“At one time Lakeside was nothing more than a large amount of land used for grazing animals belonging to Mission de la Alcala and cared for by the Kumeyaay Indians living in the area. After the town of Lakeside was founded in 1886, population increased and small one-room schools were started throughout the valley”.
The Lakeside Union School District was created in 1923 when three tiny schools Lakeside, El Monte and Foster joined together. The new district had five teachers, a number that has grown to over 250 today.
Today the district currently has six schools, kindergarten through grade 5, two middle schools (grades 6, 7 and 8), a home school program and a charter high school grades 7-12. Most middle school graduates of the Lakeside Union School District attend El Capitan, a comprehensive high school that is part of the Grossmont Union High School District.
School sizes range from 127 to 624 students in the elementary schools; 717 and 841 in the middle schools. River Valley High School, our charter school, has 120 students. The total district enrollment is slightly less than 4,100 students. The size of the Lakeside Union School District enables us to provide a wide range of programs in small to average settings. This allows us to personalize instruction for each child.
The school district has a long history of stability. Board members, teachers and administrators find this district a wonderful place to work and remain for their careers. Over the last thirty years, only four individuals have been district superintendent.
