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Lake Forest Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

2221^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Lake Forest Elementary School is a K-5 public school in eastern Gainesville, FL, serving 268 students in a high-poverty community where 84.7% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This school faces significant challenges, including one of the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the area—46.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, far exceeding the district and state averages. Academically, Lake Forest ranks in the bottom 1% of Florida elementary schools, with test scores across all subjects and grade levels well below both the Alachua district and state averages.

What sets Lake Forest apart from nearby schools is the severity of its attendance crisis and its persistently low performance. While schools like Caring & Sharing Learning School and Boulware Springs Charter—just 2.8 miles away—achieve rankings in the 70th-75th percentile with absenteeism rates of 17-24%, Lake Forest struggles at the 1st percentile. It is part of a cluster of severely challenged schools in eastern Gainesville, including Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary and Joseph Williams Elementary, which also rank in the bottom 1-2% and have high poverty rates. Notably, Lake Forest spends $18,656 per student—the highest among nearby schools with available data—yet this funding has not translated into improved outcomes, suggesting the core issues are tied to attendance and family engagement rather than resources.

Chronic absenteeism at Lake Forest has remained stubbornly high since the pandemic, rising from 25.8% in 2019-2020 to over 56% in 2020-2021 and staying above 41% ever since. This indicates the school has struggled to re-engage many students post-pandemic. However, there is a small glimmer of hope: recent test scores show slight improvements in some areas, such as 5th-grade Science rising from 24% to 27% and 4th-grade Math from 15% to 23% in the 2025-2026 school year. While these gains are modest, they may signal that recent interventions are beginning to have a marginal effect. For parents considering this school, the primary concern is whether the school can address its attendance crisis, which is the foundation for any academic progress.

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%

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Compare Lake Forest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2016 → 1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (25% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg56%

Florida avg62%

2,221^st of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 28Elementary Schools in the Alachua

50^th of 70Alachua 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
2026	2.1	2221 of 2240	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
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 (2025-2026) ?

Science27%-33 vs state

Math25%-39 vs state

English Language Arts23%-37 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)			FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	2.1	2221^st of 2240 public elementary schools	0.8%		11.5	2112^th of 2258 public elementary schools	6.5%	109	24.0	26.0	20.0	31.0	23.0	23.0	27.0
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%)	3.8	2209^th of 2240 public elementary schools	1.4%		4.9	2220^th of 2258 public elementary schools	1.7%	11	13.0	25.0	35.0	10.0	16.0	32.0	38.0
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%)	4.9	2200^th of 2240 public elementary schools	1.8%		7.5	2189^th of 2258 public elementary schools	3.1%	11	40.0	33.0	35.0	26.0	28.0	27.0	17.0
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%)	68.4	667^th of 2240 public elementary schools	70.2%		70.7	619^th of 2258 public elementary schools	72.6%	48	57.0	64.0	75.0	72.0	62.0	83.0	73.0
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%)	72.2	570^th of 2240 public elementary schools	74.6%		69.8	648^th of 2258 public elementary schools	71.3%	78	84.0	69.0	74.0	68.0	66.0	71.0	68.0
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%)	0.7	2227^th of 2240 public elementary schools	0.6%		2.9	2235^th of 2258 public elementary schools	1.0%	8	18.0	24.0	22.0	11.0	20.0	11.0	14.0
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%)	63.2	808^th of 2240 public elementary schools	63.9%		41.2	1324^th of 2258 public elementary schools	41.4%	516	83.0	68.0	61.0	83.0	61.0	50.0	61.0
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%)	17.1	1995^th of 2240 public elementary schools	10.9%		18.7	1957^th of 2258 public elementary schools	13.3%	38	36.0	46.0	48.0	30.0	49.0	43.0	48.0
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%)	27.1	1741^st of 2240 public elementary schools	22.3%		27.6	1708^th of 2258 public elementary schools	24.4%	33	53.0	38.0	55.0	45.0	39.0	50.0	59.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Forest Elementary School

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.

How many students attend Lake Forest Elementary School?

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

What district is Lake Forest Elementary School in?

Alachua

Is Lake Forest Elementary School a good school?

Lake Forest Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.8% of Florida elementary schools.

Rate 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.