Is Discovery Elementary a good school?

Discovery Elementary ranks 2120 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Discovery Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 722 students attended Discovery Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Elementary?

Students at Discovery Elementary are 50% Hispanic, 37% White, 6% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Discovery Elementary attend?

Students who attend Discovery Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Fruitvale Junior High High : Centennial High

Discovery Elementary

Summary:

Discovery Elementary is a public elementary school located in Bakersfield, California, serving 726 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Fruitvale Elementary School District, which is ranked 534 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Discovery Elementary consistently outperforms the Fruitvale Elementary District and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The school's performance is particularly strong in 5th grade ELA, where 55.65% of students were proficient or better, compared to 47.22% for the district and 47.37% for the state. In Mathematics, Discovery Elementary outperformed the district and state in 3rd grade, with 51.49% of students proficient or better, compared to 52.32% for the district and 45.64% for the state. The school also has a strong performance among Hispanic students, ranking 1,400 out of 5,102 California elementary schools, and for special education students, ranking 532 out of 2,420 California elementary schools.

However, Discovery Elementary faces some challenges, including a steady increase in chronic absenteeism, from 6.9% in 2017-2018 to 16.8% in 2022-2023. Additionally, the school's performance for white students and low socioeconomic status students is relatively lower, with 2-star and 3-star ratings, respectively. When compared to nearby schools, Discovery Elementary generally outperforms schools in the Fruitvale Elementary District, but its performance is more mixed when compared to schools in the Rosedale Union Elementary District and the Norris Elementary District.

Detail:

Public K-6

7500 Vaquero Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93308-6431

(661) 589-7336

District: Fruitvale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
2120^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,639

Students who attend Discovery Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fruitvale Junior High
High:	Centennial High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.1

Number of students: 722

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.1%

White:

36.7%

Asian:

5.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 66.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Discovery Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Discovery Elementary ranks better than 63.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Fruitvale Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 58.51. (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 Discovery Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Fruitvale Elementary School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (50.1%), White (36.7%), Asian (5.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 66.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Fruitvale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary is 20.1, which is the lowest among 4 elementary schools in the Fruitvale Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Discovery Elementary employs 35.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Discovery Elementary is $6,639, which is the 2^nd highest among 4 elementary schools in the Fruitvale Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Discovery Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Discovery Elementary 2120^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Discovery Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Fruitvale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Fruitvale Elementary 534^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Discovery Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	86.04	659^th	4809	86.3%
2005	88.34	575^th	4822	88.1%
2006	91.00	434^th	4818	91.0%
2007	90.46	492^nd	5113	90.4%
2008	85.96	703^rd	5113	86.3%
2009	87.87	591^st	5193	88.6%
2010	83.54	803^rd	5314	84.9%
2011	74.93	1260^th	5377	76.6%
2012	81.80	928^th	5390	82.8%
2013	82.07	941^st	5530	83.0%
2015	73.66	1366^th	5611	75.7%
2016	78.75	1172^nd	5614	79.1%
2017	75.44	1317^th	5692	76.9%
2018	65.01	1810^th	5662	68.0%
2019	66.80	1757^th	5789	69.6%
2022	61.45	1964^th	5883	66.6%
2023	66.79	1719^th	5874	70.7%
2024	58.51	2120^th	5862	63.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	66.30	532^nd	2420	78.0%
2024	44.88	1129^th	2634	57.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	64.35	1495^th	5084	70.6%
2019	63.58	1538^th	5173	70.3%
2022	70.29	1160^th	5264	78.0%
2023	70.76	1188^th	5374	77.9%
2024	58.82	1872^nd	5511	66.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	59.34	2008^th	5413	62.9%
2019	63.87	1803^rd	5492	67.2%
2022	60.85	1898^th	5635	66.3%
2023	65.76	1686^th	5617	70.0%
2024	62.46	1838^th	5605	67.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	59.50	608^th	2227	72.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	67.71	1576^th	5431	71.0%
2019	67.30	1627^th	5510	70.5%
2022	59.95	1957^th	5663	65.4%
2023	65.43	1709^th	5650	69.8%
2024	52.36	2347^th	5636	58.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	73.53	972^nd	4830	79.9%
2019	77.10	828^th	4963	83.3%
2022	70.63	1128^th	5084	77.8%
2023	80.73	705^th	5098	86.2%
2024	65.28	1400^th	5102	72.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.67	1769^th	2737	35.4%
2019	36.82	1942^nd	2834	31.5%
2022	36.00	1847^th	2726	32.2%
2023	42.44	1649^th	2662	38.1%
2024	39.99	1706^th	2647	35.5%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

We bought a home within the district with the primary concern being that we wanted our child to attend Discovery. We are pleased with the school for the most part. However, the number of students enrolled has steadily increased and we are worried that overcrowding is affecting the quality of our child's education. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Discovery Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1992	350	3	1	21	1	n/a	n/a	0	376
1993	472	1	6	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	502
1994	566	8	7	40	0	n/a	n/a	0	621
1995	426	2	16	45	0	n/a	n/a	0	489
1996	426	2	16	45	0	n/a	n/a	0	489
1997	514	6	10	53	1	n/a	n/a	0	584
1998	545	5	12	50	5	n/a	n/a	0	617
1999	521	9	23	58	8	n/a	n/a	0	619
2000	520	14	33	65	9	n/a	n/a	1	642
2001	519	11	35	72	5	n/a	n/a	0	642
2002	467	17	45	114	2	n/a	n/a	0	645
2003	467	17	45	114	2	n/a	n/a	0	645
2004	443	20	37	101	4	n/a	n/a	20	625
2005	461	19	40	133	7	n/a	n/a	37	697
2006	429	24	31	152	9	n/a	n/a	44	689
2007	430	23	33	176	7	n/a	n/a	60	729
2008	396	24	44	185	7	n/a	n/a	0	656
2009	448	30	43	202	4	0	49	0	776
2010	80	14	13	18	3	0	697	0	825
2011	508	40	53	239	6	0	19	0	865
2012	518	28	50	252	9	0	23	0	880
2013	485	20	50	276	10	0	30	0	871
2014	488	18	37	291	5	0	43	0	882
2015	472	20	43	283	4	1	49	0	872
2016	472	21	49	291	6	1	43	0	883
2017	414	18	48	280	5	1	55	0	821
2018	394	30	70	300	15	3	3	0	815
2019	377	31	67	286	13	0	10	0	784
2020	357	32	64	313	7	1	16	0	790
2021	288	27	52	304	10	0	24	0	705
2022	284	18	54	326	9	0	23	0	714
2023	265	18	41	364	8	1	29	0	726
2024	265	14	42	362	5	1	33	0	722

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 Discovery Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1992	376	n/a	n/a	9.6
1993	502	19.0	26.4	7.4
1994	621	23.0	27.0	7.7
1995	489	19.8	24.7	16.8
1996	489	19.8	24.7	16.8
1997	584	24.0	24.3	19.3
1998	617	31.3	19.7	24
1999	619	29.8	20.8	28.3
2000	642	31.0	20.7	19.3
2001	642	32.5	19.8	19
2002	645	31.3	20.6	18
2003	645	31.3	20.6	18
2004	625	30.8	20.3	20.7
2005	697	33.4	20.9	24.1
2006	689	36.4	18.9	24.5
2007	729	37.5	19.4	n/a
2008	656	41.6	15.8	30.2
2009	776	39.1	18.7	25
2010	825	41.2	20.0	26.7
2011	865	n/a	n/a	33.6
2012	880	38.2	23.0	n/a
2013	871	37.1	23.4	7.1
2014	882	34.0	25.9	34.5
2015	872	38.0	22.9	29.7
2016	883	30.0	29.4	38.4
2017	821	35.4	23.1	38.9
2018	815	n/a	n/a	42.3
2019	784	36.5	21.4	46
2020	790	n/a	n/a	48
2021	705	34.5	20.4	47
2022	714	33.4	21.3	58.8
2023	726	34.0	21.3	55.1
2024	722	35.8	20.1	66.1

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 Discovery Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1992	376	n/a	n/a	9.6
1993	502	19.0	26.4	7.4
1994	621	23.0	27.0	7.7
1995	489	19.8	24.7	16.8
1996	489	19.8	24.7	16.8
1997	584	24.0	24.3	19.3
1998	617	31.3	19.7	24
1999	619	29.8	20.8	28.3
2000	642	31.0	20.7	19.3
2001	642	32.5	19.8	19
2002	645	31.3	20.6	18
2003	645	31.3	20.6	18
2004	625	30.8	20.3	20.7
2005	697	33.4	20.9	24.1
2006	689	36.4	18.9	24.5
2007	729	37.5	19.4	n/a
2008	656	41.6	15.8	30.2
2009	776	39.1	18.7	25
2010	825	41.2	20.0	26.7
2011	865	n/a	n/a	33.6
2012	880	38.2	23.0	n/a
2013	871	37.1	23.4	7.1
2014	882	34.0	25.9	34.5
2015	872	38.0	22.9	29.7
2016	883	30.0	29.4	38.4
2017	821	35.4	23.1	38.9
2018	815	n/a	n/a	42.3
2019	784	36.5	21.4	46
2020	790	n/a	n/a	48
2021	705	34.5	20.4	47
2022	714	33.4	21.3	58.8
2023	726	34.0	21.3	55.1
2024	722	35.8	20.1	66.1

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.

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