Best Public Schools in Lake Forest, CA

Summary:

The city of Lake Forest, California, is home to 9 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. These schools serve students across various grade levels and demonstrate a range of academic performance and student demographics.

Among the standout schools in the area is Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley, a public charter elementary school that consistently ranks among the top 197 elementary schools in California. This school's students demonstrate exceptional proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics, significantly outperforming the state and district averages. In contrast, schools like Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary and Olivewood Elementary have much lower proficiency rates, often below 50% in both subjects.

The data also reveals disparities in student engagement, as measured by chronic absenteeism rates, which range from 10.4% at Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley to 23.4% at Olivewood Elementary. Additionally, the schools have varying student-teacher ratios, with Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley having the lowest ratio, which may contribute to its strong academic performance.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	Total
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley	Public, Charter	K-5	22882 Loumont Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 540-7800	509	21	24.2	14.1%	133 (26.1%)	11 (2.2%)	91 (17.9%)	200 (39.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (14.5%)	96.7	197^th of 5862 public elementary schools	96.6%		96.3	246^th of 5874 public elementary schools	95.8%	49	76.2				76.2	77.7	79.6	89.3					82.1	83.5	73.1	78.6					78.2	96.7			96.7
Lake Forest Elementary	Public	K-6	21801 Pittsford Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-9945	688	30	22.8	55.5%	171 (24.9%)	15 (2.2%)	328 (47.7%)	92 (13.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	80 (11.6%)	66.5	1751^st of 5862 public elementary schools	70.1%		66.1	1752^nd of 5874 public elementary schools	70.2%	1	47.9				47.9	33.3	53.3	57.9	52.3				49.7	46.9	51.9	44.8	46.4				47.3	97.5				97.5	$5,305
El Toro High	Public	9-12	25255 Toledo Way	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-6333	1,972	89	22.1	50.7%	644 (32.7%)	31 (1.6%)	867 (44.0%)	280 (14.2%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	135 (6.8%)	79.6	333^rd of 2323 public high schools	85.7%		74.7	415^th of 2348 public high schools	82.3%	82			46.9	27.3	46.4							67.0	67.0							38.6	38.6						$6,328
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary	Public	K-6	23882 Landisview Ave.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 837-2260	908	31	29.1	65.6%	113 (12.4%)	6 (0.7%)	734 (80.8%)	21 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.4%)	40.1	3166^th of 5862 public elementary schools	46.0%		36.5	3396^th of 5874 public elementary schools	42.2%	230	23.8				23.8	24.0	28.5	46.0	45.2				36.0	32.8	30.0	30.2	44.9				34.5	98.0					$5,123
La Madera Elementary	Public	K-6	25350 Serrano Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 770-1415	602	22	27.6	34.1%	238 (39.5%)	2 (0.3%)	184 (30.6%)	96 (15.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (13.6%)	81	1111^th of 5862 public elementary schools	81.0%		84.7	969^th of 5874 public elementary schools	83.5%	142	62.8				62.8	46.9	57.3	67.7	70.0				60.6	48.0	62.9	59.8	61.2				58.1						$4,878
Olivewood Elementary	Public	K-6	23391 Dune Mear Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 837-6682	412	19	21.6	82.0%	24 (5.8%)	1 (0.2%)	347 (84.2%)	28 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	9 (2.2%)	30.3	3894^th of 5862 public elementary schools	33.6%		33.3	3618^th of 5874 public elementary schools	38.4%	276	10.2				10.2	23.4	40.4	19.6	33.3				29.5	12.8	42.9	18.4	37.3				28.6						$5,796
Rancho Canada Elementary	Public	K-6	21801 Winding Way	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 768-5252	630	26	24.2	34.4%	250 (39.7%)	9 (1.4%)	190 (30.2%)	110 (17.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (11.0%)	76.4	1317^th of 5862 public elementary schools	77.5%		73.1	1459^th of 5874 public elementary schools	75.2%	142	41.5				41.5	48.5	56.1	59.8	66.7				57.0	56.4	60.2	56.1	57.8				57.6						$5,203
Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary	Public	K-6	24982 Rivendell Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-2820	497	18	27.5	40.0%	168 (33.8%)	2 (0.4%)	201 (40.4%)	44 (8.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (16.3%)	72.8	1454^th of 5862 public elementary schools	75.2%		62.9	1899^th of 5874 public elementary schools	67.7%	445	49.4				49.4	59.7	50.0	54.4	55.7				55.0	65.7	47.8	45.0	44.9				50.5	97.2	97.2	97.2		97.2	$6,611
Serrano Intermediate	Public	7-8	24642 Jeronimo Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-3221	887	40	21.9	48.0%	294 (33.1%)	20 (2.3%)	396 (44.6%)	105 (11.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	69 (7.8%)	79.1	499^th of 2777 public middle schools	82.0%		79.8	491^st of 2802 public middle schools	82.5%	8		41.5			41.5					64.8	58.7		61.7					47.9	44.2		46.0						$6,165
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	22882 Loumont Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 600-9050	536	22	24.0	19.2%	211 (39.4%)	9 (1.7%)	112 (20.9%)	152 (28.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (9.0%)								(n/a)		76.0			76.0				72.7	76.7	84.2		77.6				62.8	59.9	68.8		63.5

Cities Near Lake Forest

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mission Viejo	0.48 mi	24	156^th
Laguna Hills	1.97 mi	4	187^th
Irvine	2.98 mi	53	66^th
Aliso Viejo	3.27 mi	9	84^th
Foothill Ranch	4.34 mi	1	78^th

See the top CA California cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.