skip to main content

Through the exceptional efforts of our administrators, staff, families, and students, Lake Forest has become a state and national award winning school.  The following are some of the exciting activities that students and their families participate in at Lake Forest:

Additional Educational Activities

Educational Assemblies, Author Visits, Pioneer Day, Earth/Sky Dome, Fourth Grade Outdoor Education, Oral Interpretation, Nature Bowl, Spelling Bee, Constitution Day, Spirit Days, Fire Poster Contest, Elks Hoop Shoot, I Love Reading Week, Red Ribbon Week, and various plays and performances

Visual and Performing Arts

Dance, Music, Color Wheel Art, Square Dancing, Fantasy Theater, and Band

Fundraising

Dinner/Dance & Auction, Dolphin Drive, Scholastic Book Fair, Dolphin Dash, Read-A-Thon, Box Tops for Education

Social

Family Movie Nights, Breakfast with Santa, Harvest Festival, Fifth Grade Farewell, and Dinner/Dance & Auction

Sports

Cross Country, Volleyball, and Basketball

Charitable

Kids Can Food Drive,and Pennies for Patients 
 
 
Academic Performance Index
 
Lake Forest’s current Academic Performance Index (API) is 921 (2010-11 school year).  The API is the cornerstone of California's Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 (PSAA). The purpose of the API is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. It is a numeric index (or scale) that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. A school's score on the API is an indicator of a school's performance level. The statewide API performance target for all schools is 800.
 
 
 
California Distinguished School
 
Lake Forest School was honored as a California Distinguished School in the spring of 2014.  After a rigorous application process, the award was presented to Lake Forest representatives.  The California School Recognition Program was created in 1985 to publicize and reinforce the priorities of the State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The program identifies and honors many of the state's exemplary and inspiring public schools with the California Distinguished School Award. Although participation is voluntary, the award is highly sought after by schools in all regions of the state. Approximately five percent of California's public schools are selected each year, and no fewer than 40 counties are typically represented. 

In order to be invited to apply for Distinguished School honors, schools must meet a variety of eligibility criteria including designated federal and state accountability measures based on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the API requirements. The criteria for school selection are designed to reflect the consensus of the education community regarding what constitutes a quality education program by incorporating the major themes of state and national policies and research related to effective schools. The criteria focuses on all aspects of the school's educational program.

Applications are evaluated by teams of local educators from across the state under the direction of the California Department of Educations (CDE). Evaluators use a four-level rubric that describes progress toward achieving each of the selection criteria. The highest-scoring schools are selected as statewide nominees. Each statewide nominee receives a site visit to validate the accuracy of the information presented in their application. The site visits are conducted as a collaborative effort between the CDE and the county offices of education.
California Distinguished School Award
 
 
National Blue Ribbon School
 
In the fall of 2005, Lake Forest School was named a No Child Left Behind (NCLB) - National Blue Ribbon School.  The ceremony was in Washington, D.C.   The NCLB-Blue Ribbon award is a national recognition program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.  This award also involves an extensive application process.   Lake Forest received the award through a nomination by the State Superintendent after receiving the California Distinguished School Award and being among the top 10 percent of the schools in the state with students scoring at or above the 90th percentile in the highest grade tested in reading and math.  Schools were selected based on growth over a three-year period.

The program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.  The winning schools are considered to be national models of excellence.  Lake Forest was nominated under the “Optional Category,” meaning schools that are in the top 10 percent of the state, that have shown the API growth over three years, and have met API growth targets.  About two-thirds of California's nominees are in this category.  All schools, regardless of category, must have met AYP requirements.    According to the California Department of Education, “the weight of the criteria rested overwhelmingly on test scores on growth and achievement in reading and math over three years, including those for significant subgroups.”
 

National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence