Is Downtown Elementary a good school?

Downtown Elementary ranks 1284 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Downtown Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 319 students attended Downtown Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Downtown Elementary?

Students at Downtown Elementary are 55% Hispanic, 33% White, 4% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Downtown Elementary

Summary:

Downtown Elementary is a public K-8 school in Bakersfield, California, with a total enrollment of 323 students. Despite being part of the Bakersfield City School District, which is ranked 1338 out of 1568 districts in the state, Downtown Elementary consistently outperforms the district and the state of California in academic achievement.

Downtown Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly higher than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 62.25% of Downtown Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA End of Course, compared to 27.74% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school has maintained this strong academic performance over the past several years, consistently ranking in the top 25% of California elementary schools. In contrast, nearby schools like Bessie E. Owens Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, and Fremont Elementary have much lower proficiency rates and higher rates of free/reduced lunch eligibility and chronic absenteeism.

The factors contributing to Downtown Elementary's success may include its lower percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, indicating a more socioeconomically diverse student population, as well as its relatively low chronic absenteeism rates. These factors, combined with the school's effective teaching practices, curriculum, and support systems, have allowed Downtown Elementary to consistently outperform the surrounding district and state in academic achievement, making it a standout school within the Bakersfield City School District.

Detail:

Public K-8

2021 M St.
Bakersfield, CA 93301-4636

(661) 631-5920

District: Bakersfield City

SchoolDigger Rank:
1284^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,654

Student/teacher ratio: 22.4

Number of students: 319

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.5%

White:

33.2%

African American:

4.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 43.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Downtown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Downtown Elementary ranks better than 78.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 32 ranked elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 77.04. (See more...)

Compare Details Downtown Elementary ranks better than 89.6% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 89.45. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (55.5%), White (33.2%), Asian (4.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 43.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Bakersfield City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Downtown Elementary is 22.4. 29 elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Downtown Elementary employs 14.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Downtown Elementary is $8,654, which is the 16^th highest among 32 elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Downtown Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Downtown Elementary 1284^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Downtown Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Downtown Elementary 289^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Downtown Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Bakersfield City:

SchoolDigger ranks Bakersfield City 1338^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Downtown Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	67.24	1394^th	4809	71.0%
2005	72.78	1213^th	4822	74.8%
2006	79.59	984^th	4818	79.6%
2007	77.93	1054^th	5113	79.4%
2008	73.08	1277^th	5113	75.0%
2009	70.30	1425^th	5193	72.6%
2010	78.62	1064^th	5314	80.0%
2011	77.70	1121^st	5377	79.2%
2012	73.70	1345^th	5390	75.0%
2013	79.40	1090^th	5530	80.3%
2015	74.53	1331^st	5611	76.3%
2016	83.76	970^th	5614	82.7%
2017	91.32	557^th	5692	90.2%
2018	91.81	525^th	5662	90.7%
2019	88.52	724^th	5789	87.5%
2022	80.44	1170^th	5883	80.1%
2023	81.30	1119^th	5874	80.9%
2024	77.04	1284^th	5862	78.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	67.68	1371^st	5511	75.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	89.99	574^th	5413	89.4%
2019	89.65	578^th	5492	89.5%
2022	78.48	1176^th	5635	79.1%
2023	79.29	1126^th	5617	80.0%
2024	78.17	1162^nd	5605	79.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.56	537^th	5431	90.1%
2019	83.70	881^st	5510	84.0%
2022	79.16	1142^nd	5663	79.8%
2023	78.52	1156^th	5650	79.5%
2024	72.64	1381^st	5636	75.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	97.74	58^th	4830	98.8%
2019	94.17	159^th	4963	96.8%
2022	91.70	295^th	5084	94.2%
2023	90.07	346^th	5098	93.2%
2024	77.83	811^th	5102	84.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.73	457^th	2737	83.3%
2019	82.24	383^rd	2834	86.5%
2022	74.64	635^th	2726	76.7%
2023	72.34	722^nd	2662	72.9%
2024	79.24	448^th	2647	83.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Downtown Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2005	56.73	666^th	1777	62.5%
2006	58.30	666^th	1804	63.1%
2007	74.79	392^nd	1999	80.4%
2008	83.22	235^th	2005	88.3%
2009	77.07	348^th	2063	83.1%
2010	76.04	400^th	2179	81.6%
2011	78.39	329^th	2236	85.3%
2012	88.10	128^th	2259	94.3%
2013	84.32	211^th	2379	91.1%
2015	85.52	323^rd	2477	87.0%
2016	82.47	383^rd	2497	84.7%
2017	91.41	212^th	2508	91.5%
2018	89.07	260^th	2480	89.5%
2019	89.59	274^th	2715	89.9%
2022	91.47	237^th	2740	91.4%
2023	91.59	248^th	2802	91.1%
2024	89.45	289^th	2777	89.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	91.85	141^st	2549	94.5%
2024	82.26	306^th	2575	88.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.17	270^th	2262	88.1%
2019	87.51	281^st	2380	88.2%
2022	90.69	219^th	2509	91.3%
2023	86.78	305^th	2547	88.0%
2024	92.18	196^th	2546	92.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	89.79	232^nd	2273	89.8%
2022	88.81	277^th	2527	89.0%
2023	93.25	168^th	2558	93.4%
2024	83.70	359^th	2547	85.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	96.44	45^th	2072	97.8%
2019	98.23	29^th	2213	98.7%
2022	99.13	18^th	2359	99.2%
2023	96.07	55^th	2391	97.7%
2024	92.76	107^th	2383	95.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for middle school White students at Downtown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	74.54	361^st	1496	75.9%
2019	63.06	583^rd	1602	63.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Downtown Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1998	63	20	7	52	0	n/a	n/a	0	142
1999	82	16	8	51	0	n/a	n/a	0	157
2000	105	26	10	71	0	n/a	n/a	0	212
2001	115	29	14	84	1	n/a	n/a	0	243
2002	99	28	10	87	1	n/a	n/a	4	229
2003	99	28	10	87	1	n/a	n/a	4	229
2004	101	27	10	96	1	n/a	n/a	5	240
2005	115	32	13	111	1	n/a	n/a	5	277
2006	128	31	11	123	1	n/a	n/a	6	300
2007	125	28	7	126	1	n/a	n/a	7	294
2008	126	26	8	128	1	n/a	n/a	0	289
2009	127	28	7	126	1	1	15	0	305
2010	135	28	10	133	2	1	2	0	311
2011	126	21	2	138	1	1	8	0	297
2012	122	24	2	139	1	1	5	0	294
2013	131	27	4	141	1	0	6	0	310
2014	133	27	5	145	1	0	9	0	320
2015	133	26	6	136	0	0	13	0	314
2016	127	26	10	132	0	0	13	0	308
2017	127	22	16	135	0	0	8	0	308
2018	127	19	15	136	1	0	9	0	307
2019	133	15	19	135	3	0	11	0	316
2020	123	16	18	143	3	0	10	0	313
2021	120	16	16	148	3	0	8	0	311
2022	104	9	13	149	3	0	11	0	289
2023	105	13	14	180	3	0	8	0	323
2024	106	13	13	177	3	0	7	0	319

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Downtown Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	142	9.0	15.8	45.8
1999	157	9.0	17.4	34.4
2000	212	10.0	21.2	32.5
2001	243	12.0	20.3	25.9
2002	229	12.5	18.3	24
2003	229	12.5	18.3	24
2004	240	12.0	20.0	26
2005	277	13.0	21.3	23.9
2006	300	14.0	21.4	22.1
2007	294	14.0	21.0	24.4
2008	289	16.8	17.2	20.1
2009	305	14.7	19.3	20
2010	311	15.0	20.7	24.8
2011	297	n/a	n/a	21.9
2012	294	13.2	22.2	n/a
2013	310	14.2	21.8	21.3
2014	320	14.0	22.8	19.7
2015	314	14.0	22.4	19.4
2016	308	14.0	22.0	16.9
2017	308	14.0	22.0	15.9
2018	307	14.5	21.1	23.8
2019	316	14.0	22.4	30.1
2020	313	n/a	n/a	33.9
2021	311	14.3	21.6	40.5
2022	289	14.3	20.2	23.9
2023	323	14.6	22.0	31.3
2024	319	14.1	22.4	43.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Downtown Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	142	9.0	15.8	45.8
1999	157	9.0	17.4	34.4
2000	212	10.0	21.2	32.5
2001	243	12.0	20.3	25.9
2002	229	12.5	18.3	24
2003	229	12.5	18.3	24
2004	240	12.0	20.0	26
2005	277	13.0	21.3	23.9
2006	300	14.0	21.4	22.1
2007	294	14.0	21.0	24.4
2008	289	16.8	17.2	20.1
2009	305	14.7	19.3	20
2010	311	15.0	20.7	24.8
2011	297	n/a	n/a	21.9
2012	294	13.2	22.2	n/a
2013	310	14.2	21.8	21.3
2014	320	14.0	22.8	19.7
2015	314	14.0	22.4	19.4
2016	308	14.0	22.0	16.9
2017	308	14.0	22.0	15.9
2018	307	14.5	21.1	23.8
2019	316	14.0	22.4	30.1
2020	313	n/a	n/a	33.9
2021	311	14.3	21.6	40.5
2022	289	14.3	20.2	23.9
2023	323	14.6	22.0	31.3
2024	319	14.1	22.4	43.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates