River Forest Community School Corporation

River Forest enrolled 1,693 students in 2025-26. Since 2005-06 enrollment has grown 19%; the regional peer median shrank 9% and the median Indiana corporation shrank 11%. The chart indexes each series to its 2005-06 level.

Enrollment and the funding count

Indiana's tuition support formula pays on average daily membership (ADM), counted each September and again in the spring; ADM excludes pre-kindergarten, which the enrollment count includes. River Forest's fall ADM was 1,647 in 2023-24, 0.97 per enrolled student, including 31 virtual students, who are funded at a lower rate.

IDOE State Tuition Support Annual Reports, Appendix A (fall count, non-virtual plus virtual ADM), and IDOE enrollment (October count).

Students, 2025-26

Home values against nearby districts

Across the five most recent Census releases (2016–20 to 2020–24), the median owner-occupied home in River Forest averaged $105,740, 42% below the median of the 9 districts within 25 miles ($183,140). That ranks 10th of 10 in the area and at the 10th percentile of Indiana districts (state median $158,850).

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, median value of owner-occupied homes (table B25077), in nominal dollars. Consecutive releases share four of their five survey years, so the average is a smoothed level rather than five independent years. Nearby districts are those whose NCES office address lies within 25 miles of River Forest's: School Town of Highland (10 mi, $198,540); South Central Com (25 mi, $190,520); Merrillville (5 mi, $188,920); MSD of New Durham Township (20 mi, $185,920); Portage Township (5 mi, $183,140); School City of Whiting (14 mi, $177,240); School City of Hobart (2 mi, $175,620); School City of Hammond (13 mi, $127,420); Lake Station (2 mi, $114,440).

Where resident students go, fall 2025

Of 1,312 students who live in the district, 1,142 attend River Forest schools: a retention rate of 87.0%, 63rd of 290 statewide. 170 leave: 56 on Choice Scholarships to private schools, 21 to charter schools and 93 to other public corporations. 498 students transfer in. The largest destinations:

IDOE enrollment (October count) and fall 2025-26 transfer report. Retention = resident students enrolled in the corporation as a share of all students who live there (“settled”).

On the spring 2025 ILEARN, 21.0% of River Forest students were proficient in English/language arts and 15.8% in math, against 38.2% and 40.7% for the median Indiana corporation. That ranks 277th and 282nd among 290 corporations. Against the peer median it trails in ELA, math, science and the SAT.

IDOE assessment, graduation and federal accountability files. Rank is among Indiana's public school corporations with a reported result (1st = highest). Only the 2025 ILEARN release is on file, so there is no trend line here.

In 2024-25, 23.3% of River Forest students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year), against 17.8% in the peer median and 13.2% in the median Indiana corporation. That is 252nd lowest of 290. Before the pandemic, in 2018-19, the rate was 10.5%.

IDOE chronic absenteeism file, 2012-13 to 2024-25. A student is chronically absent after missing 10% or more of enrolled days.

River Forest spent $10,746 per pupil on current operations in FY2024, against $11,018 for the peer median and $11,831 for the median Indiana corporation. Local property tax provided 22% of revenue (peer median 20%, Indiana median 25%) and state aid 58% (Indiana median 55%).

U.S. Census Bureau annual school finance survey (F-33), current spending per pupil, nominal dollars, excluding the teacher-retirement payments the state makes on corporations' behalf (reported inconsistently in FY2023). Capital and debt payments are not current spending.

For taxes payable in 2026 the corporation certified $7.1M across its funds, at a combined rate of $2.6684 per $100 of net assessed value. The operating referendum adds $3.2M ($1.1900 per $100). Indiana's property-tax caps do not apply to referendum levies, which makes an operating referendum the one local operating revenue source outside the caps.

River Forest and its regional peers, pay 2026

River Forest's operating referendum rate is the highest of these 10 corporations. Statewide, 66 of 290 school units levied an operating referendum for taxes payable 2026.

Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, Certified Budget, Levy, CNAV and Rate by Fund files. Operating referendum = funds 0022, 0023 and 0025; referendum debt = 0187 and 0287. Rates are per $100 of net assessed value; referendum funds are levied on a different assessed-value base from the other funds, so the rates are summed as published.

The November 3, 2026 question asks for renewing the operating referendum at a rate of up to $0.9912 per $100 of assessed value for up to 8 years, raising at most $3 million a year (the 2019 question set $1.1900). If it fails, the county auditor estimates the tax bill on a median home ($150,000 assessed value) would fall by $589 a year.

For taxes payable 2026, River Forest levies $3.2M through an operating referendum, at $1.1900 per $100 of assessed value. The question's ceiling of $0.9912 is $0.1988 below that rate.

River Forest has put 2 referendum questions to voters since 2015; all passed. Statewide, DLGF records 190 operating referendum questions from 2009 through 2025, and 133 passed (70%).

Ballot terms: the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance's final determination on each question, which quotes the approved wording and the county auditor's certified median-home estimate. Past results: DLGF historic referenda records (outcome only; DLGF does not publish vote counts). Current levy: DLGF certified levy by fund.

Wherever this briefing sets River Forest beside other school corporations, it uses the groups below. A group figure is the middle value across its members, each counted equally, so one large member cannot dominate it.

Peers 12 school corporations

The 12 Indiana districts (public school corporations) most like River Forest on four equally weighted factors: total enrollment (compared as a ratio), current spending per pupil, students per teacher and the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, each difference scaled by how much the factor varies across districts, and none more than two standard deviations away on any one. The group starts with nearby districts that match closely (within half a standard deviation on average) and fills the rest from anywhere in the state. Peers carry the achievement, spending and staffing comparisons.

Regional peers 9 school corporations

The 9 districts (public school corporations) within 25 miles of River Forest, straight line between district offices, whose profile on the same four factors is comparable: on average within one standard deviation. They carry enrollment, property taxes and home values, and their median sits beneath the peer median elsewhere. A district in both groups appears in both lists.

“Indiana median” is the middle value across Indiana's public school corporations. Corporations that enroll mostly virtual students are left out of both groups. Spending is F-33 current spending excluding state on-behalf payments; students per teacher is the NCES Common Core of Data count.