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Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary

Q: Is Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary a good school?

Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary ranks 1540 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1540^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of California elementary schools

Summary

Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary is a public K-6 school serving 517 students in Lake Forest, part of the Saddleback Valley Unified district, and has undergone a remarkable transformation from a low-ranking school eight years ago to a consistent top-quartile performer in the state.

The school truly excels in several key areas: it has an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.9%, far better than the district and state averages, and its students perform strongly in science, outpacing most nearby schools like Lake Forest Elementary and Rancho Canada Elementary. It also provides outstanding support for special education students, ranking in the 88th percentile for that group. While the school's STEAM magnet program appears effective, it notably outperforms the district's other magnet, Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary, in academics and attendance. However, two nearby Oxford Preparatory Academy charter schools achieve higher rankings, though they serve a less economically diverse student population.

Parents should note that while Santiago shows impressive, steady improvement and strong results overall, there are some internal patterns to be aware of, such as math scores tending to dip in the upper grades. The school also faces specific challenges in supporting its English Language Learner and homeless student populations. Compared to peers like Del Cerro Elementary and La Madera Elementary, Santiago delivers solid academic outcomes with mid-range per-student spending, representing a compelling success story of sustained growth within the public school system.

517

Students ?

26.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,645

Per pupil spending ?

42.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

24982 Rivendell Dr.
Lake Forest, CA 92630-4129

(949) 586-2820

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Serrano Intermediate
High:	El Toro High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.2%

White:

32.3%

Two or more races:

16.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 59th percentile in 2013 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg54%

California avg41%

1,540^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^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	71.4	1540 of 5857	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	72.8	1457 of 5869	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	1895 of 5859	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	2234 of 5883	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.0	3850 of 5789	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	3237 of 5662	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.3	4237 of 5692	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	49.4	2514 of 5614	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.3	2065 of 5611	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.6	2264 of 5530	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.8	1949 of 5390	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	75.9	1212 of 5377	77.5%	★★★★☆
2010	75.9	1192 of 5314	77.6%	★★★★☆
2009	66.3	1625 of 5193	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.9	1364 of 5113	73.3%	★★★★☆
2007	66.7	1531 of 5113	70.1%	★★★★☆
2006	71.4	1276 of 4818	73.5%	★★★★☆
2005	69.4	1366 of 4822	71.7%	★★★★☆
2004	76.6	1048 of 4809	78.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	61.2	696 of 2585	73.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.6	2639 of 3162	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	2536 of 3245	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.8	1265 of 3311	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.2	1537 of 3275	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.1	1661 of 3246	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.3	1898 of 5597	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.1	1648 of 5612	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	56.3	2114 of 5609	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	2321 of 5635	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.7	3126 of 5492	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	2887 of 5413	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.6	2323 of 5107	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.0	2905 of 5107	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	3141 of 5087	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	3301 of 5084	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.2	4161 of 4963	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	3503 of 4830	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	365 of 429	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	280 of 364	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.4	239 of 335	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	63.8	81 of 356	77.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	2763 of 5460	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.4	2956 of 5517	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.7	3252 of 5363	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	3201 of 5264	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.7	4645 of 5173	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	3928 of 5084	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.3	1224 of 5628	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	1321 of 5643	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.4	1616 of 5638	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	58.5	2029 of 5663	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.2	4266 of 5510	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	3324 of 5431	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	326 of 718	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.5	94 of 670	86.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.7	338 of 2847	88.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.6	1027 of 2598	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.0	1033 of 2651	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.0	1111 of 2661	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.9	1047 of 2726	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.8	1913 of 2834	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	1681 of 2737	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)88th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2019)73rd percentile+40 vs school

Female (2025)66th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)60th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)55th percentile-19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile-24 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)17th percentile-59 vs school

Homeless (2025)15th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy59%+10 vs state

Science50%+17 vs state

Mathematics48%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Santiago STEAM Magnet 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
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
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
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
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
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
Del Cerro Elementary	Public	K-6	24382 Regina St.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-5430	390	19	20.1	53.1%	139 (35.6%)	2 (0.5%)	147 (37.7%)	54 (13.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	46 (11.8%)	83.2	1005^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.8%		81.7	1081^st of 5869 public elementary schools	81.6%	76	54.4	54.4	50.0	64.3	62.2	74.4	62.9	62.5	69.1	56.5	62.8	62.6	91.7	93.8		93.8	91.7	93.8	$17,806	$1,364	$16,442
Montevideo Elementary	Public	K-6	24071 Carrillo Dr.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-8050	444	22	20.2	45.7%	185 (41.7%)	5 (1.1%)	149 (33.6%)	56 (12.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.8%)	74.8	1381^st of 5857 public elementary schools	76.4%		75.1	1363^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	76.8%	18	42.6	42.6	43.4	55.6	51.9	62.5	53.9	60.4	69.8	53.7	60.9	61.5							$18,083	$1,367	$16,716

Frequently Asked Questions about Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary

How many students attend Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 517 students attended Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary attend?

Students who attend Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Serrano Intermediate
High : El Toro High

Is Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary a good school?

Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary ranks 1540^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

What is the racial makeup of Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary?

Students at Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary are 40% Hispanic, 32% White, 16% Two or more races, 10% Asian.

Rate Santiago STEAM Magnet 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.