Public schools in Lake Forest, CA
Lake Forest has 9 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 1 high, 1 middle, 7 elementary, enrolling 6,971 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Saddleback Valley Unified runs 8 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Lake Forest's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Lake Forest | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddleback Valley Unified | 8 | 23,711 | $15,515 |
| Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District | 1 | 680 | $12,871 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
One high school in Lake Forest, 1,902 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Toro High | 1,902 | 21.5 | 37.7% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One middle school in Lake Forest, 868 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serrano Intermediate | 868 | 22.3 | 37.7% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
7 elementary schools in Lake Forest, 4,201 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary | 896 | 28.6 | 57.7% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Lake Forest Elementary | 640 | 22.7 | 44.7% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Rancho Canada Elementary | 633 | 25.4 | 23.5% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley | 565 | 28.7 | 15.9% | Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District |
| La Madera Elementary | 554 | 24.5 | 27.6% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary | 517 | 26.3 | 34.4% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Olivewood Elementary | 396 | 21.9 | 78.3% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Lake Forest's public schools compare with California's
The median Lake Forest school has 24.5 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 633 students (state 471).
| Lake Forest | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 24.5 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 633 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 44% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 11% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 9 Lake Forest schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Lake Forest
- Saddleback Valley UnifiedRuns 8 of Lake Forest's 9 public schools and spent $15,515 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,515
- El Toro High, the largest high school in Lake Forest1,902 students in 2024-25, 21.5 per teacher.1,902
- Compare Saddleback Valley Unified with Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley DistrictLake Forest's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Lake Forest addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in Lake Forest
How many public schools are in Lake Forest, CA?
9 public schools with an address in Lake Forest were open in 2024-25: 1 high, 1 middle, 7 elementary, enrolling 6,971 students. 1 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Lake Forest?
El Toro High, with 1,902 students in 2024-25 (Saddleback Valley Unified).Which districts run Lake Forest's schools?
Saddleback Valley Unified (8 schools), Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District (1 school). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25