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La Madera Elementary

Q: Is La Madera Elementary a good school?

La Madera Elementary ranks 1122 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1122^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of California elementary schools

Summary

La Madera Elementary is a consistently high-performing K-6 public school serving 554 students in the Saddleback Valley Unified district in Lake Forest, maintaining a strong 4-star rating and ranking in the top 20% of all California elementary schools.

The school reliably outperforms both its district and state averages in English, Math, and Science, and it stands out for its effective management of chronic absenteeism, with a rate significantly better than the district and state. La Madera shows particular strength in supporting specific student groups, such as those in special education, and has maintained stable academic results even as the number of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch has increased. While nearby charter schools like Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley and Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County rank higher, La Madera outperforms most traditional public schools in the area, including other magnets like Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary.

Key areas for attention include a noted dip in math proficiency in 5th grade and supporting multi-racial students, whose performance has recently declined. Overall, La Madera Elementary is a stable and effective educational choice within its district, delivering above-average outcomes for its diverse student body.

554

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,051

Per pupil spending ?

37.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

25350 Serrano Rd.
Lake Forest, CA 92630-3599

(949) 770-1415

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend La Madera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Serrano Intermediate
High:	El Toro High

Racial breakdown:

White:

37.7%

Hispanic:

33.2%

Asian:

15.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Madera Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2013 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg54%

California avg41%

1,122^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 22Elementary Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified

377^th of 1,543Saddleback Valley Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.8	1122 of 5857	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	1114 of 5869	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	966 of 5859	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	87.6	825 of 5883	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.2	840 of 5789	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.6	1002 of 5662	82.3%	★★★★☆
2017	85.0	916 of 5692	83.9%	★★★★☆
2016	85.7	866 of 5614	84.6%	★★★★☆
2015	88.9	671 of 5611	88.0%	★★★★☆
2013	86.8	659 of 5530	88.1%	★★★★☆
2012	87.4	594 of 5390	89.0%	★★★★☆
2011	80.0	1003 of 5377	81.3%	★★★★☆
2010	85.9	681 of 5314	87.2%	★★★★☆
2009	82.2	876 of 5193	83.1%	★★★★☆
2008	83.3	823 of 5113	83.9%	★★★★☆
2007	84.4	775 of 5113	84.8%	★★★★☆
2006	93.1	322 of 4818	93.3%	★★★★★
2005	92.0	386 of 4822	92.0%	★★★★★
2004	92.2	387 of 4809	92.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.8	39 of 1203	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	79.3	175 of 1205	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	441 of 1190	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	87.1	19 of 1154	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	72.1	321 of 1149	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	58.4	573 of 1071	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	70.6	412 of 2227	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	348 of 2585	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	71.2	395 of 2128	81.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	87.6	202 of 3275	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	58.1	927 of 3246	71.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	1116 of 5597	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	1189 of 5612	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	85.3	877 of 5609	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	86.9	780 of 5635	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	86.9	730 of 5492	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	882 of 5413	83.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.7	2448 of 5107	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.6	1498 of 5107	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	66.0	1357 of 5087	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	70.3	1147 of 5084	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.4	1557 of 4963	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	1903 of 4830	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	1876 of 5460	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	1490 of 5517	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	769 of 5363	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	1152 of 5264	78.1%	★★★★☆
2019	59.5	1804 of 5173	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.1	1566 of 5084	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	1086 of 5628	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	81.8	1013 of 5643	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.2	1036 of 5638	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	85.6	839 of 5663	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	903 of 5510	83.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.0	1105 of 5431	79.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	516 of 718	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.4	369 of 670	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.1	220 of 669	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	88.0	23 of 610	96.2%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	429 of 2847	84.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.3	422 of 2635	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	290 of 2420	88.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.0	824 of 2598	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.8	839 of 2651	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.1	893 of 2661	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.2	904 of 2726	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	969 of 2834	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.6	875 of 2737	68.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Asian (2025)97th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)94th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)85th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)81st percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile~ school

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

White (2025)68th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)66th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile-29 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)28th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics59%+22 vs state

Science51%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near La Madera Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 All Grades	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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	554	23	24.4	37.4%	209 (37.7%)	2 (0.4%)	184 (33.2%)	86 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	72 (13.0%)	80.8	1122^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	80.8%		81	1114^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.0%	8	50.5	50.5	54.7	59.1	62.9	67.0	61.5	65.6	57.0	54.6	60.8	59.0							$17,051	$1,363	$15,688
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	633	25	25.3	36.3%	252 (39.8%)	9 (1.4%)	187 (29.5%)	119 (18.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (10.3%)	70.9	1554^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.5%		76.4	1320^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.5%	234	40.5	40.5	41.1	49.0	64.3	63.8	53.8	52.6	55.2	58.3	61.3	56.6							$18,040	$1,363	$16,677
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	517	20	26.2	42.6%	167 (32.3%)	5 (1.0%)	208 (40.2%)	51 (9.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	84 (16.2%)	71.4	1540^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.7%		72.8	1457^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.2%	83	50.0	50.0	52.3	58.6	56.7	68.8	59.1	49.4	55.7	50.0	39.2	48.3	97.2	97.2	97.2		97.2		$17,645	$1,363	$16,282
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	565	20	28.7	16.1%	166 (29.4%)	7 (1.2%)	98 (17.3%)	222 (39.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (12.7%)	95.9	246^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.8%		96.7	197^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.6%	49	81.1	81.1	73.9	79.6	83.2		79.0	73.9	83.9	77.9		78.6	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	640	28	22.7	55.3%	142 (22.2%)	15 (2.3%)	319 (49.8%)	87 (13.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	74 (11.6%)	60.2	2057^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.9%		66.5	1754^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.1%	303	35.4	35.4	49.4	44.4	51.9	57.3	51.0	45.6	43.2	45.1	43.8	44.4	97.5				97.5		$18,723	$1,585	$17,138
Glen Yermo Elementary	Public	K-6	26400 Trabuco Rd.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-6766	308	19	16.4	67.2%	84 (27.3%)	1 (0.3%)	168 (54.5%)	29 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.8%)	53.1	2423^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	58.6%		59.6	2087^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.4%	336	22.6	22.6	36.7	47.1	45.2	56.7	46.4	43.3	55.9	25.8	53.3	44.8	96.8	96.8		96.8			$19,125	$1,642	$17,483
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	396	18	21.8	85.9%	18 (4.5%)	3 (0.8%)	339 (85.6%)	25 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	8 (2.0%)	28.9	4056^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.7%		30.3	3900^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.5%	156	32.1	32.1	35.3	22.9	46.2	25.5	32.7	33.3	18.0	30.2	10.9	23.1							$19,521	$1,778	$17,743
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	896	31	28.5	65.2%	107 (11.9%)	5 (0.6%)	729 (81.4%)	18 (2.0%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (3.7%)	40.5	3182^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	45.7%		40.1	3171^st of 5869 public elementary schools	46.0%	11	33.1	33.1	31.6	28.5	45.2	39.8	36.2	38.2	35.2	34.7	36.3	36.1	98.0						$17,174	$1,654	$15,520
Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County	Public, Charter	K-5	23000 Via Santa Maria	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 305-6111	704	27	26.0	12.6%	251 (35.7%)	4 (0.6%)	110 (15.6%)	229 (32.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (15.6%)	95.5	287^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.1%		97.8	93^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	98.4%	194	83.0	83.0	73.0	76.5	89.6		79.7	75.4	71.8	85.9		78.0	96.3			96.3		96.3
Del Lago Elementary	Public	K-6	27181 Entidad St.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 855-1125	362	18	20.0	49.2%	118 (32.6%)	7 (1.9%)	151 (41.7%)	46 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.0%)	46.4	2805^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.1%		39.3	3218^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.2%	413	40.4	40.4	46.3	38.5	48.9	36.1	42.9	39.0	35.9	31.9	30.6	34.4							$18,945	$1,361	$17,584

Frequently Asked Questions about La Madera Elementary

What schools do graduates of La Madera Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Madera Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Serrano Intermediate
High : El Toro High

What is the racial makeup of La Madera Elementary?

Students at La Madera Elementary are 38% White, 33% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 13% Two or more races.

Is La Madera Elementary a good school?

La Madera Elementary ranks 1122^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is La Madera Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

How many students attend La Madera Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 554 students attended La Madera Elementary.

Rate La Madera Elementary!

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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.