Roosevelt Elementary

Roosevelt Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 392 students in the Bakersfield City School District, which serves a community with significant economic needs, and the school itself ranks in the lower quarter of all California elementary schools.

Academically, Roosevelt's students perform below state averages, with about 32% proficient in English and 18% in math, though these scores are slightly above the district average. A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, with about 24% of students missing too much school, a rate higher than most nearby schools like Franklin Elementary (15.9%) and linked to lower academic performance. The school serves a population where over 95% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a level of economic need similar to neighboring schools Evergreen Elementary and McKinley Elementary.

Interestingly, the standout school in the area is Downtown Elementary, which excels academically with much lower absenteeism (1.6%) and less economic need, showing that strong outcomes are possible within the same district. Roosevelt has shown some slow improvement in its statewide ranking over the past decade and is recovering from a post-pandemic spike in absences. The data suggests that targeted efforts to improve attendance and support for specific student groups, such as English learners who have recently struggled, could be key pathways to helping Roosevelt's students succeed.