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William Penn Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5402^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of California elementary schools

Summary

William Penn Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 235 students in the Bakersfield City School District, a district that ranks in the bottom 12% statewide, and where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academic performance at William Penn is significantly below state averages, with only about a quarter of students proficient in English and less than 10% proficient in math and science, placing it in the 8th percentile of all California schools. While the school receives more funding per student than most nearby schools and has a lower student-teacher ratio, these advantages have not translated into stronger academic results. For example, Franklin Elementary, located less than a mile away and serving a similarly high-need population, achieves substantially higher test scores and ranks in the 37th percentile.

A notable bright spot is a dramatic improvement in chronic absenteeism, which has fallen from 46% to 18.9% in recent years. However, the school shows large performance gaps between male and female students and struggles particularly in upper-grade math. The contrast with the exceptionally high-performing Downtown Elementary in the same district, which has much lower poverty and absenteeism, highlights the complex challenges facing William Penn as it works to turn improved attendance into academic gains.

235

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,486

Per pupil spending ?

92.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2201 San Emidio St.
Bakersfield, CA 93304-1125

(661) 631-5440

District: Bakersfield City

Students who attend William Penn Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Curran Middle
High:	Bakersfield High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.4%

African American:

12.3%

White:

9.8%

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Compare William Penn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2013 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (16% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg21%

California avg41%

5,402^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^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	13.2	5402 of 5857	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	4859 of 5869	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	5400 of 5859	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	4707 of 5883	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.5	3098 of 5789	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	3345 of 5662	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.9	3376 of 5692	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.0	3408 of 5614	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.5	3288 of 5611	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.9	3465 of 5530	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	26.3	4227 of 5390	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.6	4762 of 5377	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.7	4487 of 5314	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.7	4364 of 5193	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.7	4220 of 5113	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.2	3348 of 5113	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	21.5	3885 of 4818	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	23.2	3752 of 4822	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	22.0	3784 of 4809	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	20.5	3115 of 3245	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	4835 of 5597	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	4678 of 5612	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	4987 of 5609	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	4892 of 5635	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.3	2960 of 5492	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.3	2577 of 5413	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.7	4409 of 5107	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	4052 of 5107	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	4739 of 5087	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	3882 of 5084	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.4	2198 of 4963	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.2	2022 of 4830	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	4886 of 5460	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	4090 of 5517	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	4839 of 5363	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	3979 of 5264	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.6	2362 of 5173	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.5	2517 of 5084	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	5365 of 5628	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	4446 of 5643	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	5062 of 5638	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	3856 of 5663	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.6	3002 of 5510	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	3873 of 5431	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)14th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)5th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)4th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-23 vs state

Science10%-22 vs state

Mathematics9%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near William Penn Elementary

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)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
William Penn Elementary	Public	K-5	2201 San Emidio St.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5440	235	14	16.7	92.3%	23 (9.8%)	29 (12.3%)	182 (77.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.2	5402^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	7.8%		20.1	4859^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.2%	543	10.3		10.3	17.5	36.8	23.1				25.6	9.8	15.8	2.6				9.3						$24,486	$2,942	$21,544
Franklin Elementary	Public	K-6	2400 Truxtun Ave.	Bakersfield	93301	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5270	475	23	20.3	88.0%	60 (12.6%)	67 (14.1%)	332 (69.9%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.5%)	33.1	3719^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.5%		43.7	2949^th of 5869 public elementary schools	49.8%	770	19.2		19.2	34.0	42.6	38.9	52.2			42.4	35.2	27.0	13.9	20.6			23.4	97.3					$20,186	$2,401	$17,785
Roosevelt Elementary	Public	K-5	2324 Verde St.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5460	392	19	20.1	95.4%	26 (6.6%)	24 (6.1%)	324 (82.7%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.3%)	20.5	4788^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.3%		21	4771^st of 5869 public elementary schools	18.7%	17	15.0		15.0	33.9	33.3	29.0				31.8	21.2	17.9	16.5				18.4	93.3	96.7		94.4		$20,325	$2,322	$18,003
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						$128,027	$11,792	$116,235
Caroline Harris Elementary	Public	K-6	4110 Garnsey Ln.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5310	587	30	19.3	82.3%	55 (9.4%)	73 (12.4%)	453 (77.2%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25.6	4344^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.8%		15.6	5255^th of 5869 public elementary schools	10.5%	911	22.1		22.1	27.9	30.1	40.3	35.0			33.0	27.9	20.0	13.2	27.5			22.4	94.4			94.4		$21,054	$2,725	$18,329
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						$18,332	$2,170	$16,162
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	$24,432	$3,096	$21,336
Evergreen Elementary	Public	K-5	2600 Rose Marie Dr.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5930	660	35	18.8	96.8%	37 (5.6%)	54 (8.2%)	563 (85.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	17.4	5066^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.5%		16.8	5140^th of 5869 public elementary schools	12.4%	74	13.6		13.6	30.4	35.6	29.8				31.7	14.3	14.3	6.7				11.7	94.2	98.3	96.7	94.2	96.7	$20,673	$2,589	$18,084
Munsey Elementary	Public	K-6	3801 Brave Ave.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5390	663	33	19.8	86.7%	50 (7.5%)	89 (13.4%)	506 (76.3%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	18.5	4966^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.2%		23.6	4519^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.0%	447	18.0		18.0	27.5	20.7	29.9	35.6			28.5	23.5	13.8	12.4	15.9			16.2	90.6	95.8	95.8	94.8		$21,262	$3,151	$18,111
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	$20,590	$2,637	$17,953

Frequently Asked Questions about William Penn Elementary

What district is William Penn Elementary in?

Bakersfield City

What is the racial makeup of William Penn Elementary?

Students at William Penn Elementary are 77% Hispanic, 12% African American, 10% White.

How many students attend William Penn Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended William Penn Elementary.

What schools do graduates of William Penn Elementary attend?

Students who attend William Penn Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Curran Middle
High : Bakersfield High

Is William Penn Elementary a good school?

William Penn Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.8% of California elementary schools.

Rate William Penn 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.