School district · Riverside County

Lake Elsinore Unified schools

Lake Elsinore Unified’s 16 public elementary schools run from the 4th to the 79th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). They sit in all four bands, from Strong to Needs Support.

Elementary · 16 schools

from 4th to 79th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Cottonwood Canyon Elementary: 79th percentile, Strong
  • Rice Canyon Elementary: 64th percentile, Solid
  • Tuscany Hills Elementary: 61st percentile, Solid
  • Alberhill Elementary: 55th percentile, Solid
  • Earl Warren Elementary: 42nd percentile, Developing
  • Luiseno: 41st percentile, Developing
  • Sycamore Academy of Science and Cultural Arts: 40th percentile, Developing
  • Railroad Canyon Elementary: 37th percentile, Developing
  • Donald Graham Elementary: 33rd percentile, Developing
  • Ronald Reagan Elementary: 23rd percentile, Needs Support
  • Wildomar Elementary: 22nd percentile, Needs Support
  • William Collier Elementary: 21st percentile, Needs Support
  • Withrow Elementary: 17th percentile, Needs Support
  • Elsinore Elementary: 6th percentile, Needs Support
  • Machado Elementary: 5th percentile, Needs Support
  • Lakeland Village: 4th percentile, Needs Support
7Needs Support
5Developing
3Solid
1Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 8 schools

from 1st to 62nd · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Sycamore Academy of Science and Cultural Arts: 62nd percentile, Solid
  • Luiseno: 46th percentile, Developing
  • Canyon Lake Middle: 36th percentile, Developing
  • Elsinore Middle: 30th percentile, Developing
  • Lakeland Village: 26th percentile, Developing
  • David A. Brown Middle: 25th percentile, Developing
  • Keith McCarthy Academy: 8th percentile, Needs Support
  • Terra Cotta Middle: 1st percentile, Needs Support
2Needs Support
5Developing
1Solid
0Strong

High · 4 schools

from 9th to 54th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Temescal Canyon High: 54th percentile, Solid
  • Elsinore High: 31st percentile, Developing
  • Lakeside High: 20th percentile, Needs Support
  • Keith McCarthy Academy: 9th percentile, Needs Support
2Needs Support
1Developing
1Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 4 of the 24 ranked schools teach two levels, so they appear in more than one picture.

  • 24 ranked schools
  • 1 school not ranked statewide

Schools around Lake Elsinore Unified

25 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Lake Elsinore Unified score highest?

Cottonwood Canyon Elementary is highest, at the 79th percentile.

That’s higher than 79 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Lake Elsinore Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 13 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Lake Elsinore Unified had 21 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Lake Elsinore Unified score highest?

Sycamore Academy of Science and Cultural Arts is highest, at the 62nd percentile.

That’s higher than 62 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Lake Elsinore Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 5 middle schools
Context

The average middle school in Lake Elsinore Unified had 17 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Lake Elsinore Unified score highest?

Temescal Canyon High is highest, at the 54th percentile.

That’s higher than 54 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Lake Elsinore Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 1 high school
Context

The average high school in Lake Elsinore Unified had 20 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.

1 high school not ranked statewide
  • Ortega HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools

The district

Where does Lake Elsinore Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?

Lake Elsinore Unified spent $19,018 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 61 cents of every Lake Elsinore Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.

Spending by function

Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.

Share by function, 2024–25

  • Instruction61%
  • Instruction support13%
  • Student services8%
  • Administration6%
  • Buildings & maintenance11%
  • Other1%

Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.

What the district plans

$84.8 million

planned in its 2026–27 plan for 16 funded actions in 4 goals. That’s 21% of its $396.5 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.

The plan in short

Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 165 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.

Where the money goes

Three actions take 48% of the money. The plan itself puts 78% of it toward staff.

  • Tier I First Best Instruction $23.2 million
  • Intervention $8.9 million
  • Student Engagement $8.9 million
  • 13 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help

2 of the plan’s 16 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.

Actions whose titles name catch-up help or English learners
  • Catch-up help $8.9 million
  • English learners $4.1 million

Largest of these

  • Intervention$8.9 million
  • English Learner Services$4.1 million
For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students

It plans $69.2 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $62.4 million and estimates it spent $71.0 million, $8.6 million (14%) more than planned (our arithmetic).

What changed

The total is $6.7 million (9%) higher than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Student Well-Being (Mental Health Support), which went from $6.1 million to $8.4 million.

Largest cuts

  • Students with Disabilities Services−⁠$390,376
  • College & Career Opportunities−⁠$261,343

Largest increases

  • Student Well-Being (Mental Health Support)+⁠$2.3 million
  • Technology Services+⁠$2.1 million
  • Safe Environment+⁠$1.5 million

Ask: What did Students with Disabilities Services pay for, and what changes now that the 2026–27 plan gives it $390,376 less?

What its goals measure

Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.

What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure2024–252025–26Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 239%40%up 1 pt
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 225%25%no change
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 2 · STUDENT, FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT25 in 10023 in 1002 fewer in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 2 · STUDENT, FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT2.8%3.0%up 0.2 pts

Goal 4 tracks named schools and Goal 3 tracks other measures, so they aren’t shown here.

Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.

The plan’s own titles and amounts
  • Tier I First Best Instruction · $23,242,809
  • Intervention · $8,941,558
  • Student Engagement · $8,874,511
The full plan4 goals, 18 measures and where the money goes

We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($84.8 million).

Where does the money go?

51% to Goal 1, ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.

G1
G2
G3

Change since the 2025–26 plan, same title

  • fell 25% or more
  • fell 10–25%
  • fell 2–10%
  • within 2%
  • grew 2–10%
  • grew 10–25%
  • grew 25% or more
  • new or renamed title
  • not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals

Every goal, in the plan’s order

Goal 1ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE$42.9 million51% of action budgets

“LEUSD will create opportunities for post-secondary success by promoting academic excellence for all students” p. 19 ↗

5 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $43.8 million (−⁠$869,388)

Largest funded actions

  1. Tier I First Best Instruction$23.2 millionaction 1.1 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $16.0 million is state funding counted toward those services
  2. Intervention$8.9 millionaction 1.5 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $7.5 million is state funding counted toward those services
  3. College & Career Opportunities$6.6 millionaction 1.4 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $6.2 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. English Learner Services$4.1 millionaction 1.2 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $3.5 million is state funding counted toward those services
  5. Students with Disabilities Services$0.1 millionaction 1.3 · p. 125 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Students with Disabilities Services−⁠$390,376$442,511 → $52,135 · p. 125 ↗
  2. College & Career Opportunities−⁠$0.3 million$6.8 million → $6.6 million · p. 125 ↗
  3. English Learner Services−⁠$0.2 million$4.3 million → $4.1 million · p. 125 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Tier I First Best Instruction · $23.3 million → $23.2 million · p. 125 ↗−⁠$33,898
  • Intervention · $8.9 million → $8.9 million · p. 125 ↗+⁠$14,520

How the plan measures it · 5 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 19 ↗.

Goal 2STUDENT, FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT$20.4 million24% of action budgets

“LEUSD will enhance student well-being by improving student, family, and community engagement” p. 54 ↗

5 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $17.5 million (+⁠$2.9 million)

Largest funded actions

  1. Student Engagement$8.9 millionaction 2.4 · p. 126 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  2. Student Well-Being (Mental Health Support)$8.4 millionaction 2.3 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $4.5 million is state funding counted toward those services
  3. Chronic Absenteeism$1.7 millionaction 2.1 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  4. Family/​Community Engagement$1.2 millionaction 2.5 · p. 126 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  5. Foster Youth Services$0.2 millionaction 2.2 · p. 125 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Student Well-Being (Mental Health Support)+⁠$2.3 million$6.1 million → $8.4 million · p. 125 ↗
  2. Student Engagement+⁠$0.4 million$8.4 million → $8.9 million · p. 126 ↗
  3. Chronic Absenteeism+⁠$0.2 million$1.5 million → $1.7 million · p. 125 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Family/​Community Engagement · $1.1 million → $1.2 million · p. 126 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Foster Youth Services · $300,312 → $242,397 · p. 125 ↗−⁠$57,915

How the plan measures it · 5 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 54 ↗.

Goal 3EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT$20.1 million24% of action budgets

“LEUSD will ensure that all staff shall be equipped to provide an effective educational environment” p. 80 ↗

4 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $15.4 million (+⁠$4.7 million)

Largest funded actions

  1. Safe Environment$7.6 millionaction 3.3 · p. 126 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  2. Professional Learning Communities & Professional Development$6.7 millionaction 3.1 · p. 126 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $6.1 million is state funding counted toward those services
  3. Technology Services$5.8 millionaction 3.2 · p. 126 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  4. Improvement and Implementation Science - NEW as of 2025/​26$0.1 millionaction 3.4 · p. 126 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Technology Services+⁠$2.1 million$3.7 million → $5.8 million · p. 126 ↗
  2. Safe Environment+⁠$1.5 million$6.1 million → $7.6 million · p. 126 ↗
  3. Professional Learning Communities & Professional Development+⁠$1.2 million$5.5 million → $6.7 million · p. 126 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Improvement and Implementation Science - NEW as of 2025/​26 · $112,875 → $112,875 · p. 126 ↗unchanged

How the plan measures it · 3 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 80 ↗.

Goal 4 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalEXTENDED OPPORTUNITIES$1.3 million2% of action budgets

“Within three years, all students, and particularly English Learner (EL), Hispanic (HI), Homeless Youth (HY), Socioeconomically Disadvantaged(SED), Students with Disabilities (SWD) and White (WH) students, at Keith McCarthy Academy and Ortega High School will demonstrate growth towards meeting standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics as measured by CAASPP test results and local benchmark assessments as well as College/​Career Indicator on the CA Dashboard. In order to ensure equitable access to high-quality, standards-aligned instruction for students enrolled in Equity Multiplier eligible schools, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District will prioritize improvements in teacher credentialing and assignment at Keith McCarthy Academy (hybrid/​virtual learning environment) and Ortega High School (continuation high school). Educational partner feedback and local data indicate a need to strengthen access to fully credentialed teachers in these alternative settings, where students often require differentiated instructional approaches, continuity of instruction, and consistent access to highly qualified staff. [2026-2027...(5-28-26) | PDF] Baseline data from the Teacher Assignment Monitoring Outcomes (TAMO) report indicates that: Keith McCarthy Academy (hybrid/​virtual): 72.1% of teachers hold clear credentials Ortega High School (continuation): 63.4% of teachers hold clear credentials These rates reflect a disparity in access to fully credentialed teachers compared to district averages and underscore the need for targeted recruitment, retention, and assignment strategies to support Equity Multiplier schools. To address this need, the district will implement focused actions aligned to LCFF Priority 1 (Basic Conditions of Learning) to increase the percentage of teachers who hold clear credentials, are appropriately assigned, and are fully authorized for the courses they teach in alternative education settings. This goal directly supports equitable student access to high-quality instruction by ensuring that students in Equity Multiplier schools—who often experience higher mobility, alternative schedules, or non-traditional learning environments—are served by fully prepared and appropriately credentialed educators” p. 94 ↗

2 funded actions · reworded since the 2025–26 plan

Largest funded actions

  1. Professional Development - Ortega High School (NEW 2025-2026)$700,410action 4.6 · p. 127 ↗
  2. Professional Development - Keith McCarthy Academy (NEW 2025-2026)$640,470action 4.5 · p. 127 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Professional Development - Keith McCarthy Academy (NEW 2025-2026)−⁠$128,919$769,389 → $640,470 · p. 127 ↗
  2. Professional Development - Ortega High School (NEW 2025-2026)+⁠$63,609$636,801 → $700,410 · p. 127 ↗

How the plan measures it · 5 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 94 ↗.

All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 21,045 students
1. Hispanic or Latino: 68%2. White: 20%3. Black or African American: 4%4. Two or more races: 4%5. Asian: 2%6. Filipino: 2%7. Pacific Islander: <1%8. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%9. Not reported: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. Hispanic or Latino68%
  2. White20%
  3. Black or African American4%
  4. Two or more races4%
  5. Asian2%
  6. Filipino2%
  7. Pacific Islander<1%
  8. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  9. Not reported<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools.

Free or reduced-price meals

76%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 15,926 of 21,025 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.

The district’s state records

Is the state giving the district extra help?

The state is giving Lake Elsinore Unified extra help in 2026, the second year after it qualified on the 2025 Dashboard.

How English learners moved up on the state’s English test

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 47% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (893 of 1,894 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

3 schools getting state support, 2025–26

Ronald Reagan Elementary (Targeted support) · Terra Cotta Middle (Targeted support) · William Collier Elementary (Targeted support)

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (6)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Lake Elsinore Unified rank highest?

Elementary: Cottonwood Canyon Elementary, 79th percentile (Strong). Middle: Sycamore Academy of Science and Cultural Arts, 62nd percentile (Solid). High: Temescal Canyon High, 54th percentile (Solid). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in the Lake Elsinore Unified district decide which school my child attends?

Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (5)

Are the public schools in Lake Elsinore Unified good?

Lake Elsinore Unified’s 16 public elementary schools run from the 4th to the 79th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong, 3 Solid, 5 Developing and 7 Needs Support. Lake Elsinore Unified’s 8 public middle schools run from the 1st to the 62nd percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid, 5 Developing and 2 Needs Support. Lake Elsinore Unified’s 4 public high schools run from the 9th to the 54th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Solid, 1 Developing and 2 Needs Support. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Lake Elsinore Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Lake Elsinore Unified had 21 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average middle school in Lake Elsinore Unified had 17 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Lake Elsinore Unified had 20 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Lake Elsinore Unified spend per student?

Lake Elsinore Unified spent $19,018 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 61 cents of every Lake Elsinore Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

What is in Lake Elsinore Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $84.8 million into 16 funded actions in 4 goals, 21% of its $396.5 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $42.9 million, 51% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Lake Elsinore Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.