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Lake Forest Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

2112^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Lake Forest Elementary School is a public elementary school in Gainesville, Florida, serving 286 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Alachua District, which is ranked 45 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lake Forest Elementary School faces several challenges. It has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.9% to 46.4%, significantly higher than the Alachua district average of around 31.4%. The school also underperforms compared to the district and state in standardized tests, with only 24% of 5th-grade students proficient or better in Statewide Science/Science, compared to 47% in the Alachua district and 55% statewide. Additionally, Lake Forest has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 92.06% to 92.66%, much higher than the Alachua district average of around 87%.

When comparing Lake Forest Elementary School to nearby schools in the Alachua district, it becomes clear that the school is underperforming significantly. For example, The One Room School House Project, Caring & Sharing Learning School, and Boulware Springs Charter all outperform Lake Forest Elementary School in terms of test scores, chronic absenteeism rates, and overall school rankings. Despite the relatively high spending per student at Lake Forest, the school's performance remains poor, suggesting that a more comprehensive approach to addressing the school's challenges may be necessary.

268

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

84.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4401 SE 4th Ave
Gainesville, FL 32641

(352) 955-6710

District: Alachua

Students who attend Lake Forest Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Eastside High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

78.0%

Hispanic:

8.6%

White:

8.2%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Lake Forest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 2nd percentile in 2014 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (32% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg53%

Florida avg58%

2,112^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 28Elementary Schools in the Alachua

45^th of 67Alachua among Florida 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	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	2112 of 2258	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	1870 of 2256	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	2153 of 2240	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	2176 of 2219	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.4	2197 of 2247	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.7	2147 of 2182	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	2020 of 2118	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.4	1941 of 2112	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.4	2074 of 2087	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.8	2028 of 2064	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.6	1925 of 2029	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	6.1	1935 of 1984	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.9	1918 of 1985	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.7	1810 of 1919	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.4	1821 of 1847	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.0	1720 of 1789	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.7	1564 of 1786	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	8.0	1597 of 1688	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts39%-17 vs state

Math27%-34 vs state

Science24%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lake Forest Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)			FAST Math (2025)			Statewide Science Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Total
Lake Forest Elementary School	Public	K-5	4401 SE 4th Ave	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 955-6710	268	19	14.1	84.7%	22 (8.2%)	209 (78.0%)	23 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.1%)	11.5	2112^th of 2258 public elementary schools	6.5%		21.4	1870^th of 2256 public elementary schools	17.1%	242	40.0	33.0	44.0	31.0	15.0	32.0	24.0
Joseph Williams Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1245 SE 7th Ave	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 955-6719	398	27	14.7	82.2%	20 (5.0%)	328 (82.4%)	12 (3.0%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.0%)	4.9	2220^th of 2258 public elementary schools	1.7%		35.1	1488^th of 2256 public elementary schools	34.0%	732	17.0	31.0	33.0	21.0	24.0	26.0	23.0
W. A. Metcalfe Elementary School	Public	K-5	1250 NE 18th Ave	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 955-6713	463	32	14.3	86.6%	24 (5.2%)	371 (80.1%)	34 (7.3%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.3%)	7.5	2189^th of 2258 public elementary schools	3.1%		6.3	2209^th of 2256 public elementary schools	2.1%	20	23.0	31.0	31.0	35.0	36.0	27.0	30.0
Caring & Sharing Learning School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1951 SE 4th St	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 372-1004	369	18	20.5	65.9%	1 (0.3%)	342 (92.7%)	10 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.1%)	70.7	619^th of 2258 public elementary schools	72.6%		59	885^th of 2256 public elementary schools	60.8%	266	67.0	69.0	48.0	85.0	78.0	75.0	50.0
Boulware Springs Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	1303 NE 23rd Ave	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 244-9732	171	14	12.2	56.7%	37 (21.6%)	102 (59.6%)	19 (11.1%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.4%)	69.8	648^th of 2258 public elementary schools	71.3%		75.6	513^th of 2256 public elementary schools	77.3%	135	67.0	66.0	52.0	73.0	77.0	86.0	43.0
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	3500 NE 15th St	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 955-6715	312	25	12.4	89.7%	13 (4.2%)	263 (84.3%)	22 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.5%)	2.9	2235^th of 2258 public elementary schools	1.0%		4.3	2229^th of 2256 public elementary schools	1.2%	6	29.0	19.0	25.0	21.0	11.0	13.0	18.0
The One Room School House Project	Public, Charter	K-5	4180 NE 15th St	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 376-4014	176	11	16.0	71.0%	38 (21.6%)	104 (59.1%)	11 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	22 (12.5%)	41.2	1324^th of 2258 public elementary schools	41.4%		36.8	1436^th of 2256 public elementary schools	36.3%	112	62.0	50.0	50.0	62.0	35.0	50.0	38.0
Alachua Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	K-5	1108 NW 7th Ave	Gainesville	32601	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	Yes	No	(352) 955-6840	29	0		44.8%	11 (37.9%)	10 (34.5%)	6 (20.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.9%)								(n/a)
Stephen Foster Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	3800 NW 6th St	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 955-6706	403	29	13.9	59.1%	90 (22.3%)	187 (46.4%)	67 (16.6%)	24 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.4%)	18.7	1957^th of 2258 public elementary schools	13.3%		30.2	1612^th of 2256 public elementary schools	28.5%	345	38.0	46.0	44.0	36.0	43.0	37.0	33.0
Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary	Public	K-5	1912 NW 5th Ave	Gainesville	32603	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 955-6705	501	36	13.7	37.7%	165 (32.9%)	126 (25.1%)	163 (32.5%)	24 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.6%)	27.6	1708^th of 2258 public elementary schools	24.4%		38.5	1379^th of 2256 public elementary schools	38.9%	329	39.0	57.0	46.0	37.0	51.0	46.0	40.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Forest Elementary School

Is Lake Forest Elementary School a good school?

Lake Forest Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.5% of Florida elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Lake Forest Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Lake Forest Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Eastside High School

What is the racial makeup of Lake Forest Elementary School?

Students at Lake Forest Elementary School are 78% African American, 9% Hispanic, 8% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Lake Forest Elementary School in?

Alachua

How many students attend Lake Forest Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 268 students attended Lake Forest Elementary School.

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