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Best kept secret at Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
896
Elementary
DISTRICT 529 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SADDLEBACK VALLEY UNIFIED·NCES 063386005298
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary
23882 Landisview Ave., Lake Forest, CA 92630 · (949) 837-2260 · Orange County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL896 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 39% of California public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
28.6:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
65%
584 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 116 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 126 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 137 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 136 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 127 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 130 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 124 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (116) is 6% smaller than its 6th grade class (124).
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
36.2%
CA avg 49.1% . -12.8pp since 2014
Math
36.1%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 13 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 16.6% | 19.6% | 21.8% | 42.0% |
| Math | 17.6% | 18.6% | 24.8% | 39.1% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.2% | 36.1% |
| 2023-24 | 36.0% | 34.5% |
| 2022-23 | 32.5% | 29.8% |
| 2021-22 | 30.1% | 29.3% |
| 2018-19 | 43.9% | 41.4% |
| 2017-18 | 47.1% | 43.4% |
| 2016-17 | 47.4% | 42.4% |
| 2015-16 | 51.0% | 41.0% |
| 2014-15 | 49.0% | 34.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
35.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary's state test result (35.7% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary this school | 896 | 65.2% | 35.7% |
| Washington Elementary Riverside | 818 | 63.7% | 28.5% |
| Gallatin Elementary Downey | 788 | 66.9% | 45.7% |
| Annie R. Mitchell Visalia | 789 | 67.8% | 38.0% |
| Ben Hulse Elementary Imperial | 838 | 66.7% | 48.5% |
| Mesquite Trails Elementary Hesperia | 882 | 65.1% | 40.0% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.7% | #2,890 of 5,151 | #286 of 381 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.1% | #2,632 of 5,172 ▲ 11 | #267 of 382 ▲ 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.2% | #3,304 of 5,172 ▼ 181 | #306 of 382 ▼ 11 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +6.5pp | #1,254 of 5,116 | #71 of 381 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 896 | #171 of 5,915 | #19 of 404 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 28.6:1 | #5,274 of 5,352 | #374 of 398 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.2% | #3,842 of 5,354 | #299 of 398 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 65.2% | #3,222 of 5,625 | #191 of 400 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.8% | #2,320 of 3,837 | #224 of 324 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
896
-27 (-3%) vs 2020
+42% since 1990-91, when it was 633
Student : Teacher
28.6:1
was 28.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 896 | 31.4 | 28.6:1 | 65% (584) |
| 2023-24 | 908 | 31.2 | 29.1:1 | 66% (596) |
| 2022-23 | 940 | 34.1 | 27.6:1 | 62% (586) |
| 2020-21 | 923 | 32 | 28.8:1 | 52% (480) |
| 2017-18 | 1,027 | 34.4 | 29.9:1 | 56% (578) |
| 2015-16 | 1,039 | 35 | 29.7:1 | 59% (608) |
| 2010-11 | 901 | N/A | N/A | 52% (473) |
| 2000-01 | 792 | 39 | 20.3:1 | 55% (438) |
| 1990-91 | 633 | 26 | 24.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (1,027 to 896); teachers down 9% (34.4 to 31.4).
About Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary
Families in Lake Forest, California, are served by Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary, a large elementary school. It is open to students in kindergarten through 6 and enrolls 896 students. By comparison, elementary schools in California enroll about 465 students on average.
Saddleback Valley Unified serves 22,646 students across 33 schools.
A large majority of enrollment at Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary is Hispanic, at 81%. Beyond that, enrollment is 12% White, 4% multiracial, and 2% Asian. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 34%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary scores 32%.
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary reported 31.4 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 28.6:1. The school's 28.6:1 compares with an average of 22.3:1 for elementary schools in California. Roughly 65% of students at Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary can receive free or reduced-price lunch. That rate is above the 55% average among public schools in Orange County.
On the allk12 Grade, Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary lands at C+, ahead of 39% of California public elementary schools.
The model predicts 41.4% for a school in California with Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary posts 35.7%.
In Orange County, where the school is located, the median household earns about $116,289 a year, roughly 44% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Public schools in Orange County number 649, with about 430,458 students.
Los Alisos Intermediate, about 0.4 miles away, is the closest public school. Within five miles of Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary, there are at least 8 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary ranks 4th of 5 on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary's location as Suburb: Large.
Enrollment figures show a decrease of 27 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Orange County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,165,820
Census ACS
Median income
$116,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
649
430,458 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Saddleback Valley Unified
- Trabuco Hills HighHigh · 2,475 students
- El Toro HighHigh · 1,902 students
- Mission Viejo HighHigh · 1,566 students
- Laguna Hills HighHigh · 1,317 students
- Rancho Santa Margarita IntermediateMiddle · 1,153 students
- Foothill Ranch ElementaryElementary · 990 students
Other schools in Lake Forest
- El Toro HighHigh · 1,902 students
- Serrano IntermediateMiddle · 868 students
- Lake Forest ElementaryElementary · 640 students
- Rancho Canada ElementaryElementary · 633 students
- Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback ValleyElementary · 565 students
- La Madera ElementaryElementary · 554 students
Nearby schools
- Los Alisos Intermediate0.4 mi · 595
- Olivewood Elementary0.7 mi · 396
- Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley0.9 mi · 565
- Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle0.9 mi · 495
- Silverado High0.9 mi · 200
- Del Cerro Elementary1.1 mi · 390
Frequently asked questions
About Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet ElementaryHow large is Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary?
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary enrolls approximately 896 students in grades KG-06.
Is Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary have?
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary employs 31 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 28.6:1.
What is the student diversity at Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary?
Student demographics at Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary are roughly 12% White, 81% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary in?
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary is part of Saddleback Valley Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.