Forest Ridge District 142 includes four schools within Oak Forest: Ridge Early Childhood Center, G. Kerkstra Elementary, Lee R. Foster Elementary and Jack Hille Middle School.
The district has approximately 1,700 students enrolled currently. Its schools accommodate children from early childhood development at Ridge School, through eighth grade at Hille Middle School. Its roots date back to one original schoolhouse built in 1863, that stood until 1880 when it replaced with the one-room schoolhouse Stone School. Earliest enrollment numbers record 28 students at that location.
The administration is led by Superintendent Dr. Margaret Longo, with a Board of Education. The Board meets the third Tuesday of every month, at 7 p.m.