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Lake Forest Elementary

Q: Is Lake Forest Elementary a good school?

Lake Forest Elementary ranks 2057 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2057^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of California elementary schools

Summary

Lake Forest Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 640 students in the Saddleback Valley Unified district, located in a community where over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school consistently performs below the district average in English, math, and science, and its statewide ranking has declined over the past decade. There are notable performance differences between grade levels, with sixth graders doing relatively well in English while fourth graders struggle more. The school's chronic absenteeism rate is slightly higher than the district average, which is a concern as better attendance at nearby schools like Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary (6.9%) correlates with stronger academic results.

When compared to other schools, Lake Forest Elementary sits in the middle of the district—it outperforms schools like Olivewood Elementary but lags behind higher-performing peers such as La Madera Elementary. The contrast with nearby charter schools like Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley is significant, as they achieve much higher proficiency rates with similar class sizes. The school spends more per student than some district peers but has not achieved comparable outcomes, suggesting a focus on improving attendance and instructional strategies could help bridge the performance gap.

640

Students ?

22.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,879

Per pupil spending ?

55.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21801 Pittsford Dr.
Lake Forest, CA 92630-7518

(949) 830-9945

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Lake Forest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Serrano Intermediate
High:	El Toro High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.8%

White:

22.2%

Asian:

13.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Lake Forest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2013 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (46% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2013

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg54%

California avg41%

2,057^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 19% (2015) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^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	60.2	2057 of 5857	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	1754 of 5869	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	66.1	1749 of 5859	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	67.2	1728 of 5883	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	1848 of 5789	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.1	1803 of 5662	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.7	1574 of 5692	72.3%	★★★★☆
2016	72.5	1416 of 5614	74.8%	★★★★☆
2015	81.3	1066 of 5611	81.0%	★★★★☆
2013	69.4	1601 of 5530	71.0%	★★★★☆
2012	76.3	1212 of 5390	77.5%	★★★★☆
2011	85.5	703 of 5377	86.9%	★★★★☆
2010	90.5	410 of 5314	92.3%	★★★★★
2009	84.0	796 of 5193	84.7%	★★★★☆
2008	90.3	460 of 5113	91.0%	★★★★★
2007	91.9	408 of 5113	92.0%	★★★★★
2006	86.8	649 of 4818	86.5%	★★★★☆
2005	87.8	601 of 4822	87.5%	★★★★☆
2004	85.2	702 of 4809	85.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	60.2	560 of 1149	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.6	544 of 1071	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	31.3	1433 of 2227	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.4	1026 of 2585	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.1	923 of 2128	56.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	45.6	1440 of 3162	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.7	1695 of 3245	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.2	1089 of 3311	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.6	429 of 3275	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	62.0	783 of 3246	75.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	1868 of 5597	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	1861 of 5612	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.8	1560 of 5609	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	1587 of 5635	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	69.5	1523 of 5492	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.3	1641 of 5413	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	2623 of 5107	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	1933 of 5107	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	1953 of 5087	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	1915 of 5084	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.3	2725 of 4963	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	2616 of 4830	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	110 of 429	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	56.7	125 of 364	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	10.0	332 of 335	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	2554 of 5460	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	2279 of 5517	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	2006 of 5363	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.7	2556 of 5264	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.9	2685 of 5173	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.7	2908 of 5084	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.9	2135 of 5628	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.5	1584 of 5643	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	61.0	1899 of 5638	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.2	1769 of 5663	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.6	2053 of 5510	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	1892 of 5431	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	61.3	315 of 670	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	393 of 610	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.7	727 of 2635	72.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	1381 of 2598	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.4	1123 of 2651	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	1348 of 2661	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.4	1355 of 2726	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	1247 of 2834	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.3	1347 of 2737	50.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)74th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2024)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)67th percentile~ school

Male (2025)62nd percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)54th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)53rd percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2019)51st percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile-16 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)36th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg

Mathematics44%+7 vs state

Science35%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lake Forest Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (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	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
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		$31,879	$30,762	$1,117
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							$17,644	$16,618	$1,026
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			$17,653	$16,486	$1,167
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							$14,431	$13,502	$929
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							$14,479	$13,552	$927
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
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		$14,465	$13,536	$929
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
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							$15,690	$14,764	$926
Castille Elementary	Public	K-5	24042 Via la Coruna	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5976	482	21	22.9	27.6%	253 (52.5%)	2 (0.4%)	97 (20.1%)	39 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	89 (18.5%)	95.7	267^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.4%		96.7	194^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.7%	73	68.9	68.9	73.3	87.3	81.1		80.5	74.7	87.5	74.3		78.7							$19,012	$18,224	$788

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Forest Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Lake Forest Elementary?

Students at Lake Forest Elementary are 50% Hispanic, 22% White, 14% Asian, 12% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Lake Forest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 640 students attended Lake Forest Elementary.

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

What district is Lake Forest Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

Is Lake Forest Elementary a good school?

Lake Forest Elementary ranks 2057^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Lake Forest Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.