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Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8

Public Grades K-8
2880th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 50% of California elementary schools
Summary

Dolores S. Whitley TK–8 is a K–8 school serving 1,151 students in Bakersfield, in the Panama-Buena Vista Union district. Its 2025–26 SchoolDigger ranking is at the 50th percentile statewide, with 3 stars—about the middle of the nearby group. The clearest concern is mathematics: proficiency fell from 39% in 2022–23, when it was 4 points above the state, to 31% in 2025–26, when it was 7 points below.

ELA and science compare better with nearby schools than math does. All-grades ELA was 49%, close to the state and district at 49%, and 5 points above the nearby-school average; science was 31%, 5 points below the state and about even with the district, but 3 points above the nearby average. Math was 31%, below the district’s 32% and the nearby average of 33%. Grade-level results show why the overall math figure can be misleading: third-grade math was 54%, above the state’s 47%, while fifth grade was 24% versus 37% statewide and eighth grade was 21% versus 36%. Fifth-grade ELA was also weak at 37%, compared with 49% statewide, while eighth-grade ELA was stronger at 62%. Whitley is the only nearby school with eighth-grade results, so there is no local same-grade comparison.

Alongside the math decline, chronic absenteeism improved: it dropped from 38% in 2021–22 to 16% in 2025–26, below the district’s 19% and state’s 18%. Whitley’s student-teacher ratio was 22.7 in 2024–25, the second-lowest among nearby schools, despite having the largest enrollment; 87% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students was at the 65th percentile in 2025–26, compared with 50th overall, while its English Language Learner Students ranking fell from the 83rd percentile in 2021–22 to the 54th in 2023–24. These rankings describe the school’s results for those groups. Grade spans vary among nearby schools, and Whitley is the only one with eighth-grade results.

1,151
Students ?
22.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$21,835
Per pupil spending ?
86.6%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 2923 McKee Rd.
       Bakersfield, CA  93313-9747

(661) 885-6600

District: Panama-Buena Vista Union

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
70.9%
Asian:
15.6%
White:
5.3%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 53rd percentile in 2019 → 50th in 2026
Strengths
✓Above the California median (50th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school39%
District avg39%
California avg42%
Elementary school
2,880th of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Top 50%▼ down 3 pts since 2019
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
1,173rd of 2,703
California public middle schools ?
Top 43%▼ down 12 pts since 2023
From top 32% (2023) to top 43% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
10th of 20Elementary Schools in the Panama-Buena Vista Union
508th of 968Panama-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)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202645.32880 of 580450.4%★★★☆☆
202548.42676 of 585754.3%★★★☆☆
202449.72574 of 586956.1%★★★☆☆
202353.52367 of 585959.6%★★★☆☆
202254.22335 of 588360.3%★★★☆☆
201948.02702 of 578953.3%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202278.189 of 66386.6%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202622.7984 of 120718.5%★☆☆☆☆
202529.4932 of 120322.5%★☆☆☆☆
202425.8961 of 120520.2%★☆☆☆☆
202326.6954 of 119019.8%★☆☆☆☆
202238.4813 of 115429.5%★☆☆☆☆
201945.8752 of 114934.6%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202240.41059 of 222752.4%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202445.61441 of 316254.4%★★★☆☆
202357.1897 of 324572.4%★★★★☆
202266.1577 of 331182.6%★★★★☆
201943.41587 of 327551.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202644.42864 of 556948.6%★★☆☆☆
202548.02581 of 559753.9%★★★☆☆
202448.42492 of 561255.6%★★★☆☆
202354.62182 of 560961.1%★★★☆☆
202250.82375 of 563557.9%★★★☆☆
201943.32904 of 549247.1%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202650.22314 of 508554.5%★★★☆☆
202555.71937 of 510762.1%★★★☆☆
202460.61655 of 510767.6%★★★☆☆
202369.71193 of 508776.5%★★★★☆
202267.71264 of 508475.1%★★★★☆
201957.71809 of 496363.6%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202659.21914 of 541264.6%★★★☆☆
202562.91686 of 546069.1%★★★☆☆
202460.91739 of 551768.5%★★★☆☆
202368.41306 of 536375.6%★★★★☆
202269.11208 of 526477.1%★★★★☆
201962.61594 of 517369.2%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202645.32775 of 559050.4%★★★☆☆
202548.32600 of 562853.8%★★★☆☆
202450.12460 of 564356.4%★★★☆☆
202351.22377 of 563857.8%★★★☆☆
202256.12138 of 566362.2%★★★☆☆
201951.82376 of 551056.9%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202444.41143 of 263556.6%★★★☆☆
202340.81193 of 242050.7%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202213.42434 of 272610.7%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202649.81173 of 270356.6%★★★☆☆
202551.01156 of 276158.1%★★★☆☆
202454.51030 of 278363.0%★★★☆☆
202360.8878 of 278168.4%★★★☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202629.9566 of 76926.4%★☆☆☆☆
202525.1574 of 73922.3%★☆☆☆☆
202448.5437 of 74341.2%★★☆☆☆
202353.2385 of 71546.2%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202439.2768 of 147848.0%★★☆☆☆
202337.7859 of 152143.5%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202650.41063 of 248357.2%★★★☆☆
202545.91203 of 253352.5%★★★☆☆
202459.6829 of 255167.5%★★★☆☆
202361.2789 of 253168.8%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202660.0752 of 232567.7%★★★☆☆
202564.9632 of 239573.6%★★★★☆
202459.9730 of 238869.4%★★★☆☆
202370.0503 of 237478.8%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202661.3760 of 249369.5%★★★☆☆
202559.0806 of 254268.3%★★★☆☆
202463.5674 of 257973.9%★★★★☆
202371.7477 of 253181.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202647.71132 of 247854.3%★★★☆☆
202554.0989 of 253461.0%★★★☆☆
202448.11133 of 255255.6%★★★☆☆
202358.8843 of 253866.8%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202639.9826 of 158647.9%★★☆☆☆
202522.61379 of 156611.9%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Elementary school
African American (2022)87th percentile+26 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile+14 vs school
Special Education (2024)57th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)54th percentile+4 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)54th percentile~ school
Disabled (2022)52nd percentile-8 vs school
Male (2026)50th percentile~ school
Female (2026)49th percentile~ school
Asian (2026)18th percentile-32 vs school
White (2022)11th percentile-50 vs school
Middle school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile+13 vs school
Hispanic (2026)68th percentile+11 vs school
Female (2026)57th percentile~ school
Male (2026)54th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2024)48th percentile-15 vs school
Special Education (2026)48th percentile-9 vs school
Asian (2026)26th percentile-30 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy49%~ state avg
Mathematics31%-7 vs state
Science31%-5 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,151 students attended Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8.

Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 ranks 2880th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 are 71% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 5% White, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races.

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Latest California data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026


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.

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