English language arts is the relative strength: 26.32% of all grades were proficient in 2025–2026, above the district's 23.1% and above nearby Charles N Scott Middle School, Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School, and Gary Middle School, though still below the state. Math is a severe weakness at 14.08%, below the district's 19.3%, with 8th-grade math at just 7.69%. Science fell to 10.28% from 30.43% the year before, well below the district's 17.65%. For contrast, Hobart Middle School, about 2.5 miles away, posts 47.49% ELA, 34.5% math, and 35.89% science, while Union Township Middle School — the top nearby school at 4 stars — reaches 62.09%, 52.75%, and 44.35%.

Context matters here. At 73.98% free/reduced lunch, River Forest has the second-highest poverty rate among nearby schools, behind only Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School (97.54%), yet it has the lowest per-pupil spending of the group at $9,950, versus $11,000–$18,400 elsewhere. Chronic absenteeism is 18.0%, above the state's 16.7% but below the district's 23.3% and better than several nearby schools. The student–teacher ratio improved to 14.7 from 16.8 in 2022–2023. Grade-level data show ELA rising from 18.69% in 6th grade to 30.51% in 8th, while math and science are weakest early and in 8th grade — pointing to early and targeted math and science support as the highest-impact focus.

369

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,950

Per pupil spending ?

74%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3300 Indiana St
Hobart, IN 46342

(219) 962-7551

District: River Forest Community School Corp

Students who attend River Forest Middle School usually attend:

High:

River Forest High School

Feeder schools for River Forest Middle School:

Elementary:	Henry S Evans Elementary School
	John I Meister Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.5%

White:

31.7%

African American:

17.3%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare River Forest Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg21%

385^th of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

325^th of 374River Forest Community School Corp among Indiana 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	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	20.7	385 of 486	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.1	375 of 480	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	402 of 491	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	393 of 489	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	375 of 490	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	372 of 483	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	404 of 470	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	383 of 473	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.7	397 of 472	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.7	405 of 494	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.9	361 of 485	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	61.9	202 of 470	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	33.2	354 of 447	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	60.4	199 of 451	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	33.9	337 of 428	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	46.6	272 of 423	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts26%

Math14%

Science10%

★

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Schools Near River Forest Middle 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2026)					ILEARN Math (2026)					ILEARN Science (2026)		ILEARN Social Studies (2026)	ILEARN Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
River Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	3300 Indiana St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	River Forest Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 962-7551	369	25	14.7	74.0%	117 (31.7%)	64 (17.3%)	157 (42.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.3%)	20.7	385^th of 486 public middle schools	20.8%		21.1	375^th of 480 public middle schools	21.9%	10		18.7	29.1	30.5	26.3		14.0	20.5	7.7	14.1	10.3	10.3			$9,950	$713	$9,237
Hobart Middle School	Public	6-8	36 E 8th St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	School City of Hobart	No	No	No	No	(219) 942-8541	905	50	18.2	52.6%	574 (63.4%)	85 (9.4%)	210 (23.2%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.0%)	61.9	174^th of 486 public middle schools	64.2%		62.1	169^th of 480 public middle schools	64.8%	5		45.1	46.0	51.5	47.5		37.9	33.1	32.2	34.5	35.9	35.9		81.7	$12,110	$406	$11,705
Bailly Middle School	Public	6-8	4621 Georgia St	Gary	46409	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-6326	355	28	12.7	60.0%	7 (2.0%)	292 (82.3%)	34 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.6%)	4.9	478^th of 486 public middle schools	1.6%		9.2	446^th of 480 public middle schools	7.1%	32		8.6	6.1	5.6	6.8		2.1	0.9	4.0	2.4	5.7	5.7		0.0	$18,063	$5,461	$12,602
William Fegely Middle School	Public	6-8	5384 Stone Ave	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8150	566	45	12.4	48.2%	256 (45.2%)	111 (19.6%)	160 (28.3%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.3%)	34	323^rd of 486 public middle schools	33.5%		33.8	328^th of 480 public middle schools	31.7%	5		30.0	27.0	35.1	31.1		26.5	21.3	17.8	21.5	32.3	32.3		76.9	$12,312	$401	$11,911
Gary Middle School	Public	6-8	301 Parke St	Gary	46403	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 321-8547	365	25	14.4	62.5%	2 (0.5%)	334 (91.5%)	18 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)	6.4	471^st of 486 public middle schools	3.1%		6.8	464^th of 480 public middle schools	3.3%	7		5.9	9.1	11.1	8.6		5.2	5.8	7.6	6.1	5.9	5.9			$18,400	$6,070	$12,331
Merrillville Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1400 W 61st Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5306	788	61	13.0	54.4%	66 (8.4%)	494 (62.7%)	167 (21.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (7.4%)								(n/a)	30.7	33.9			32.3	35.7	31.7			33.7	30.2	30.2	36.2		$11,520	$1,224	$10,296
Willowcreek Middle School	Public	6-8	5962 Central Ave	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8090	920	55	16.6	41.7%	474 (51.5%)	145 (15.8%)	245 (26.6%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (5.5%)	37.6	309^th of 486 public middle schools	36.4%		39.1	309^th of 480 public middle schools	35.6%			21.5	30.1	39.4	30.6		25.0	20.1	34.0	26.5	29.2	29.2		80.0	$11,089	$319	$10,770
Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School	Public	5-8	3601 W 41st Ave	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-0730	447	27	16.8	97.5%	125 (28.0%)	175 (39.1%)	122 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.1%)	13.2	433^rd of 486 public middle schools	10.9%		9.5	443^rd of 480 public middle schools	7.7%	10	10.0	20.5	10.7	26.0	17.1	7.8	10.9	5.9	5.8	7.7	17.1	17.1	8.9		$13,528	$2,656	$10,873
Pierce Middle School	Public	7-8	199 E 70th Pl	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5308	878	69	12.8	53.2%	58 (6.6%)	581 (66.2%)	183 (20.8%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (5.7%)	27.3	352^nd of 486 public middle schools	27.6%		23.9	363^rd of 480 public middle schools	24.4%	11			28.6	25.1	26.8			20.7	17.9	19.2					$11,123	$835	$10,288
Union Township Middle School	Public	6-8	599 W 300 N	Valparaiso	46385	Porter County	Union Township School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 759-2562	333	24	14.1	26.7%	267 (80.2%)	9 (2.7%)	49 (14.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	85.8	51^st of 486 public middle schools	89.5%		92.5	23^rd of 480 public middle schools	95.2%	28		54.0	63.1	69.5	62.1		48.4	57.4	52.5	52.8	44.4	44.4			$12,033	$71	$11,962

Frequently Asked Questions about River Forest Middle School

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

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

What district is River Forest Middle School in?

River Forest Community School Corp

Is River Forest Middle School a good school?

River Forest Middle School ranks in the bottom 20.8% of Indiana middle schools.

How many students attend River Forest Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended River Forest Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of River Forest Middle School?

Students at River Forest Middle School are 43% Hispanic, 32% White, 17% African American, 7% Two or more races.

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Schools in Hobart, IN

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresNewSep 25, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 16, 2025

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