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Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Q: Is Bessie E. Owens Elementary a good school?

Bessie E. Owens Elementary ranks 3421 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3421^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of California elementary schools

Summary

Bessie E. Owens Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 867 students in the Bakersfield City School District, and it stands out as a school on a strong upward trajectory within its community.

While the school's test scores are below California averages, it is a clear leader among nearby schools with similar student populations, significantly outperforming the district average and schools like Jefferson Elementary and Longfellow Elementary in English and math. The school has shown remarkable, consistent improvement, climbing from the 12th to the 42nd percentile statewide in just a few years, and has made extraordinary progress in reducing chronic absenteeism from nearly 60% to under 19%, a rate now better than some neighbors such as McKinley Elementary.

This positive trend is seen across many student groups, and the school's effectiveness is notable given the economic challenges many families face. It's important for parents to know that Downtown Elementary, which has much higher scores, serves a very different community and is a K-8 school, making direct comparison difficult. Areas for continued growth at Bessie E. Owens include science instruction and support for English Language Learners, but the overall picture is one of a resilient and improving school that is achieving strong results for its students.

867

Students ?

21.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,774

Per pupil spending ?

89.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

815 Potomac Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93307-1450

(661) 631-5420

District: Bakersfield City

Students who attend Bessie E. Owens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Abraham Lincoln Junior High
	Chipman Junior High
High:	Bakersfield High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.0%

African American:

9.3%

White:

5.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Bessie E. Owens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2022 → 42nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2022

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Bakersfield City

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 10 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg21%

California avg41%

3,421^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 30 pts since 2022

From bottom 12% (2022) to bottom 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 33Elementary Schools in the Bakersfield City

1357^th of 1,543Bakersfield City among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	3421 of 5857	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	3683 of 5869	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.4	4232 of 5859	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	5179 of 5883	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	263 of 569	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.6	122 of 593	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	29.6	474 of 661	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.4	2589 of 3162	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	2590 of 3245	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	2992 of 3311	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	3797 of 5597	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.9	4256 of 5612	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	4957 of 5609	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	2112 of 5107	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.6	2577 of 5107	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	3273 of 5087	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.2	4021 of 5084	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	2866 of 5460	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.7	3318 of 5517	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	4078 of 5363	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	4703 of 5264	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.7	3006 of 5628	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	2993 of 5643	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	3251 of 5638	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.5	4660 of 5663	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	1377 of 2847	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.0	1698 of 2635	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	1476 of 2420	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)59th percentile+17 vs school

African American (2025)54th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)18th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Mathematics30%-7 vs state

Science26%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bessie E. Owens Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 All Grades	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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bessie E. Owens Elementary	Public	K-6	815 Potomac Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5420	867	40	21.6	89.5%	49 (5.7%)	81 (9.3%)	728 (84.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	36.8	3421^st of 5857 public elementary schools	41.6%		33	3683^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	37.2%	262	25.6		25.6	24.8	45.7	42.4	42.0			38.8	27.8	35.9	24.6	33.3			30.5	91.1	98.0	98.0	97.3	92.5		$26,774	$21,924	$4,850
Fremont Elementary	Public	K-6	607 Texas St.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5280	707	34	20.6	95.0%	12 (1.7%)	45 (6.4%)	647 (91.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.7	5376^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.2%		17.2	5103^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	13.1%	273	10.5		10.5	34.3	14.4	23.9	21.9			23.8	27.7	4.4	8.3	6.8			11.8	92.8	97.8		94.2	95.7	95.7	$28,430	$23,892	$4,538
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	601 Fourth St.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5370	628	30	20.7	97.6%	30 (4.8%)	93 (14.8%)	492 (78.3%)	3 (0.5%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	8.6	5704^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.6%		9.7	5696^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.9%	8	9.1		9.1	15.8	17.2	19.3	17.7			17.4	15.2	9.5	2.3	11.8			9.3	94.4			97.6	95.2	98.4	$34,101	$28,858	$5,243
Rafer Johnson	Public	K-8	1001 Tenth St.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5445	32	6	5.5	90.6%	1 (3.1%)	13 (40.6%)	17 (53.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.1%)								(n/a)										3.9							4.2
Williams Elementary	Public	K-6	1201 Williams St.	Bakersfield	93305	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5840	452	22	20.5	98.9%	8 (1.8%)	32 (7.1%)	411 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10	5636^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.8%		7.9	5781^st of 5869 public elementary schools	1.5%	145	6.5		6.5	17.7	16.2	15.0	27.9			19.4	11.1	8.7	3.2	14.5			9.5	95.2		96.8		95.2		$29,231	$24,220	$5,011
Mt. Vernon Elementary	Public	K-6	2161 Potomac Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5380	614	33	18.7	90.9%	26 (4.2%)	20 (3.3%)	561 (91.4%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9.5	5657^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.4%		8.3	5759^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.9%	102	10.4		10.4	25.3	10.8	14.7	17.1			16.9	22.2	4.8	2.1	9.7			9.3							$30,620	$25,902	$4,718
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-6	1100 Citadel St.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5229	709	33	21.5	90.1%	28 (3.9%)	88 (12.4%)	586 (82.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	7.3	5768^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.5%		8.3	5758^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.9%	10	8.6		8.6	13.9	12.7	20.0	18.4			15.8	8.7	2.7	5.7	8.0			6.2							$25,958	$21,700	$4,258
Downtown Elementary	Public	K-8	2021 M St.	Bakersfield	93301	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5920	317	15	21.6	31.2%	108 (34.1%)	9 (2.8%)	179 (56.5%)	10 (3.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)	76	1333^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	77.2%		77	1287^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.1%	46	46.7	48.3	47.5	65.7	63.6	50.0	88.9	78.8	65.5	69.4	51.4	48.5	36.7	80.6	45.5	41.4	51.5							$23,964	$19,926	$4,038
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-6	816 Lincoln St.	Bakersfield	93305	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5340	510	25	20.4	97.3%	31 (6.1%)	20 (3.9%)	457 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	14.6	5305^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.4%		12.2	5541^st of 5869 public elementary schools	5.6%	236	10.8		10.8	27.8	21.2	19.2	17.3			21.3	34.7	22.4	5.5	5.2			16.8	91.4		96.3	96.3	92.6		$30,071	$25,472	$4,599
Longfellow Elementary	Public	K-6	1900 Stockton St.	Bakersfield	93305	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5350	780	40	19.6	95.8%	51 (6.5%)	68 (8.7%)	643 (82.4%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.2%)	7.8	5744^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.9%		11.8	5568^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.1%	176	6.8		6.8	15.0	17.9	8.8	19.1			15.3	12.1	10.7	1.0	8.3			8.0							$25,274	$20,820	$4,454

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessie E. Owens Elementary

What schools do graduates of Bessie E. Owens Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bessie E. Owens Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Abraham Lincoln Junior High
Middle : Chipman Junior High
High : Bakersfield High

How many students attend Bessie E. Owens Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 867 students attended Bessie E. Owens Elementary.

What district is Bessie E. Owens Elementary in?

Bakersfield City

Is Bessie E. Owens Elementary a good school?

Bessie E. Owens Elementary ranks 3421^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bessie E. Owens Elementary?

Students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary are 84% Hispanic, 9% African American, 6% White.

Rate Bessie E. Owens 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.