The Saddleback Valley Unified School District, S.V.U.S.D., includes 26 elementary schools, 4 intermediate schools, and 4 comprehensive high schools.  It also offers an Early Childhood Center, a Special Education School, a School Readiness Program, and several alternative options for for high school students.  Resource Specialist Programs (RSP) are provided at all school sites, and some sites offer Special Day Classes (SDC) for those students who need a more restrictive learning environment.  The district office supports the instructional programs and coordinates central services so that site level personnel can focus on teaching children.  We also communicate with the various private pre-kindergarten programs that exist within our school community as their students transition into the mandatory public education system.

Nestled in the midst of the eucalyptus groves of Lake Forest, Santiago’s student population reflects the growing diversity in California.  Students come to us from detached single family homes, condominiums, and apartments.  Some of our students share homes with other families.  Over 50% of the parents who responded during our latest survey report that they are college graduates.  According to the latest Academic Performance Index, 63% of our students are White (not of Hispanic origin), and 22% are Hispanic or Latino.  Our school population is 7% Asian, 2% Filipino, and 2% African-American (not of Hispanic origin).  Also, 17% of our students are considered economically disadvantaged, and 7% are English language learners.  There are 25 students in our Special Day Class Kindergarten Program and 16 students are served by the Resource Specialist Program.  That means that close to 9% of our students receive Special Education Services.  These figures do not include the kindergarten and first grade students who are not tested in the STAR Program.

Our Title I Program serves those students who are at-risk of not meating grade level standards.  Currently, we employ two part-time Title I teachers.  Both of them are “highly qualified”, and they work with students in grades 4, 5 and 6.  We have the services of a English Language Development (ELD) Instructional Assistant for 3.7 hours each day, and we have a Language Arts Assistant Program (LAAP) Specialist who helps struggling readers in grades 1 and 3 for 3.7 hours on Monday, Thursday.  We have two Non-Severe Special Day Class (SDC) Kindergarten Teachers, a part-time Resource Specialist Program Teacher, a Psychologist two days each week, and a Speech and Language Pathologist four days each week.  We also employ a Library Clerk and and Instructional Assistant for our computer lab so that children will have access to those resources every day.  Specialists in Music, Performing Arts, Physical Education, and Adaptive P.E. visit our school regularly along with Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Counselors assigned by Orange County Mental Health.

All students are taught in permanent classroom buildings, and we have an open classroom that serves as a music room every Friday.  This space can also be used by teachers for special projects or program rehearsals.  Each classroom is provided with TV/VCR/DVD and cable connections.  In addition, there are at least two iMac computers in every classroom, and these computers are networked with systems inside and outside our school. 

We have a separate library with nearly 12,000 bound volumes and 5 periodical subscriptions.  Our computer lab is right next to the library, and it is equipped with 40 iMac computers.  This enables students to move back and forth between these two resource rooms as they study different topics on the Internet or search for information in books.  Our multi-purpose room includes a full-sized stage complete with professional microphones, speakers, and a sound mixing booth.  We also have the technology to broadcast video productions to all the classrooms at our school.