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Forest Area High School

Q: Is Forest Area High School a good school?

Forest Area High School ranks 544 th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

544^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan High Schools

Better than 26% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Forest Area High School is a public high school located in Fife Lake, Michigan, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 172 students. The school is part of the Forest Area Community Schools district, which is ranked 516 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Forest Area High School has had a fluctuating statewide ranking, ranging from 237 out of 531 Michigan high schools in 2021-2022 (3-star rating) to 544 out of 739 in 2024-2025 (1-star rating). The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with female students generally performing better than male students. However, the school performs well for low socioeconomic status students, ranking 89 out of 654 Michigan high schools in 2023-2024. Forest Area High School has had a four-year graduation rate ranging from 70.2% to 83.6% and a dropout rate between 2.0% and 13.5%, but it has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.5% to 41.3% in recent years.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Lake City High School, Forest Area High School generally performs worse on key metrics, including statewide ranking, graduation and dropout rates, and proficiency rates on state assessments. This may be due to factors such as lower funding and resources, as Forest Area High School's spending per student has ranged from $11,044 to $15,077 over the past few years, which is generally lower than the nearby schools analyzed.

156

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,029

Per pupil spending ?

44.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7661 Shippy Rd SW
Fife Lake, MI 49633-8243

(231) 369-2884

District: Forest Area Community Schools

Feeder schools for Forest Area High School:

Elementary:	Fife Lake Elementary School
Middle:	Forest Area Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.2%

African American:

1.9%

Hispanic:

1.3%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Forest Area High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2014 → 26th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (28% vs 44% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (55% vs 28% Michigan)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg28%

Michigan avg44%

544^th of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

516^th of 613Forest Area Community Schools among Michigan 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	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	24.6	544 of 739	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.3	354 of 743	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.4	453 of 735	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.1	237 of 531	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	15.3	564 of 666	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.1	481 of 824	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.3	522 of 835	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	61.9	305 of 852	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.2	437 of 832	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	49.9	439 of 799	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	69.9	236 of 805	70.7%	★★★★☆
2012	32.7	544 of 773	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	51.5	482 of 784	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	62.0	383 of 765	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	50.0	461 of 754	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.7	427 of 750	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	50.0	465 of 767	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	31.0	547 of 705	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	63.4	188 of 619	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.9	409 of 611	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.4	239 of 416	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.8	502 of 554	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	469 of 710	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	78.7	89 of 654	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	45.0	337 of 614	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	81.2	61 of 369	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	56.4	290 of 755	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	443 of 628	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.2	319 of 633	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	415 of 611	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.0	468 of 543	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.2	426 of 707	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	591 of 639	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.6	410 of 638	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.3	514 of 647	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.7	259 of 492	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.1	539 of 582	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.8	513 of 708	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)86th percentile+34 vs school

Female (2024)70th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing35%-21 vs state

Science27%-8 vs state

Social Studies23%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Forest Area High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)		M-Step Math (2025)		M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		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	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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forest Area High School	Public	9-12	7661 Shippy Rd SW	Fife Lake	49633	Kalkaska County	Forest Area Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 369-2884	156	10	15.1	44.9%	150 (96.2%)	3 (1.9%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	24.6	544^th of 739 public high schools	26.4%		48.3	354^th of 743 public high schools	52.4%	190			34.6							26.9		23.1	$13,029	$1,167	$11,862
Kalkaska High School	Public	9-12	109 N Birch St	Kalkaska	49646	Kalkaska County	Kalkaska Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 258-9167	439	23	18.9	47.4%	399 (90.9%)	8 (1.8%)	19 (4.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	55.9	314^th of 739 public high schools	57.5%		61.6	250^th of 743 public high schools	66.4%	64			48.9	25.0						44.8		42.5	$13,501	$897	$12,604
Kingsley Area High School	Public	9-12	7475 Kingsley Rd	Kingsley	49649	Grand Traverse County	Kingsley Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 263-5262	401	26	15.6	37.7%	379 (94.5%)	7 (1.7%)	9 (2.2%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	90.3	50^th of 739 public high schools	93.2%		66.4	201^st of 743 public high schools	72.9%	151			75.3	40.4						64.8		65.9	$13,446	$1,077	$12,369
Manton Consolidated High School	Public	9-12	105 5th St	Manton	49663	Wexford County	Manton Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 824-6411	289	18	15.9	37.7%	269 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	26.3	527^th of 739 public high schools	28.7%		43.2	399^th of 743 public high schools	46.3%	128			41.2	17.6						16.4		31.3	$13,276	$1,234	$12,041
Traverse City High School	Public	9-12	3962 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-5860	171	10	16.3	59.6%	139 (81.3%)	10 (5.8%)	11 (6.4%)	1 (0.6%)	9 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	30.6	503^rd of 739 public high schools	31.9%		8.8	675^th of 743 public high schools	9.2%	172			37.8							24.2		33.3	$19,494	$1,520	$17,974
North EdCareer Technical	Public	11-12	880 Parsons Rd	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Northwest Education Services	No	No	No	No	(231) 922-6260	0	38	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Central High School	Public	8-12	1150 Milliken Dr	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-6500	1,326	56	23.6	20.3%	1,191 (89.8%)	38 (2.9%)	41 (3.1%)	33 (2.5%)	22 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70.9	178^th of 739 public high schools	75.9%		77.1	136^th of 743 public high schools	81.7%	42			80.2	51.1						33.0		36.4	$13,659	$1,499	$12,160
The Greenspire High School	Public, Charter	9-12	2200 Dendrinos Drive	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	The Greenspire School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(231) 421-5905	176	10	17.6	39.8%	151 (85.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.5%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.7%)	2 (1.1%)	11 (6.3%)	87.2	64^th of 739 public high schools	91.3%		82.5	98^th of 743 public high schools	86.8%	34			70.3	37.8						58.3		69.4	$9,372	$2,733	$6,639
Lake City High School	Public	9-12	251 Russell St	Lake City	49651	Missaukee County	Lake City Area School District	No	No	No	No	(231) 839-6600	369	25	14.5	58.5%	332 (90.0%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.8%)	44.5	410^th of 739 public high schools	44.5%		50.9	335^th of 743 public high schools	54.9%	75			47.6	20.2						40.7		32.1	$13,579	$1,826	$11,752
The Greenspire School	Public, Charter	6-12	1026 Red Dr	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	The Greenspire School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(231) 421-5905	93	9	10.3	37.6%	77 (82.8%)	3 (3.2%)	1 (1.1%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (10.8%)								(n/a)	60.5	7.9			29.6	24.1	29.6	27.6	38.5		48.7		$15,175	$1,688	$13,487

Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Area High School

What is the racial makeup of Forest Area High School?

Students at Forest Area High School are 96% White, 2% African American, 1% Hispanic.

How many students attend Forest Area High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 156 students attended Forest Area High School.

What schools feed into Forest Area High School?

Forest Area High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Fife Lake Elementary School
Middle : Forest Area Middle School

Is Forest Area High School a good school?

Forest Area High School ranks 544^th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Forest Area High School in?

Forest Area Community Schools

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Schools in Fife Lake, MI

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