James A. Forrest Elementary

Q: Is James A. Forrest Elementary a good school?

James A. Forrest Elementary ranks 4192 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Summary:

James A. Forrest Elementary is a public elementary school in Wasco, California, serving 571 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Wasco Union Elementary District, which is ranked 1222 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, James A. Forrest Elementary consistently performs below the district and state averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were around 30% and 27%, respectively, compared to the district's 32-33% and the state's 35-47%. The school's performance is particularly low in Science, with only 10% of students proficient or better, compared to the district's 14% and the state's 31%. The school also struggles more in the lower grades, with 3rd-grade proficiency rates around 40-46% in ELA and 43-47% in Math, compared to the district's 32-36% and the state's 43-46%. The school has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 90-91% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as a high percentage of English Language Learners, ranking among the lowest 1,217 to 2,061 out of 3,160-3,311 California elementary schools for this subgroup.

Nearby schools, such as John L. Prueitt Elementary, Teresa Burke Elementary, and Karl F. Clemens Elementary, also perform below the state average but generally outperform James A. Forrest Elementary. These nearby schools also have lower rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 21.8% to 26.5% in 2022-2023, compared to James A. Forrest's high rates, which ranged from 10.6% in 2020-2021 to 33.6% in 2021-2022 and 25.1% in 2022-2023. Addressing the school's low academic performance and high chronic absenteeism, which may be linked to the socioeconomic challenges faced by the student population, will likely require a comprehensive approach.

Detail:

Public K-5

401 North Griffith Ave.
Wasco, CA 93280

(661) 758-7490

District: Wasco Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4192^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 22.9

Number of students: 578

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.5%

White:

1.7%

African American:

1.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details James A. Forrest Elementary ranks worse than 71.5% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.01. (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

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

James A. Forrest Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks James A. Forrest Elementary 4192^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See James A. Forrest Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Wasco Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Wasco Union Elementary 1222^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for James A. Forrest Elementary

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Rank History for all students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	28.44	3994^th	5883	32.1%
2023	29.37	3951^st	5874	32.7%
2024	27.01	4192^nd	5862	28.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	49.68	1217^th	3311	63.2%
2023	42.56	1652^nd	3250	49.2%
2024	36.59	2061^st	3160	34.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	46.95	988^th	2420	59.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	39.36	3063^rd	5264	41.8%
2023	36.02	3392^nd	5374	36.9%
2024	33.00	3699^th	5511	32.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	28.22	3905^th	5635	30.7%
2023	30.62	3700^th	5617	34.1%
2024	25.50	4194^th	5605	25.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	30.02	3786^th	5663	33.1%
2023	28.90	3875^th	5650	31.4%
2024	29.64	3843^rd	5636	31.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at James A. Forrest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	40.63	2854^th	5084	43.9%
2023	39.67	2933^rd	5098	42.5%
2024	36.91	3192^nd	5102	37.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 James A. Forrest Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Two or More Races	Total
2020	15	4	4	577	1	3	604
2021	16	1	3	565	2	4	591
2022	10	2	2	550	2	2	568
2023	12	5	5	545	2	2	571
2024	10	8	6	552	2	0	578

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 James A. Forrest Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2020	604	n/a	n/a	86.3
2021	591	26.1	22.6	88.3
2022	568	26.6	21.3	91.2
2023	571	27.6	20.6	90.5
2024	578	25.2	22.9	91

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 James A. Forrest Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2020	604	n/a	n/a	86.3
2021	591	26.1	22.6	88.3
2022	568	26.6	21.3	91.2
2023	571	27.6	20.6	90.5
2024	578	25.2	22.9	91

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

James A. Forrest Elementary

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Year	Completely Immunized	Medical Exemption	Conditional	Polio	Hepatitis B	Varicella	DTP	MMR
2021	91.8%	0.0%	0.0%	94.9%	95.9%	92.9%	93.9%	93.9%
2022	96.8%	0.0%	0.0%	96.8%				96.8%

Data source: California Department of Public Health

Schools Near James A. Forrest Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Total
James A. Forrest Elementary	Public	K-5	401 North Griffith Ave.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7490	578	25	22.9	91.0%	10 (1.7%)	8 (1.4%)	552 (95.5%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27	4192^nd of 5862 public elementary schools	28.5%		29.4	3951^st of 5874 public elementary schools	32.7%	241	10.0		10.0	41.1	23.8	25.0				30.2	46.7	18.3	15.6				27.3	96.8	96.8				96.8
Karl F. Clemens Elementary	Public	K-5	523 Broadway Ave.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7120	527	23	22.8	94.7%	9 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	513 (97.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12.6	5509^th of 5862 public elementary schools	6.0%		14.7	5346^th of 5874 public elementary schools	9.0%	163	6.9		6.9	15.9	22.8	22.0				20.5	22.1	14.4	6.8				14.0	96.9			96.9			$7,696
John L. Prueitt Elementary	Public	K-5	3501 Seventh St.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7180	617	28	22.0	90.3%	11 (1.8%)	5 (0.8%)	594 (96.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	36.4	3404^th of 5862 public elementary schools	41.9%		42	3010^th of 5874 public elementary schools	48.8%	394	22.6		22.6	39.3	33.3	45.7				39.1	42.6	22.9	20.4				29.1							$7,014
Teresa Burke Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 Filburn St.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7480	529	27	19.5	93.0%	12 (2.3%)	8 (1.5%)	501 (94.7%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	29	4014^th of 5862 public elementary schools	31.5%		19.7	4892^nd of 5874 public elementary schools	16.7%	878	16.1		16.1	30.4	29.9	38.7				33.3	35.7	28.1	20.4				27.4	95.8			95.8			$6,093
Maple Elementary	Public	K-8	29161 Fresno Ave.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Maple Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-4439	285	13	22.6	60.0%	62 (21.8%)	0 (0.0%)	221 (77.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57.4	2173^rd of 5862 public elementary schools	62.9%		54.9	2287^th of 5874 public elementary schools	61.1%	114	56.7	24.0	41.8	30.0	14.8	72.4	48.3	57.6	44.0	45.1	40.0	29.6	69.0	41.4	42.4	36.0	43.4							$7,945
Horizon Elementary	Public	K-6	800 South Garzoli Ave.	Mc Farland	93250	Kern County	McFarland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-3081	535	22	24.3	84.1%	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	522 (97.6%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	43.4	2961^st of 5862 public elementary schools	49.5%		38.2	3269^th of 5874 public elementary schools	44.3%	308	25.3		25.3	38.7	37.8	49.4	38.0			41.3	40.0	32.4	39.1	22.8			33.7	77.1	80.7	89.2	90.4	80.7	86.8	$5,537
Sequoia Elementary	Public	K-6	500 East Fresno Ave.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Richland Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-8740	588	33	18.0	87.4%	49 (8.3%)	1 (0.2%)	518 (88.1%)	18 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28.5	4066^th of 5862 public elementary schools	30.6%		25.5	4308^th of 5874 public elementary schools	26.7%	242	21.4		21.4	38.4	26.7	29.8	29.7			31.3	42.9	30.0	18.8	6.8			24.3	95.4				96.5		$6,410
Redwood Elementary	Public	K-6	331 North Shafter Ave.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Richland Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-8650	637	34	18.9	86.7%	20 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	603 (94.7%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17.7	5051^st of 5862 public elementary schools	13.8%		12.7	5506^th of 5874 public elementary schools	6.3%	455	10.8		10.8	24.4	23.1	23.8	26.7			24.5	31.7	15.4	10.7	15.0			17.5							$6,165
Pond Elementary	Public	K-8	29585 Pond Rd.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Pond Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-2545	169	9	18.7	88.8%	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	159 (94.1%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	21.1	4750^th of 5862 public elementary schools	19.0%		13.6	5438^th of 5874 public elementary schools	7.4%	688	11.1	13.3	12.1	31.3	28.6	16.7	15.0	18.2	40.0	23.8	37.5	35.7	11.1	15.0	9.1	33.3	21.9	89.3					89.3	$12,927
Kern Avenue Elementary	Public	K-6	356 West Kern Ave.	Mc Farland	93250	Kern County	McFarland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-3033	706	32	22.0	92.1%	7 (1.0%)	4 (0.6%)	682 (96.6%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	21.1	4758^th of 5862 public elementary schools	18.8%		25.1	4357^th of 5874 public elementary schools	25.8%	401	13.3		13.3	16.1	25.4	29.6	31.2			25.9	21.0	21.1	17.4	24.7			21.0	81.0	81.0	92.2	91.4	81.9	85.3	$55,377

Frequently Asked Questions about James A. Forrest Elementary

What district is James A. Forrest Elementary in?

Wasco Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of James A. Forrest Elementary?

Students at James A. Forrest Elementary are 96% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

Is James A. Forrest Elementary a good school?

James A. Forrest Elementary ranks 4192^nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend James A. Forrest Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 578 students attended James A. Forrest Elementary.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.