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Buena Vista Elementary

Q: Is Buena Vista Elementary a good school?

Buena Vista Elementary ranks 1670 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1670^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of California elementary schools

Summary

Buena Vista Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 713 students in Bakersfield, part of the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, and stands out for achieving strong academic results while serving a student population with significant economic need.

The school consistently outperforms both its district and California state averages in English and Math, and it manages student attendance exceptionally well, with a chronic absenteeism rate far lower than most similar schools. A particularly notable strength is its effectiveness with specific student groups, such as African American and Hispanic students, who perform in the top percentiles statewide. While the school spends a moderate amount per student compared to others, it delivers high value, achieving better results than nearby schools like Laurelglen Elementary or Donald E. Suburu in the neighboring Lakeside Union district.

Analysis shows Buena Vista excels in early-grade math and maintains steady English performance across all grades, though there is a noted decline in math proficiency in the upper grades. The school has also made an impressive recovery in student attendance since the pandemic. Compared to top-performing schools in its district like Highgate Elementary and Ronald Reagan Elementary, which serve less economically disadvantaged populations, Buena Vista demonstrates that high poverty does not predetermine lower academic achievement, highlighting its effective teaching and support systems.

713

Students ?

25.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,374

Per pupil spending ?

70.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6547 Buena Vista Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93311-9792

(661) 831-0818

District: Panama-Buena Vista Union

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Earl Warren Junior High
High:	Independence High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.8%

White:

18.2%

Asian:

17.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Buena Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2013 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2013

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Panama-Buena Vista Union

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,670^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Panama-Buena Vista Union

812^th of 1,543Panama-Buena Vista Union 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	68.4	1670 of 5857	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.3	1716 of 5869	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	1653 of 5859	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	1537 of 5883	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	62.2	1960 of 5789	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.0	2185 of 5662	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.3	2260 of 5692	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	66.1	1712 of 5614	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.8	2355 of 5611	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.1	2918 of 5530	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.5	2714 of 5390	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.6	2443 of 5377	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.6	2485 of 5314	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.4	2103 of 5193	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	44.6	2682 of 5113	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.6	1847 of 5113	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.7	1751 of 4818	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	76.4	1078 of 4822	77.6%	★★★★☆
2004	76.9	1037 of 4809	78.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.7	28 of 569	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	83.4	61 of 593	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	62.1	205 of 700	70.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.7	452 of 1203	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	578 of 1205	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.8	738 of 1190	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	758 of 1154	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	714 of 1149	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.4	619 of 1071	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.7	1819 of 2227	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.7	878 of 2585	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	797 of 2128	62.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	91.2	150 of 3311	95.5%	★★★★★
2018	60.3	837 of 3246	74.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.8	1786 of 5597	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	1535 of 5612	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.2	1583 of 5609	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	1447 of 5635	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	67.6	1625 of 5492	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	61.1	1925 of 5413	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.9	1012 of 5107	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	875 of 5107	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	78.1	828 of 5087	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	689 of 5084	86.4%	★★★★☆
2019	68.4	1239 of 4963	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	60.5	1599 of 4830	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.6	747 of 5460	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	72.9	1142 of 5517	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.1	804 of 5363	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	84.3	584 of 5264	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	68.9	1242 of 5173	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	55.2	2021 of 5084	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.9	1516 of 5628	73.1%	★★★★☆
2024	62.8	1859 of 5643	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.0	1679 of 5638	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	1562 of 5663	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	54.3	2243 of 5510	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.9	2341 of 5431	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	1126 of 2847	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	1020 of 2635	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.1	1325 of 2420	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	1590 of 2598	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.9	1596 of 2651	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.8	1754 of 2661	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.5	1507 of 2726	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	1674 of 2834	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	1759 of 2737	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)95th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2025)95th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)80th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)68th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)62nd percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)60th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)39th percentile-33 vs school

Disabled (2022)18th percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy57%+8 vs state

Mathematics48%+11 vs state

Science43%+10 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Buena Vista 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 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 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 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
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	6547 Buena Vista Rd.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 831-0818	713	28	25.9	70.8%	130 (18.2%)	64 (9.0%)	369 (51.8%)	124 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.5%)	68.4	1670^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.5%		67.3	1716^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.8%	46	42.9	42.9	55.6	60.4	59.1	53.2	56.9	64.1	57.1	40.0	30.3	47.9	98.3					$16,374	$1,747	$14,627
Grow Public Schools	Public, Charter	K-8	4800 Corporate Ct.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Grow Public Schools District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 527-5000	1,446	64	22.4	85.2%	93 (6.4%)	14 (1.0%)	1,314 (90.9%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.2%)								(n/a)
Old River Elementary	Public	K-6	9815 Campus Park Dr.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 664-7009	795	32	24.8	76.0%	153 (19.2%)	53 (6.7%)	446 (56.1%)	86 (10.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (6.7%)	58.6	2138^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.5%		68	1684^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.3%	454	38.1	38.1	33.0	52.8	60.6	55.9	51.1	29.6	47.2	46.7	42.0	41.6	94.0	97.4	97.4	95.7	97.4	$15,528	$1,493	$14,035
Sing Lum Elementary	Public	K-6	4600 Chaney Ln.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 664-1611	809	32	25.4	77.1%	145 (17.9%)	64 (7.9%)	521 (64.4%)	39 (4.8%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	33 (4.1%)	41.8	3083^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	47.4%		37.8	3315^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.5%	232	27.8	27.8	39.4	45.4	42.1	47.6	43.8	39.4	35.5	24.6	27.2	31.3	98.1			98.1		$16,465	$1,487	$14,978
Donald E. Suburu	Public	K-5	7315 Harris Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Lakeside Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 665-8190	803	36	22.3	69.7%	93 (11.6%)	53 (6.6%)	529 (65.9%)	81 (10.1%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.2%)	17.6	5046^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.8%		21.4	4738^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.3%	308	13.8	13.8	24.8	27.8	24.4		25.7	30.1	20.3	10.5		20.5	94.7			94.7	98.2	$12,768	$1,061	$11,707
Leo B. Hart Elementary	Public	K-6	9501 Ridge Oak Dr.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 664-1296	705	27	26.4	71.6%	133 (18.9%)	63 (8.9%)	395 (56.0%)	74 (10.5%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	34 (4.8%)	63.1	1920^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.2%		64.7	1839^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.7%	81	41.2	41.2	43.7	55.6	65.1	60.0	56.6	37.9	43.3	34.0	50.0	41.4	96.4	98.2	97.3	98.2		$16,228	$1,504	$14,724
Christa McAuliffe Elementary	Public	K-6	8900 Westwold Dr.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 665-9471	524	25	21.3	77.9%	106 (20.2%)	44 (8.4%)	301 (57.4%)	29 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.2%)	44.8	2898^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		39.7	3196^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.5%	298	29.0	29.0	32.4	53.6	43.6	53.5	45.1	25.0	50.0	19.4	39.7	32.8	95.9				96.9	$19,976	$1,795	$18,181
Highgate Elementary	Public	K-6	13401 Pemberley Passage Ave.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 501-1617	732	29	25.2	44.8%	132 (18.0%)	32 (4.4%)	258 (35.2%)	224 (30.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	81 (11.1%)	92.3	527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.0%		84.6	970^th of 5869 public elementary schools	83.5%	443	52.5	52.5	72.9	81.3	78.8	83.6	79.1	74.1	70.3	67.5	59.7	68.4						$16,687	$1,523	$15,164
Laurelglen Elementary	Public	K-6	2601 El Portal Dr.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 831-4444	574	25	23.1	75.8%	78 (13.6%)	48 (8.4%)	320 (55.7%)	14 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	112 (19.5%)	29.6	3990^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.9%		30.5	3892^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	33.7%	98	23.1	23.1	37.3	26.6	34.6	44.7	35.7	34.7	20.3	18.0	26.3	24.7	96.8		96.8	96.8	96.8	$19,687	$1,846	$17,841
Ronald Reagan Elementary	Public	K-6	10800 Rosslyn Ln.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 665-8099	831	33	24.9	42.7%	229 (27.6%)	31 (3.7%)	272 (32.7%)	231 (27.8%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	61 (7.3%)	84.1	954^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.7%		88.2	805^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.3%	149	50.8	50.8	60.2	73.6	62.9	83.2	70.1	62.7	67.1	41.9	69.8	60.5						$16,582	$1,414	$15,168

Frequently Asked Questions about Buena Vista Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Buena Vista Elementary?

Students at Buena Vista Elementary are 52% Hispanic, 18% White, 17% Asian, 9% African American, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Buena Vista Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 713 students attended Buena Vista Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Buena Vista Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Earl Warren Junior High
High : Independence High

What district is Buena Vista Elementary in?

Panama-Buena Vista Union

Is Buena Vista Elementary a good school?

Buena Vista Elementary ranks 1670^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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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.