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Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Public Grades K-6

5768^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of California elementary schools

Summary

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary is a public K-6 school serving 709 students in the Bakersfield City School District, which ranks in the bottom 12% of all districts in California.

The school faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates in English (15.8%), Math (6.2%), and Science (8.6%) far below state averages, contributing to its statewide ranking in the bottom 2% of schools. Chronic student absenteeism, while improved from pandemic highs, remains a concern at 28.6%. It's important to note that the school serves a community where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and per-student spending is about $20,000, which is in the mid-range for the area.

Interestingly, comparisons with nearby schools reveal that demographics and funding do not solely determine outcomes. For instance, Bessie E. Owens Elementary, located just 1.5 miles away, serves a very similar student population but performs over 40 percentile points higher statewide. This suggests that school-level practices in leadership, teaching, and culture can make a substantial difference. The data also shows the school has had success in reducing chronic absenteeism and shows relative strengths in supporting some student groups, indicating areas of effective practice that could potentially be expanded.

709

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,958

Per pupil spending ?

90.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 Citadel St.
Bakersfield, CA 93307

(661) 631-5229

District: Bakersfield City

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.7%

African American:

12.4%

White:

3.9%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2022 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg21%

California avg41%

5,768^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▬ steady since 2022

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

32^nd 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	7.3	5768 of 5857	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	5758 of 5869	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	5699 of 5859	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	5815 of 5883	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.9	443 of 593	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	485 of 661	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	616 of 663	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.0	2339 of 3162	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	2539 of 3245	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	3180 of 3311	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	5498 of 5597	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	5506 of 5612	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.8	5503 of 5609	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	5590 of 5635	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	4999 of 5107	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	4964 of 5107	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	4925 of 5087	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	5018 of 5084	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	5356 of 5460	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	5407 of 5517	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	5198 of 5363	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	5207 of 5264	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	5517 of 5628	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	5554 of 5643	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	5390 of 5638	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	5597 of 5663	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	24.2	2154 of 2635	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)26th percentile+24 vs school

African American (2024)25th percentile+23 vs school

Special Education (2024)18th percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy16%-33 vs state

Science9%-24 vs state

Mathematics6%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-6	1100 Citadel St.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5229	709	33	21.5	90.1%	28 (3.9%)	88 (12.4%)	586 (82.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	7.3	5768^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.5%		8.3	5758^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.9%	10	8.6	8.6	13.9	12.7	20.0	18.4	15.8	8.7	2.7	5.7	8.0	6.2							$25,958	$21,700	$4,258
Casa Loma Elementary	Public	K-6	525 East Casa Loma Dr.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5200	424	23	18.2	92.7%	10 (2.4%)	16 (3.8%)	396 (93.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11.5	5539^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.4%		12.8	5492^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	6.4%	47	8.8	8.8	10.2	17.4	16.4	18.8	15.9	24.5	10.6	7.3	20.3	15.8	94.1	94.1	96.4	94.1	94.1	94.1	$35,688	$30,174	$5,514
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	$28,430	$23,892	$4,538
Wayside Elementary	Public	K-6	1000 Ming Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5820	652	32	20.1	94.9%	26 (4.0%)	30 (4.6%)	586 (89.9%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	16.7	5128^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.4%		16.3	5190^th of 5869 public elementary schools	11.6%	62	12.0	12.0	21.2	19.8	18.9	34.6	24.1	11.5	10.3	7.8	30.6	15.8	97.5			98.4	98.4	98.4	$27,454	$22,606	$4,848
Bessie E. Owens Elementary	Public	K-6	815 Potomac Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5420	867	40	21.6	89.5%	49 (5.7%)	81 (9.3%)	728 (84.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	36.8	3421^st of 5857 public elementary schools	41.6%		33	3683^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	37.2%	262	25.6	25.6	24.8	45.7	42.4	42.0	38.8	27.8	35.9	24.6	33.3	30.5	91.1	98.0	98.0	97.3	92.5		$26,774	$21,924	$4,850
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	$34,101	$28,858	$5,243
Leo G. Pauly Elementary	Public	K-6	313 Planz Rd.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5430	694	34	20.2	93.9%	36 (5.2%)	57 (8.2%)	578 (83.3%)	9 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.6%)	22.3	4645^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.7%		22.5	4632^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	21.1%	13	14.1	14.1	28.9	27.4	44.7	28.7	32.2	23.3	16.5	28.2	11.0	19.2	93.4				95.6	96.7	$26,804	$22,338	$4,466
Mt. Vernon Elementary	Public	K-6	2161 Potomac Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5380	614	33	18.7	90.9%	26 (4.2%)	20 (3.3%)	561 (91.4%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9.5	5657^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.4%		8.3	5759^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.9%	102	10.4	10.4	25.3	10.8	14.7	17.1	16.9	22.2	4.8	2.1	9.7	9.3							$30,620	$25,902	$4,718
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
Prosperity Elementary	Public	K-5	901 Prosperity Way.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Greenfield Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-6070	543	25	21.6	98.5%	18 (3.3%)	55 (10.1%)	454 (83.6%)	9 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	20.1	4818^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%		22.4	4636^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.0%	182	17.1	17.1	32.6	30.1	22.5		28.4	28.3	23.5	9.1		20.4	97.2				97.2		$26,509	$24,328	$2,181

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

What district is Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary in?

Bakersfield City

How many students attend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 709 students attended Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary?

Students at Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary are 83% Hispanic, 12% African American, 4% White.

Is Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary a good school?

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.5% of California elementary schools.

Rate Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.