Forest Area Community Schools
Forest Area Community Schools is a Michigan public school district operating two campuses in Fife Lake, serving preschool through 12th grade students with free meals, free preschool, and free after-school childcare, supported by standard K-12 SaaS tools.
- Company typePublic
- Founded-
- HeadquartersFife Lake, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Forest Area Community Schools does
Forest Area Community Schools is a Michigan public school district headquartered in Fife Lake, operating two campuses approximately 35 minutes southeast of Traverse City. Fife Lake Elementary at 108 Pierce Street serves preschool through 3rd grade, while the Middle/High School campus at 7661 Shippy Road SW serves 4th through 12th grade. Average class sizes are under 19 students. The district serves students, families, and community members across northern Michigan, with publicly funded K-12 education as its core offering.
The district's product and service stack extends beyond classroom instruction to include a free preschool through the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), free breakfast and lunch for all students via Chartwells K12, free after-school childcare through a SEEDS grant, an on-campus Teen Health Corner operated with Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, a community fitness center, and MHSAA athletics including a synthetic-track athletic complex. The underlying technology stack is standard K-12 SaaS: PowerSchool for student information and parent portal, Google Workspace for Education, Nutrislice for menu display, Meal Magic for food service accounts, Foxbright for the website, and Snap! Mobile for athletics communication. Curriculum includes Amplify CKLA, Math Expressions, and Second Step social-emotional learning.
The district operates as a non-profit government entity under Michigan state law, governed by an elected Board of Education and overseen by Northwest Education Services as its intermediate school district. It does not generate commercial revenue; operations are funded through state aid, local property taxes, and grants. The district was recognized as a Michigan Reward School in 2014 after test scores improved 40% over three years, and graduating seniors have received upwards of $200,000 in college scholarships in recent years. Leadership includes Superintendent Mike Moran, Elementary Principal Kirsten Wooer, and Middle/High School Principal Konrad Molter.
Forest Area Community Schools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forest Area Community Schools
- Legal name
- Forest Area Community Schools
- Website
- https://www.forestarea.org
- Company type
- Public
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Forest Area Community Schools is a Michigan public school district operating two campuses in Fife Lake, serving preschool through 12th grade students with free meals, free preschool, and free after-school childcare, supported by standard K-12 SaaS tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forest Area Community Schools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Public Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)
Keywords
Where Forest Area Community Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fife Lake
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Forest Area Community Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Free meals for all students |
| Freemium | Annual | Free preschool program |
| Freemium | Annual | Free after school childcare |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Forest Area Community Schools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forest Area Community Schools is a public K-12 school district operating two campuses in Fife Lake, Michigan: Fife Lake Elementary (preschool through 3rd grade) and Forest Area Middle/High School (4th through 12th grade). The district delivers tuition-free public education supported by free meals for all students, free preschool through GSRP, free after-school childcare via a SEEDS grant, an on-campus Teen Health Corner clinic, MHSAA athletics, and a community fitness center. It is governed by a locally elected Board of Education under Michigan state law.
Product overview
Forest Area Community Schools operates as a traditional K-12 public school district offering a unified educational platform consisting of two campuses. The core offering is K-12 education services, supplemented by integrated programs including the Chartwells-operated food service with free meals, a community fitness center, the Teen Health Corner clinic, GSRP preschool, and MHSAA athletics. The district utilizes PowerSchool for student information management and Nutrislice for food menu display. No standalone technology products are offered; all services are educational and community support offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- K-12 Education Services
- Food Service Program
- Forest Area Fitness Center
- Teen Health Corner
- Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) Preschool
- Athletics Program
- Safety Drills Program
- SEEDS After-School Childcare Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Graduating seniors received $200,000+ in college scholarships
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Forest Area Community Schools
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Forest Area Community Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Forest Area Community Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SEEDS (Community Services)coreSEEDS provides FREE after school childcare program at Fife Lake Elementary. The grant-funded program assists students with homework completion and tutoring, provides educational field trips throughout the school year and summer months.
- Kalkaska Memorial Health CentercoreTeen Health Corner works in partnership with Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, Kalkaska Public Schools, and Forest Area Community Schools. Supported by Kalkaska Memorial Health Center and a Michigan Department of Community Health Grant.
- ChartwellscoreChartwells K12 is the foodservice partner for Forest Area Community Schools. They serve food kids love with fresh, nutritious, minimally processed and locally sourced ingredients. Services include free breakfast and lunch for all students.
- Northwestern Michigan College (NMC)minorEarly College opportunities and Dual Enrollment available with NMC and Baker College for high school students.
- Baker CollegeminorEarly College opportunities and Dual Enrollment available with Baker College for high school students.
- Northwest Education ServicescoreNorthwest Education Services (North Ed) provides budget and salary/compensation transparency reporting for the district, and supports district operations through intermediate school district services including pupil accounting, transportation, and other shared services.
- PowerSchoolcorePowerSchool provides the student information system used by the district for enrollment, grades, and parent portal access.
- Google Workspace for EducationcoreDistrict uses Google Workspace for Education for classroom instruction, requiring parental consent forms.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Forest Area Community Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cadillac Area Public Schools: Larger regional K-12 district serving Wexford County. Operates with a broader program portfolio than Forest Area and represents the next-tier larger district in the broader region.
- Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS): Larger, well-resourced regional K-12 district headquartered in Traverse City — the dominant education provider in the region. Operates with broader programming and scale, drawing some School of Choice enrollment away from smaller districts like Forest Area.
Regional players
- Glen Lake Community Schools: K-12 district in the greater Traverse City region serving a similar rural northern Michigan community. Comparable in scale and program breadth.
- Elk Rapids Schools: K-12 district in nearby Antrim County serving a similar rural-to-lakefront community profile. Competes in the broader northern Michigan education market.
Direct peers
- Kingsley Area Schools: Adjacent K-12 district in Grand Traverse County serving a similar rural-to-exurban community. Competes directly for School of Choice students and shares the same Northwest Education Services intermediate district.
- Buckley Community Schools: Small rural K-12 district in the same northwest Lower Michigan region as Forest Area, competing for the same pool of School of Choice families and operating under the same intermediate school district. Highly comparable in size and demographic profile.
- Kalkaska Public Schools: Neighboring small rural Michigan district that is an active partner with Forest Area via the Teen Health Corner and shared services through Northwest Education Services. Comparable in scale, K-12 structure, and rural northern-Michigan operating context.
- Lake City Area Schools: Small rural Michigan district in the same regional labor and education market. Comparable K-12 structure and rural Missaukee/Wexford area demographic.
- Mancelona Public Schools: Small rural K-12 district in Antrim County, comparable in scale and operating context, and competing for similar families in the northern Michigan region.
- Manton Consolidated Schools: Small rural K-12 district in northwest Lower Michigan with comparable enrollment scale and rural operating profile. Direct competitor in the regional School of Choice market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forest Area Community Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forest Area Community Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Forest Area Community Schools subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Forest Area Community Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forest Area Community Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forest Area Community Schools
What does Forest Area Community Schools do?
Forest Area Community Schools is a public K-12 school district operating two campuses in Fife Lake, Michigan: Fife Lake Elementary (preschool through 3rd grade) and Forest Area Middle/High School (4th through 12th grade). The district delivers tuition-free public education supported by free meals for all students, free preschool through GSRP, free after-school childcare via a SEEDS grant, an on-campus Teen Health Corner clinic, MHSAA athletics, and a community fitness center. It is governed by a locally elected Board of Education under Michigan state law.
Is Forest Area Community Schools a public or private company?
Forest Area Community Schools is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Forest Area Community Schools founded?
Forest Area Community Schools was founded in -1.
Where is Forest Area Community Schools based?
Forest Area Community Schools is headquartered in Fife Lake, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Forest Area Community Schools's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cadillac Area Public Schools and Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS). Regional players are Glen Lake Community Schools and Elk Rapids Schools. Direct peers are Kingsley Area Schools, Buckley Community Schools, Kalkaska Public Schools, Lake City Area Schools, Mancelona Public Schools and Manton Consolidated Schools.
Does Forest Area Community Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forest Area Community Schools.
What industry is Forest Area Community Schools in?
Forest Area Community Schools's product category is K-12 Public Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADABAA, Public School Districts (K–12). Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.