Summary:
Forest, Virginia is served by five public schools in Bedford County Public Schools — three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school — enrolling 3,417 students total. All five schools rank at or above the 75th percentile in Virginia, making this cluster a clear bright spot within a district that ranks 35th out of 131 Virginia districts. The schools generally post test scores well above state averages, and chronic absenteeism is below state and district rates at every level.
New London Academy Elementary is the standout: despite the highest poverty rate in the group (31.82% free/reduced lunch), it is the highest-ranked school (105th of 1,111 elementary schools, 91st percentile, 5 stars), has the lowest chronic absenteeism (4.6%), and the highest per-student spending ($8,950). Forest Middle is equally impressive, ranking 44th of 416 middle schools with perfect 100% proficiency in Algebra I and Geometry. Thomas Jefferson Elementary is steady and strong at the 87th percentile with 5th grade math proficiency above 92%. Jefferson Forest High showed the biggest improvement, jumping from a 2-star to a 4-star rating, with a 95.6% graduation rate and 12th grade reading proficiency 25 points above the state average.
The most concerning trend is at Forest Elementary, which fell from the 89th to the 76th percentile over two years; 4th grade math proficiency collapsed from 89.47% to 68.67%, now below both district and state averages. This decline is puzzling because Forest Elementary has the lowest poverty rate in the cluster. Notably, poverty does not predict performance here — the highest-poverty school is the highest-ranked. Similarly, spending is not a simple driver: Forest Middle achieves elite results while spending less than the elementary schools. Families should also note that absenteeism rises with grade level, from 4.6–6.4% in elementary schools to 10.3% at Forest Middle and 11.7% at Jefferson Forest High.
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