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Columbia Elementary

Q: Is Columbia Elementary a good school?

Columbia Elementary ranks 2880 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2880^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 51% of California elementary schools

Summary

Columbia Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 601 students in Bakersfield's Fruitvale Elementary district, which is rated above average statewide, though the school itself has maintained an average 3-star rating.

Academically, Columbia's test scores in English, Math, and Science are generally close to or slightly below the state average, and it performs below some nearby schools in the same district like Endeavour Elementary. However, the school has a remarkable success story in dramatically improving student attendance, cutting chronic absenteeism by more than half to a rate that is far better than the California average. This is a significant strength, as good attendance is foundational for learning. The school spends more per student than several higher-performing neighbors, such as American Elementary, but less than others like Christa McAuliffe Elementary.

Analysis shows the school faces clear challenges, particularly in supporting its special education students, who perform well below average. Performance also varies considerably by grade level and among different student groups. While the school serves a population with high economic need effectively compared to many others, its overall ranking is lower than that of its district and several nearby schools in other districts, such as Ronald Reagan Elementary, highlighting a complex landscape of performance and resources in the area.

601

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,884

Per pupil spending ?

69.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

703 Mondavi Way
Bakersfield, CA 93312-4356

(661) 588-3540

District: Fruitvale Elementary

Students who attend Columbia Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fruitvale Junior High
High:	Liberty High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

53.2%

White:

31.1%

Asian:

6.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Columbia Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2013

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

!Science scores 11 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg45%

California avg41%

2,880^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to top 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Fruitvale Elementary

524^th of 1,543Fruitvale Elementary 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	45.0	2880 of 5857	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	2757 of 5869	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	2628 of 5859	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	1963 of 5883	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	2174 of 5789	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.1	2332 of 5662	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.8	2500 of 5692	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.5	2105 of 5614	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.8	2298 of 5611	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.1	1767 of 5530	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.8	1743 of 5390	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	79.3	1047 of 5377	80.5%	★★★★☆
2010	80.8	972 of 5314	81.7%	★★★★☆
2009	77.4	1118 of 5193	78.5%	★★★★☆
2008	73.3	1269 of 5113	75.2%	★★★★☆
2007	73.8	1214 of 5113	76.3%	★★★★☆
2006	63.9	1593 of 4818	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.2	1324 of 4822	72.5%	★★★★☆
2004	67.0	1404 of 4809	70.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	39.3	1337 of 2585	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	907 of 2128	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	2502 of 5597	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.6	2478 of 5612	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.1	2567 of 5609	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.8	1575 of 5635	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	60.4	1953 of 5492	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	2493 of 5413	53.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	2167 of 5107	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.4	2653 of 5107	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.0	2681 of 5087	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	71.0	1103 of 5084	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	1420 of 4963	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	53.9	1979 of 4830	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	2688 of 5460	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	2441 of 5517	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	2243 of 5363	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.8	1138 of 5264	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	59.4	1810 of 5173	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	2034 of 5084	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.0	3114 of 5628	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	2788 of 5643	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	2538 of 5638	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	2278 of 5663	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	2250 of 5510	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.7	2085 of 5431	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	2570 of 2847	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	2045 of 2598	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	2050 of 2651	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	2041 of 2661	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	1960 of 2726	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	1904 of 2834	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	1902 of 2737	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)58th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)48th percentile-14 vs school

Male (2025)45th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-30 vs school

Special Education (2025)10th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy47%~ state avg

Mathematics34%-3 vs state

Science22%-11 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, February 28, 2010

Columbia Elementary School is a top notch school. The teachers are great. The principle is an example of what a true leader should be. On any given day, you can see parents, grandparents and even older siblings on campus volunteering their time to our wonderful school. Rising test scores and outstanding achievments at Oral Language, Science fair and multiple California Distinguished School honors prove how well this school is run. It has been my pleasure to be associated with Columbia for over 7 years! Close Quote

Schools Near Columbia 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)	% 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia Elementary	Public	K-6	703 Mondavi Way	Bakersfield	93312	Kern County	Fruitvale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-3540	601	31	19.6	69.7%	187 (31.1%)	21 (3.5%)	320 (53.2%)	39 (6.5%)	4 (0.7%)	6 (1.0%)	24 (4.0%)	45	2880^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.8%		46.6	2757^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.0%	123	21.6	21.6	41.3	57.1	41.9	51.5	47.2	40.2	44.3	23.0	29.9	34.2	96.1	97.1	98.0	97.1	97.1	97.1	$16,884	$1,300	$15,584
American Elementary	Public	K-6	800 Verdugo	Bakersfield	93312	Kern County	Rosedale Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 587-2277	701	32	21.8	37.2%	268 (38.2%)	16 (2.3%)	328 (46.8%)	52 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (5.1%)	61.3	2007^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.7%		72.9	1454^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.2%	553	37.9	37.9	44.8	50.5	43.6	62.3	50.2	46.7	56.1	33.1	54.0	46.8							$13,196	$43	$13,153
Quailwood Elementary	Public	K-6	7301 Remington Ave.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Fruitvale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 832-6415	345	16	20.9	75.9%	98 (28.4%)	30 (8.7%)	202 (58.6%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	51.2	2541^st of 5857 public elementary schools	56.6%		57.3	2179^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.9%	362	32.6	32.6	46.8	46.7	41.3	76.9	52.0	29.8	40.0	28.3	43.6	35.0	96.6				96.6		$16,590	$1,643	$14,947
Stockdale Elementary	Public	K-6	7801 Kroll Way	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 831-7835	587	26	22.5	60.3%	148 (25.2%)	28 (4.8%)	316 (53.8%)	63 (10.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.3%)	75.2	1361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	76.8%		72	1496^th of 5869 public elementary schools	74.5%	135	45.6	45.6	56.4	48.2	70.1	56.3	57.5	64.6	55.3	63.6	44.8	56.7							$18,707	$1,661	$17,046
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
Endeavour Elementary	Public	K-6	9300 Meacham Rd.	Bakersfield	93312	Kern County	Fruitvale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-3550	724	33	21.9	72.8%	268 (37.0%)	33 (4.6%)	360 (49.7%)	27 (3.7%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	30 (4.1%)	57.1	2208^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.3%		54.7	2301^st of 5869 public elementary schools	60.8%	93	33.3	33.3	67.0	46.7	52.0	44.0	52.5	75.5	35.5	33.3	25.0	42.7							$15,339	$1,046	$14,293
Independence Elementary	Public	K-6	2345 Old Farm Rd.	Bakersfield	93312	Kern County	Rosedale Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-6011	709	31	22.8	29.6%	317 (44.7%)	19 (2.7%)	284 (40.1%)	41 (5.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.3%)	60.8	2024^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.4%		64.1	1873^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	68.1%	151	36.2	36.2	50.5	52.4	51.8	71.4	56.0	43.8	39.0	28.7	62.4	42.3							$12,262	$45	$12,217
Rosedale-North Elementary	Public	K-6	11500 Meacham Ave.	Bakersfield	93312	Kern County	Rosedale Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-6040	537	30	18.2	49.7%	218 (40.6%)	11 (2.0%)	265 (49.3%)	14 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.2%)	57.4	2200^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.4%		49.9	2560^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.4%	360	29.7	29.7	43.4	57.4	52.7	47.1	49.8	54.0	44.3	41.9	35.7	44.1							$16,481	$583	$15,898
Wayne Van Horn Elementary	Public	K-6	5501 Kleinpell Ave.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 324-6538	578	25	23.5	87.4%	58 (10.0%)	76 (13.1%)	392 (67.8%)	13 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.4%)	18.2	4988^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.8%		25.7	4298^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.8%	690	6.4	6.4	27.3	34.7	15.8	37.8	29.0	23.4	23.6	5.3	13.9	16.5	90.3	96.8		93.6	93.6	95.7	$18,363	$2,142	$16,221
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Elementary

What schools do graduates of Columbia Elementary attend?

Students who attend Columbia Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fruitvale Junior High
High : Liberty High

What district is Columbia Elementary in?

Fruitvale Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Elementary?

Students at Columbia Elementary are 53% Hispanic, 31% White, 6% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

How many students attend Columbia Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 601 students attended Columbia Elementary.

Is Columbia Elementary a good school?

Columbia Elementary ranks 2880^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Columbia 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.