Is South Lake Elementary a good school?

South Lake Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.8% of Maryland elementary schools.

How many students attend South Lake Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 797 students attended South Lake Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of South Lake Elementary?

Students at South Lake Elementary are 74% Hispanic, 18% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of South Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Lake Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Neelsville Middle High : Watkins Mill High

South Lake Elementary

Summary:

South Lake Elementary is a public elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serving 797 students in grades PK-5 and part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district.

While South Lake Elementary has a significantly higher percentage of Hispanic students (74.28%) compared to nearby schools, it consistently ranks in the bottom half of Maryland elementary schools with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in MCAP Mathematics and English Language Arts are significantly lower than the Montgomery County and Maryland state averages across all grade levels. Additionally, South Lake Elementary has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 83.6% to 88.58% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools.

Interestingly, South Lake Elementary's spending per student is higher than the nearby schools, ranging from $16,492 to $19,294 over the past few years. However, this higher spending does not seem to translate into improved academic outcomes for the students. In comparison, the nearby schools, such as Washington Grove Elementary, Summit Hall Elementary, and Strawberry Knoll Elementary, generally perform better academically than South Lake Elementary, despite serving similar student populations in terms of racial demographics and socioeconomic status.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

18201 Contour Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20877

(240) 740-7330

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
715^th of 859 Maryland Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,689

Students who attend South Lake Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Neelsville Middle
High:	Watkins Mill High

Student/teacher ratio: 12.2

Number of students: 797

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

74.3%

African American:

18.4%

Asian:

3.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.6%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare South Lake Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details South Lake Elementary ranks worse than 83.2% of elementary schools in Maryland. It also ranks 125^th among 130 ranked elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.64. (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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (74.3%), African American (18.4%), Asian (3.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 88.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at South Lake Elementary is 12.2, which is the 53^rd best among 130 elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare South Lake Elementary employs 64.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at South Lake Elementary is $18,689. 91 elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

South Lake Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Montgomery County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Montgomery County Public Schools 7^th of 25 Maryland school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for South Lake Elementary.

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Your rating for South Lake Elementary?

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Rank History for South Lake Elementary

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Rank History for all students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile
2004	56.63	414^th	803	48.4%
2005	67.53	278^th	805	65.5%
2006	67.22	288^th	804	64.2%
2007	71.47	228^th	818	72.1%
2008	27.72	687^th	838	18.0%
2009	31.51	646^th	850	24.0%
2010	13.54	805^th	855	5.8%
2011	37.20	595^th	853	30.2%
2012	32.32	644^th	857	24.9%
2013	8.93	804^th	847	5.1%
2014	14.79	769^th	867	11.3%
2015	14.58	769^th	859	10.5%
2016	17.06	708^th	845	16.2%
2017	23.89	626^th	847	26.1%
2018	23.97	625^th	857	27.1%
2019	26.42	584^th	853	31.5%
2021	17.29	668^th	802	16.7%
2022	19.46	706^th	862	18.1%
2023	19.06	665^th	855	22.2%
2024	15.64	715^th	859	16.8%

See the entire list of Maryland Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	25.54	101^st	115	12.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	39.44	86^th	136	36.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	34.81	372^nd	546	31.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	16.55	695^th	796	12.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	17.51	671^st	788	14.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	44.25	227^th	504	55.0%

See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at South Lake Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MD State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	18.58	336^th	347	3.2%

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

Data source: test scores: Maryland State 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: Maryland State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, August 31, 2015

The school ratings would make one nervous about this school...it did for me. But I have nothing but positive feedback about the school, faculty and staff. I felt compelled to right a positive review to share my experience. People usually only write reviews when they are mad about something...lol. The principal and vice principal are passionate and dedicated to their school, students and faculty. I'm also impressed with the staff and faculty. They are very friendly, organized and dedicated to helping each student. I'm happy to have my child attend this school! Close Quote

Enrollment information for South Lake Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	274	122	49	39	6	n/a	n/a	0	490
1990	278	137	39	91	8	n/a	n/a	-3	550
1991	271	151	39	101	7	n/a	n/a	0	569
1992	247	165	61	100	3	n/a	n/a	0	576
1993	248	175	62	99	2	n/a	n/a	0	586
1994	209	152	55	93	0	n/a	n/a	0	509
1995	193	157	76	144	3	n/a	n/a	0	573
1996	193	157	76	144	3	n/a	n/a	0	573
1997	161	139	70	123	2	n/a	n/a	0	495
1998	154	184	69	126	1	n/a	n/a	0	534
1999	138	179	79	135	1	n/a	n/a	0	532
2000	160	153	90	147	4	n/a	n/a	0	554
2001	123	162	132	176	2	n/a	n/a	0	595
2002	106	145	156	184	3	n/a	n/a	0	594
2003	106	145	156	184	3	n/a	n/a	0	594
2004	81	170	135	218	1	n/a	n/a	0	605
2005	72	201	106	232	1	n/a	n/a	0	612
2006	59	180	101	216	2	n/a	n/a	0	558
2007	49	192	62	232	5	n/a	n/a	0	540
2008	50	192	62	243	2	n/a	n/a	0	549
2009	50	200	69	284	4	n/a	n/a	0	607
2010	51	185	70	312	2	n/a	n/a	0	620
2011	36	183	61	356	0	1	22	0	659
2012	30	213	45	377	1	1	24	0	691
2013	34	251	62	415	0	2	21	0	785
2014	24	246	64	442	1	1	19	0	797
2015	28	223	72	510	2	1	16	0	852
2016	22	226	54	490	3	0	21	0	816
2017	23	230	50	518	1	0	27	0	849
2018	13	220	45	535	2	1	23	0	839
2019	15	217	41	532	3	0	23	0	831
2020	10	176	49	632	2	1	23	0	893
2021	9	147	45	564	3	1	21	0	790
2022	6	159	37	594	4	1	22	0	823
2023	8	147	29	592	3	0	18	0	797

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 South Lake Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	490	28.0	17.5	n/a
1990	550	28.1	19.5	20.5
1991	569	30.4	18.7	16.7
1992	576	30.4	18.9	26.6
1993	586	32.5	18.0	26.1
1994	509	28.0	18.2	32.6
1995	573	30.5	18.8	31.2
1996	573	30.5	18.8	31.2
1997	495	30.7	16.1	38
1998	534	32.2	16.6	42.5
1999	532	32.2	16.5	53.2
2000	554	35.1	15.8	44.6
2001	595	39.2	15.2	42.5
2002	594	43.4	13.7	44.9
2003	594	43.4	13.7	44.9
2004	605	46.2	13.1	52.9
2005	612	45.0	13.6	58.3
2006	558	51.0	10.9	53.2
2007	540	47.4	11.4	62
2008	549	48.9	11.2	66.5
2009	607	47.3	12.8	64.9
2010	620	50.6	12.2	74.4
2011	659	49.5	13.3	74.8
2012	691	54.0	12.7	77.9
2013	785	54.2	14.4	76.2
2014	797	58.4	13.6	80.1
2015	852	61.0	13.9	83.3
2016	816	63.0	12.9	85.7
2017	849	63.9	13.2	82.7
2018	839	66.2	12.6	83.6
2019	831	68.1	12.2	82.3
2020	893	71.6	12.4	84.1
2021	790	75.5	10.4	88.1
2022	823	73.8	11.1	83.6
2023	797	64.9	12.2	88.6

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 South Lake Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	490	28.0	17.5	n/a
1990	550	28.1	19.5	20.5
1991	569	30.4	18.7	16.7
1992	576	30.4	18.9	26.6
1993	586	32.5	18.0	26.1
1994	509	28.0	18.2	32.6
1995	573	30.5	18.8	31.2
1996	573	30.5	18.8	31.2
1997	495	30.7	16.1	38
1998	534	32.2	16.6	42.5
1999	532	32.2	16.5	53.2
2000	554	35.1	15.8	44.6
2001	595	39.2	15.2	42.5
2002	594	43.4	13.7	44.9
2003	594	43.4	13.7	44.9
2004	605	46.2	13.1	52.9
2005	612	45.0	13.6	58.3
2006	558	51.0	10.9	53.2
2007	540	47.4	11.4	62
2008	549	48.9	11.2	66.5
2009	607	47.3	12.8	64.9
2010	620	50.6	12.2	74.4
2011	659	49.5	13.3	74.8
2012	691	54.0	12.7	77.9
2013	785	54.2	14.4	76.2
2014	797	58.4	13.6	80.1
2015	852	61.0	13.9	83.3
2016	816	63.0	12.9	85.7
2017	849	63.9	13.2	82.7
2018	839	66.2	12.6	83.6
2019	831	68.1	12.2	82.3
2020	893	71.6	12.4	84.1
2021	790	75.5	10.4	88.1
2022	823	73.8	11.1	83.6
2023	797	64.9	12.2	88.6

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for South Lake Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$2,082 (12.0%)	$15,324 (88.0%)	$17,407
2020	$2,049 (12.4%)	$14,444 (87.6%)	$16,492
2021	$2,687 (13.9%)	$16,606 (86.1%)	$19,294
2022	$3,136 (17.5%)	$14,733 (82.5%)	$17,869
2023	$2,530 (13.5%)	$16,159 (86.5%)	$18,689

Data source: Maryland Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on South Lake Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 584^th of 853 Elementary schools	Ranks 665^th of 855 Elementary schools	9.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	831	797	4.1%
African American	217	147	32.3%
American Indian	3	3
Asian	41	29	29.3%
Hispanic	532	592	11.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	15	8	46.7%
Two or More Races	23	18	21.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	82.3%	88.6%	6.3%

Schools Near South Lake Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCAP Mathematics (2024)				MCAP English Language Arts (2024)				MCAP Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
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	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18201 Contour Road	Gaithersburg	20877	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-7330	797	65	12.2	88.6%	8 (1.0%)	147 (18.4%)	592 (74.3%)	29 (3.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.3%)	15.6	715^th of 859 public elementary schools	16.8%		19.1	665^th of 855 public elementary schools	22.2%	50	20.0	15.0	11.8	15.5	23.5	18.3	24.3	21.9	8.2	$18,689	$2,530	$16,159
Gaithersburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	35 N Summit Ave	Gaithersburg	20877	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-4900	717	69	10.4	85.8%	16 (2.2%)	138 (19.2%)	517 (72.1%)	30 (4.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.0%)	11.8	791^st of 859 public elementary schools	7.9%		14.6	739^th of 855 public elementary schools	13.6%	52	16.5	9.6	11.4	12.7	16.3	11.0	18.3	15.7		$23,596	$3,305	$20,291
Strawberry Knoll Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18820 Strawberry Knoll Rd	Gaithersburg	20879	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5140	500	43	11.6	64.0%	63 (12.6%)	107 (21.4%)	261 (52.2%)	46 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.4%)	46.3	408^th of 859 public elementary schools	52.5%		52.9	353^rd of 855 public elementary schools	58.7%	55	46.6	24.6	21.6	30.9	46.3	52.9	44.0	48.3	15.7	$23,986	$1,247	$22,739
Harriet R. Tubman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Victory Farm Dr	Gaithersburg	20877	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(240) 740-6770	440	44	9.9	76.8%	25 (5.7%)	89 (20.2%)	294 (66.8%)	19 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.7%)	19.2	664^th of 859 public elementary schools	22.7%		21.3	639^th of 855 public elementary schools	25.3%	25	21.8	12.5	13.9	16.3	28.8	30.0	26.0	28.3	9.0	$23,389	$1,019	$22,370
Watkins Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19001 Watkins Mill Rd	Montgomery Village	20886	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-5280	735	68	10.8	86.4%	15 (2.0%)	140 (19.0%)	509 (69.3%)	43 (5.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.5%)	13.2	763^rd of 859 public elementary schools	11.2%		14.8	735^th of 855 public elementary schools	14.0%	28	20.4	8.7	9.6	13.1	26.2	14.9	17.2	19.5	5.8	$21,867	$3,285	$18,582
Whetstone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19201 Thomas Farm Rd	Gaithersburg	20879	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-1060	715	59	12.0	75.0%	45 (6.3%)	189 (26.4%)	392 (54.8%)	58 (8.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.8%)	28.8	548^th of 859 public elementary schools	36.2%		20.5	651^st of 855 public elementary schools	23.9%	103	32.2	21.2	13.2	23.2	46.2	31.9	22.5	34.7	9.9	$20,682	$3,045	$17,638
Flower Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18425 Flower Hill Way	Gaithersburg	20879	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5820	460	38	12.2	69.1%	35 (7.6%)	118 (25.7%)	248 (53.9%)	45 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	25.9	576^th of 859 public elementary schools	32.9%		19.8	659^th of 855 public elementary schools	22.9%	83	22.2	11.9	16.9	17.1	45.1	32.8	31.5	36.5	10.4	$19,853	$1,140	$18,713
Stedwick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10631 Stedwick Rd	Montgomery Village	20886	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7190	501	42	11.9	70.7%	43 (8.6%)	159 (31.7%)	243 (48.5%)	29 (5.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.4%)	25.4	581^st of 859 public elementary schools	32.4%		34.4	516^th of 855 public elementary schools	39.6%	65	30.1	16.0	18.3	21.3	28.6	32.5	32.9	31.4	12.7	$23,801	$3,004	$20,796
Washington Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8712 Oakmont St	Gaithersburg	20877	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-0300	434	43	10.1	68.2%	42 (9.7%)	97 (22.4%)	252 (58.1%)	27 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.5%)	33.4	504^th of 859 public elementary schools	41.3%		34.9	510^th of 855 public elementary schools	40.4%	6	20.3	25.9	15.4	20.6	28.6	51.9	42.3	40.6	17.3	$23,710	$2,515	$21,195
Summit Hall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	101 W Deer Park Rd	Gaithersburg	20877	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 284-4150	473	47	10.1	87.3%	14 (3.0%)	95 (20.1%)	336 (71.0%)	22 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	15.9	712^th of 859 public elementary schools	17.1%		22.5	622^nd of 855 public elementary schools	27.3%	90	17.3	24.6	10.0	17.2	14.0	19.2	17.2	16.9	11.7	$25,051	$3,758	$21,293

South Lake Elementary

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Rank History for South Lake Elementary

Rank History for all students at South Lake Elementary

Rank History for English Language Learner students at South Lake Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at South Lake Elementary

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

Rank History for Female students at South Lake Elementary

Rank History for Male students at South Lake Elementary

Rank History for African American students at South Lake Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at South Lake Elementary

Review counts

Enrollment information for South Lake Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at South Lake Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio South Lake Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for South Lake Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on South Lake Elementary

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near South Lake Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about South Lake Elementary

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