Public schools in Oak Forest, IL
18 open public schools with an address in Oak Forest, operated by 6 education agencies. Compare size, staffing, grade spans, and school type, then confirm assignment with the district.
Public schools
18
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
Reported students
4,529
11 schools reporting · NCES 2024–25
Median student–teacher ratio
13.9:1
Illinois median 13:1
Charter schools
0
0 virtual
An overview of Oak Forest public schools
The federal directory lists 18 public schools in Oak Forest, IL: 7 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, 7 combined or other. The 11 schools that reported 2024–25 membership enrolled 4,529 students, an average of 412 per school. The largest campus is Oak Forest High School (1,329 students), and the largest elementary school is Walter F Fierke Ed Center (443).
Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed operates the most schools here (7), and 5 regular districts have at least one Oak Forest campus, plus 1 charter, service, or other agency. City names come from school mailing addresses, which often differ from district or municipal boundaries.
Across schools that reported staffing, the median student–teacher ratio is 13.9:1, higher than the statewide school median of 13:1. A ratio counts classroom-teacher FTE against total enrollment, so specialized programs and part-time staffing can move it; ask schools for actual class sizes by grade.
About 48% of students in reporting schools were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. This describes the community served; it is not a quality signal, and community-eligibility schools can report differently.
School districts and agencies serving Oak Forest
Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed
Specialized public school district
7 schools in Oak Forest · 10 total
Forest Ridge SD 142
Public school district
4 schools in Oak Forest
Arbor Park SD 145
Public school district
3 schools in Oak Forest · 4 total
Bremen CHSD 228
Public school district
2 schools in Oak Forest · 5 total
CCSD 146
Public school district
1 school in Oak Forest · 5 total
Prairie-Hills ESD 144
Public school district
1 school in Oak Forest · 9 total
Elementary schools in Oak Forest
7| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Elementary School Arbor Park SD 145 | 01–02 | 232 | 12.9:1 | |
| Fieldcrest Elem School Prairie-Hills ESD 144 | PK–05 | 217 | 16.7:1 | |
| Kerkstra Elem School Forest Ridge SD 142 | 01–05 | 407 | 13.8:1 | |
| Lee R Foster Elem School Forest Ridge SD 142 | 01–05 | 397 | 13.9:1 | |
| Ridge Early Childhood Center Forest Ridge SD 142 | PK–KG | 245 | 18.8:1 | |
| Scarlet Oak Elementary School Arbor Park SD 145 | 03–04 | 249 | 13.1:1 | |
| Walter F Fierke Ed Center CCSD 146 | PK–05 | 443 | 13.3:1 |
Middle schools in Oak Forest
2| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Park Middle School Arbor Park SD 145 | 05–08 | 520 | 11.3:1 | |
| Jack Hille Middle School Forest Ridge SD 142 | 06–08 | 490 | 14.8:1 |
High schools in Oak Forest
2| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Academy and Achieve Bremen CHSD 228 · Alternative School | 11–12 | 0 | — | |
| Oak Forest High School Bremen CHSD 228 | 09–12 | 1,329 | 17.4:1 |
Combined, early-childhood, and other schools in Oak Forest
7| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Educational Center Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — | |
| Braun Educational Center-INT Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — | |
| Communication Dev Program Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — | |
| Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — | |
| DESTINY Program Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — | |
| Southwest Coop at Morton Gingerwood Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — | |
| Southwest Coop at Morton Gingerwood-INT Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed · Special Education School | Not reported | — | — |
Student demographics
Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment
- White44.8%
- Hispanic32.1%
- Black12.4%
- Asian6.6%
- American Indian / Alaska Native0.2%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.1%
- Multiracial3.8%
Enrollment-weighted across 10 Oak Forest schools with NCES CCD 2024–25 race/ethnicity counts (4,529 students). Privacy suppression can leave small gaps.
Questions about public schools in Oak Forest
How many public schools are in Oak Forest, IL?
The current NCES directory lists 18 open public schools with a location address in Oak Forest: 7 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, 7 combined or other. Together they reported 4,529 students in 2024–25. The count includes charter, alternative, and special-purpose public schools; it excludes private schools.
Which school districts serve Oak Forest?
Schools with an address in Oak Forest belong to 6 education agencies, led by Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed (7 schools), Forest Ridge SD 142 (4 schools), Arbor Park SD 145 (3 schools). A mailing city is not an attendance boundary; confirm the district for a specific address.
What is the largest public high school in Oak Forest?
Oak Forest High School reported the largest high-school enrollment in Oak Forest, with 1,329 students in 2024–25 (grades 09–12). Size is a description of the campus, not a quality measure.
Are there charter schools in Oak Forest?
No school with an address in Oak Forest is identified as a charter school in the current NCES directory. Families may still have charter or virtual options elsewhere in Illinois.
What is the typical student–teacher ratio in Oak Forest schools?
The median reported student–teacher ratio across Oak Forest public schools is 13.9:1, higher than the Illinois school median of 13:1. The ratio divides enrollment by classroom-teacher FTE; it is not an average class size.
Does living in Oak Forest guarantee a seat at a specific school?
No. Assignment depends on the district's attendance boundaries, programs, and enrollment rules, which can split a city or cross city lines. Use the district profile and its official boundary or school-locator tool to confirm the assigned school for an exact address.
Nearby Illinois cities
Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2025–26 preliminary directory (schools, grades, addresses, charter status) and 2024–25 nonfiscal files (enrollment, teachers, race/ethnicity, meal eligibility); Civil Rights Data Collection 2021–22 (AP and computer science). Cities are grouped by school mailing address. Methodology · All Illinois cities