Is Lake Forest Elementary a good school?

Lake Forest Elementary ranks 1751 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Lake Forest Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 688 students attended Lake Forest Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lake Forest Elementary?

Students at Lake Forest Elementary are 48% Hispanic, 25% White, 13% Asian, 12% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Lake Forest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lake Forest Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Serrano Intermediate High : El Toro High

Lake Forest Elementary

Summary:

Lake Forest Elementary is a public elementary school serving 679 students in grades K-6 in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District in Lake Forest, California. The school has consistently ranked in the top half of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a current statewide ranking of 1751 out of 5,862 schools and a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lake Forest Elementary students consistently outperform the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels, and the school's science proficiency rates, as measured by the CAST assessment, are also above the state average. However, the school's performance for Asian, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students is below the state averages for those subgroups, suggesting an opportunity for improvement. Additionally, Lake Forest Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 7.2% in 2017-2018 to 20.8% in 2021-2022, which is higher than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools, the Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary and Montevideo Elementary generally perform on par with or slightly above Lake Forest Elementary in academic assessments, while the Olivewood Elementary and Del Lago Elementary have significantly lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism rates. The Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley and Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County charter schools significantly outperform Lake Forest Elementary and the other nearby public schools in academic assessments, with much lower chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public K-6

21801 Pittsford Dr.
Lake Forest, CA 92630-7518

(949) 830-9945

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1751^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,305

Students who attend Lake Forest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Serrano Intermediate
High:	El Toro High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.8

Number of students: 688

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.7%

White:

24.9%

Asian:

13.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 55.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Lake Forest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Lake Forest Elementary ranks better than 70.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 13^th among 22 ranked elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 66.51. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Lake Forest Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.7%), White (24.9%), Asian (13.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 55.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Lake Forest Elementary is 22.8, which is the 10^th best among 22 elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Lake Forest Elementary employs 30.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Lake Forest Elementary is $5,305. 12 elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Lake Forest Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Lake Forest Elementary 1751^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Lake Forest Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Saddleback Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Saddleback Valley Unified 376^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Lake Forest Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	85.19	702^nd	4809	85.4%
2005	87.79	601^st	4822	87.5%
2006	86.76	649^th	4818	86.5%
2007	91.94	408^th	5113	92.0%
2008	90.34	460^th	5113	91.0%
2009	84.01	796^th	5193	84.7%
2010	90.54	410^th	5314	92.3%
2011	85.54	703^rd	5377	86.9%
2012	76.27	1212^th	5390	77.5%
2013	69.42	1601^st	5530	71.0%
2015	81.32	1066^th	5611	81.0%
2016	72.48	1416^th	5614	74.8%
2017	69.75	1574^th	5692	72.3%
2018	65.13	1803^rd	5662	68.2%
2019	64.82	1848^th	5789	68.1%
2022	67.21	1728^th	5883	70.6%
2023	66.15	1752^nd	5874	70.2%
2024	66.51	1751^st	5862	70.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	43.44	393^rd	610	35.6%
2024	61.29	314^th	669	53.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.04	783^rd	3246	75.9%
2019	74.55	429^th	3275	86.9%
2022	52.25	1089^th	3311	67.1%
2023	41.71	1697^th	3250	47.8%
2024	45.59	1439^th	3160	54.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	59.68	726^th	2634	72.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.68	2908^th	5084	42.8%
2019	45.91	2685^th	5173	48.1%
2022	45.67	2556^th	5264	51.4%
2023	55.58	2008^th	5374	62.6%
2024	51.77	2275^th	5511	58.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	9.95	333^rd	336	0.9%
2024	56.68	125^th	364	65.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	67.31	1641^st	5413	69.7%
2019	69.50	1523^rd	5492	72.3%
2022	68.42	1587^th	5635	71.8%
2023	68.83	1561^st	5617	72.2%
2024	62.11	1857^th	5605	66.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.09	923^rd	2128	56.6%
2019	48.39	1026^th	2585	60.3%
2022	31.30	1433^rd	2227	35.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	60.73	1892^nd	5431	65.2%
2019	57.59	2053^rd	5510	62.7%
2022	64.18	1769^th	5663	68.8%
2023	61.02	1901^st	5650	66.4%
2024	68.46	1581^st	5636	71.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	60.58	544^th	1071	49.2%
2019	60.23	560^th	1149	51.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.02	2616^th	4830	45.8%
2019	43.35	2725^th	4963	45.1%
2022	54.54	1915^th	5084	62.3%
2023	54.78	1954^th	5098	61.7%
2024	55.30	1931^st	5102	62.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Lake Forest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	55.30	1347^th	2737	50.8%
2019	58.87	1247^th	2834	56.0%
2022	53.43	1355^th	2726	50.3%
2023	52.75	1348^th	2662	49.4%
2024	60.43	1123^rd	2647	57.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Lake Forest Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1993	693	37	123	65	1	n/a	n/a	0	919
1994	696	35	124	76	0	n/a	n/a	0	931
1995	690	26	135	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	946
1996	690	26	135	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	946
1997	677	27	149	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	948
1998	671	22	134	98	2	n/a	n/a	0	927
1999	663	27	154	109	0	n/a	n/a	0	953
2000	677	36	149	132	0	n/a	n/a	0	994
2001	672	35	157	146	0	n/a	n/a	0	1010
2002	588	33	139	165	0	n/a	n/a	0	925
2003	588	33	139	165	0	n/a	n/a	0	925
2004	547	36	136	180	0	n/a	n/a	0	899
2005	509	33	139	180	0	n/a	n/a	0	861
2006	486	35	122	182	2	n/a	n/a	2	829
2007	450	35	120	176	0	n/a	n/a	9	790
2008	424	31	111	181	2	n/a	n/a	0	749
2009	425	24	124	192	2	2	33	0	802
2010	426	21	132	257	1	1	30	0	868
2011	480	22	136	235	0	0	27	0	900
2012	478	23	141	271	0	1	24	0	938
2013	443	22	149	306	2	4	21	0	947
2014	436	18	150	314	2	4	24	0	948
2015	396	22	141	298	3	5	29	0	894
2016	380	24	138	306	3	3	23	0	877
2017	330	28	139	298	3	2	33	0	833
2018	321	21	131	337	1	3	48	0	862
2019	306	13	121	345	1	1	60	0	847
2020	260	14	105	329	1	0	69	0	778
2021	221	13	100	304	0	0	73	0	711
2022	178	9	80	282	0	0	75	0	624
2023	180	11	90	314	0	0	84	0	679
2024	171	15	92	328	1	1	80	0	688

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Lake Forest Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	919	34.0	27.0	8.6
1994	931	34.0	27.4	12.2
1995	946	34.0	27.8	12.3
1996	946	34.0	27.8	12.3
1997	948	43.0	22.0	10.1
1998	927	48.0	19.3	8.7
1999	953	44.6	21.4	9.8
2000	994	45.0	22.1	13.3
2001	1010	46.6	21.7	10.3
2002	925	44.2	20.9	15.7
2003	925	44.2	20.9	15.7
2004	899	37.0	24.3	18
2005	861	37.8	22.8	21.4
2006	829	36.0	23.0	20.4
2007	790	33.4	23.7	17.7
2008	749	32.7	22.9	19.4
2009	802	32.1	24.2	18.7
2010	868	32.3	26.8	23.2
2011	900	n/a	n/a	22.7
2012	938	31.1	30.1	n/a
2013	947	32.3	29.3	30
2014	948	31.8	29.7	31.2
2015	894	30.0	29.8	29.3
2016	877	30.0	29.2	33.3
2017	833	28.0	29.7	34
2018	862	30.9	27.8	37.5
2019	847	25.8	32.8	35.8
2020	778	n/a	n/a	40.9
2021	711	25.9	27.3	39.1
2022	624	26.5	23.4	41.7
2023	679	27.4	24.6	52.3
2024	688	30.1	22.8	55.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Lake Forest Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	919	34.0	27.0	8.6
1994	931	34.0	27.4	12.2
1995	946	34.0	27.8	12.3
1996	946	34.0	27.8	12.3
1997	948	43.0	22.0	10.1
1998	927	48.0	19.3	8.7
1999	953	44.6	21.4	9.8
2000	994	45.0	22.1	13.3
2001	1010	46.6	21.7	10.3
2002	925	44.2	20.9	15.7
2003	925	44.2	20.9	15.7
2004	899	37.0	24.3	18
2005	861	37.8	22.8	21.4
2006	829	36.0	23.0	20.4
2007	790	33.4	23.7	17.7
2008	749	32.7	22.9	19.4
2009	802	32.1	24.2	18.7
2010	868	32.3	26.8	23.2
2011	900	n/a	n/a	22.7
2012	938	31.1	30.1	n/a
2013	947	32.3	29.3	30
2014	948	31.8	29.7	31.2
2015	894	30.0	29.8	29.3
2016	877	30.0	29.2	33.3
2017	833	28.0	29.7	34
2018	862	30.9	27.8	37.5
2019	847	25.8	32.8	35.8
2020	778	n/a	n/a	40.9
2021	711	25.9	27.3	39.1
2022	624	26.5	23.4	41.7
2023	679	27.4	24.6	52.3
2024	688	30.1	22.8	55.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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