Forestville Union Elementary, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Forestville Union Elementary

Forestville Union Elementary is a small rural district in Sonoma County serving kindergarten through eighth grade, with enrollment in the low hundreds distributed across two school buildings: Forestville Elementary and Forestville Academy. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population; nearly a third of students are Hispanic and roughly a tenth identify as multiracial, while other racial and ethnic groups represent very small shares.

Academic performance across the district shows consistent challenge areas. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from the low to mid-40s across most grade levels, with a dip in fourth grade to around one-third of students meeting standards. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower, particularly in the middle grades. Third and fifth graders show proficiency rates around the mid-40s, but fourth graders drop to roughly one-third proficient. By sixth and seventh grade, proficiency falls sharply to single-digit levels, recovering only slightly in eighth grade. Science testing, administered in fifth and eighth grades, shows proficiency near 40 percent in fifth grade but falls by half in eighth grade.

These results place Forestville Union's overall proficiency index below the midpoint of Sonoma County's districts. A parent comparing this district to others in the county would find it among the lower performers on standardized measures.

The district serves a community with moderate housing costs by Bay Area standards. Weighted home values are in the mid-six-figures, reflecting the rural setting between Guerneville and Sebastopol, while rental costs are modest at under three thousand monthly for the area median. The district's per-pupil spending is in the upper-middle range for the county, suggesting resources are allocated reasonably. Chronic absenteeism is slightly below the county median, indicating attendance is managed comparably to peer districts.

In 2022, voters approved a school facilities bond through Measure D, adding a property-tax levy to fund repairs to aging infrastructure, including roof work and aging building systems, along with student programs and energy-efficiency upgrades at Forestville Elementary. This represents an ongoing commitment to facility improvement in a district with older infrastructure.

Free-and-reduced-price lunch data and English learner enrollment counts were not provided, so a full picture of economic and language diversity in the student population is not available from the data. A parent evaluating this district may want to contact the schools directly to understand these demographics and to discuss academic support structures being used to address the proficiency gaps visible in state testing, especially in mathematics at the middle-grade levels.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

222

Grades

KG–08

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 29%

Black 0%

White 60%

Asian 0%

Two+ 10%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

32%

—

Gr 3

—

50%

Gr 4

—

50%

Gr 5

—

57%

Gr 7

53%

43%

Gr 8

—

47%

Math

Gr ALL

16%

—

Gr 3

—

43%

Gr 4

—

42%

Gr 5

—

57%

Gr 7

Gr 8

—

20%

Science

Gr 5

—

50%

Gr 8

—

20%

Gr HS

15%

—

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

Forestville Elementary

Forestville Academy

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

45%

Grade 3

30%

Grade 4

48%

Grade 5

11%

Grade 6

Grade 7

14%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

40%

Grade 3

35%

Grade 4

43%

Grade 5

50%

Grade 6

48%

Grade 7

40%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

38%

Grade 5

19%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

67%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$731,965

Year-over-year change-3.5%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$533K to $1.1M

vs. state typical0.94x

vs. national typical1.99x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
95436	Forestville	$639K	-3.9%	71.6%
95472	Sebastopol	$1.1M	-1.4%	18.3%
95446	Guerneville	$533K	-6.0%	4.9%
95448	Healdsburg	$1.1M	-2.7%	2.7%
95401	Santa Rosa	$656K	-2.7%	2.2%
95492	Windsor	$808K	-1.0%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,642/mo

Year-over-year change+3.3%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$2,339 to $3,817/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
95436	Forestville	$2,600	—	71.6%
95472	Sebastopol	$2,793	+3.9%	18.3%
95446	Guerneville	$2,475	—	4.9%
95448	Healdsburg	$3,241	+3.9%	2.7%
95401	Santa Rosa	$2,339	-2.8%	2.2%
95492	Windsor	$3,817	—	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$3,694/mo

Home price / national median income8.7x

Annual rent / national median income37.9%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$1,052/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$776,233 (-1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.