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Panama Elementary

Q: Is Panama Elementary a good school?

Panama Elementary ranks 2486 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2486^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of California elementary schools

Summary

Panama Elementary is a large K-6 school serving 876 students in the Panama-Buena Vista Union district in Bakersfield, known for its significant and steady improvement over the last decade.

This school stands out for its strong academic results, particularly in mathematics where it consistently outperforms the district average and nearby schools like Berkshire Elementary and Roy W. Loudon Elementary. It has also made remarkable progress in reducing chronic student absences, now boasting a lower rate than most surrounding schools. While performing slightly above state averages in English and math, the school shows unusual strength in upper grades, with sixth graders excelling in English and fourth graders performing exceptionally well in math.

Panama Elementary is a consistent leader within its district, achieving these results efficiently. While a school like W. A. Kendrick Elementary in the Greenfield Union district may have higher test scores, Panama's sustained improvement and effective management of resources make it a strong performer. The school's trajectory from a lower-performing to a solidly average school over ten years is a key indicator of its stable and positive environment.

876

Students ?

26.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,239

Per pupil spending ?

80.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9400 Stine Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93313-9728

(661) 831-1741

District: Panama-Buena Vista Union

Students who attend Panama Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Stonecreek Junior High
High:	Ridgeview High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.8%

Asian:

10.3%

Two or more races:

10.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Panama Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2013 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (58th percentile)

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 school42%

District avg38%

California avg41%

2,486^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^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	52.2	2486 of 5857	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.6	2312 of 5869	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	2057 of 5859	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	2329 of 5883	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.8	2713 of 5789	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.0	2957 of 5662	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.4	3082 of 5692	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.9	3336 of 5614	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.1	3197 of 5611	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.0	4046 of 5530	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	36.5	3494 of 5390	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.1	3610 of 5377	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.3	2892 of 5314	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	28.6	3803 of 5193	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.0	3392 of 5113	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	31.2	3483 of 5113	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	37.9	2828 of 4818	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.7	2208 of 4822	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.4	2339 of 4809	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	906 of 1203	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	833 of 1071	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	33.5	1325 of 2227	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.1	727 of 2585	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	46.2	872 of 2128	59.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.7	737 of 3162	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.4	178 of 3245	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	62.0	696 of 3311	79.0%	★★★★☆
2019	42.0	1670 of 3275	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	1625 of 3246	49.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	2323 of 5597	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	2225 of 5612	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	2204 of 5609	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.1	2259 of 5635	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.0	2178 of 5492	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	2715 of 5413	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.4	1539 of 5107	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.2	1348 of 5107	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	70.8	1142 of 5087	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	71.2	1094 of 5084	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	59.9	1690 of 4963	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.0	2112 of 4830	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	1345 of 5460	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.1	1454 of 5517	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	1168 of 5363	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	72.5	1053 of 5264	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	54.4	2112 of 5173	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	2314 of 5084	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	2457 of 5628	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	2270 of 5643	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	1757 of 5638	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	2225 of 5663	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	2898 of 5510	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.3	3028 of 5431	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	631 of 718	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	600 of 670	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	525 of 669	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	512 of 610	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.0	765 of 2847	73.1%	★★★★☆
2024	49.1	992 of 2635	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	24.3	1941 of 2420	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	23.0	2324 of 2834	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.6	2114 of 2737	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)77th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2025)73rd percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)70th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)58th percentile~ school

Male (2025)56th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)41st percentile-20 vs school

Asian (2025)25th percentile-33 vs school

White (2019)18th percentile-35 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)12th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy50%~ state avg

Mathematics38%~ state avg

Science28%-5 vs state

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Schools Near Panama 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)	% Hepatitis B (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	% Hepatitis B KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Panama Elementary	Public	K-6	9400 Stine Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 831-1741	876	33	26.5	80.4%	67 (7.6%)	44 (5.0%)	576 (65.8%)	90 (10.3%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	90 (10.3%)	52.2	2486^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.6%		54.6	2312^th of 5869 public elementary schools	60.6%	174	28.1		28.1	39.4	52.6	44.3	61.3			49.8	34.0	55.2	29.2	34.5			38.3	98.1			98.1		$17,239	$2,450	$14,789
Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8	Public	K-8	2923 McKee Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 885-6600	1,151	51	22.7	86.6%	61 (5.3%)	50 (4.3%)	816 (70.9%)	180 (15.6%)	8 (0.7%)	4 (0.3%)	32 (2.8%)	48.4	2676^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.3%		49.7	2574^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.1%	102	31.8	30.2	31.0	46.4	42.6	46.5	47.0	53.9	56.3	49.0	50.9	39.8	24.0	32.8	23.4	28.1	32.6	96.5	97.9		96.5		$17,305	$1,954	$15,351
Douglas J. Miller Elementary	Public	K-6	7345 Mountain Ridge Dr.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 836-6689	994	36	28.0	80.0%	61 (6.1%)	47 (4.7%)	524 (52.7%)	333 (33.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	26 (2.6%)	53	2433^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	58.5%		49.7	2576^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.1%	143	27.8		27.8	49.3	47.4	44.7	59.9			50.3	50.7	43.1	20.7	40.9			38.5						$19,155	$1,927	$17,228
Berkshire Elementary	Public	K-6	3900 Berkshire Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 834-9472	932	36	25.8	85.1%	51 (5.5%)	65 (7.0%)	655 (70.3%)	133 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (3.0%)	22.8	4614^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.2%		26.6	4240^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.8%	374	15.6		15.6	36.4	22.0	29.6	40.1			32.2	35.6	13.7	8.6	19.7			18.9	98.5	98.5				$15,580	$1,841	$13,739
Granite Pointe Elementary	Public	K-5	2900 Berkshire Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Greenfield Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-6040	670	29	23.1	90.1%	40 (6.0%)	43 (6.4%)	541 (80.7%)	33 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.6%)	48.2	2688^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.1%		42.7	3019^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.6%	331	31.3		31.3	45.6	42.6	49.5				45.6	53.3	31.5	29.6				37.9	94.6	98.2	98.2	95.8	98.2	$19,612	$2,093	$17,519
Roy W. Loudon Elementary	Public	K-6	4000 Loudon St.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 398-3210	807	34	23.6	88.0%	76 (9.4%)	50 (6.2%)	600 (74.3%)	36 (4.5%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	41 (5.1%)	32.6	3762^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	35.8%		34.2	3589^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.8%	173	19.4		19.4	40.7	34.5	44.9	45.4			41.4	32.6	20.0	19.6	23.7			23.5	97.0	97.0	98.0	97.0		$16,951	$2,067	$14,884
Bill L. Williams Elementary	Public	K-6	5601 Harris Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-8070	926	36	26.0	77.6%	85 (9.2%)	44 (4.8%)	636 (68.7%)	108 (11.7%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	46 (5.0%)	36.8	3423^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	41.6%		41	3126^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.7%	297	22.6		22.6	28.5	45.2	44.0	48.9			41.8	35.4	33.9	16.3	27.7			28.1	95.4		98.0	96.7	98.0	$13,907	$1,853	$12,054
Horizon Elementary	Public	K-5	7901 Monitor St.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Greenfield Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-3730	845	36	23.4	93.8%	42 (5.0%)	33 (3.9%)	718 (85.0%)	46 (5.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	30.4	3927^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.0%		24.3	4429^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.5%	502	18.9		18.9	38.1	42.5	32.9				37.6	33.1	30.0	19.4				26.8	97.4					$16,730	$2,117	$14,613
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
W. A. Kendrick Elementary	Public	K-5	2200 Faith Ave.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Greenfield Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-6190	699	31	22.4	92.8%	31 (4.4%)	40 (5.7%)	610 (87.3%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.3%)	77.2	1275^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.2%		84.4	979^th of 5869 public elementary schools	83.3%	296	44.0		44.0	51.9	70.1	67.9				63.7	44.8	64.1	60.6				57.0	95.6	97.8	97.8	95.6		$17,798	$2,087	$15,711

Frequently Asked Questions about Panama Elementary

How many students attend Panama Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 876 students attended Panama Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Panama Elementary?

Students at Panama Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 8% White, 5% African American.

What schools do graduates of Panama Elementary attend?

Students who attend Panama Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Stonecreek Junior High
High : Ridgeview High

What district is Panama Elementary in?

Panama-Buena Vista Union

Is Panama Elementary a good school?

Panama Elementary ranks 2486^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Panama 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.