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Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8

Q: Is Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 a good school?

Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 ranks 2676 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

2676^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of California elementary schools

Summary

Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 is a large, Transitional Kindergarten through 8th-grade school serving 1,151 students in the Panama-Buena Vista Union district of Bakersfield, CA, where it maintains a consistent, average academic ranking while serving a community with high economic need.

The school demonstrates clear strengths, including the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (13.0%) among all nearby schools like Roy W. Loudon Elementary and Horizon Elementary, a remarkable post-pandemic recovery. Academically, its English Language Arts instruction is a highlight, with 7th and 8th graders outperforming both district and state averages. The school also shows effective support for its high-needs student populations, and it operates with a more favorable student-teacher ratio than several neighboring schools such as Bill L. Williams Elementary and Panama Elementary.

Challenges include mathematics, where proficiency drops significantly in the middle grades—a trend seen across the area. A notable comparison is with the high-performing W.A. Kendrick Elementary in the Greenfield Union district, which has similar demographics but achieves substantially higher test scores, suggesting potential areas for instructional improvement. Overall, Whitley's TK-8 configuration provides continuity for students, and its stable performance indicates a consistent learning environment.

1,151

Students ?

22.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,835

Per pupil spending ?

86.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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%

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 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (54th 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 (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg38%

California avg41%

Elementary school

2,676^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 1 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,156^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 10 pts since 2023

From top 32% (2023) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	2676 of 5857	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	2574 of 5869	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	2367 of 5859	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	2335 of 5883	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.0	2702 of 5789	53.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	78.1	89 of 663	86.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.4	932 of 1203	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	961 of 1205	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	954 of 1190	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.4	813 of 1154	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.8	752 of 1149	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	40.4	1059 of 2227	52.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	45.6	1441 of 3162	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	897 of 3245	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	66.1	577 of 3311	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	43.4	1587 of 3275	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	2581 of 5597	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.4	2492 of 5612	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	2182 of 5609	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	2375 of 5635	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.3	2904 of 5492	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	1937 of 5107	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	1655 of 5107	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.7	1193 of 5087	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.7	1264 of 5084	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	57.7	1809 of 4963	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	1686 of 5460	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.9	1739 of 5517	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.4	1306 of 5363	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	1208 of 5264	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	62.6	1594 of 5173	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	2600 of 5628	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	2460 of 5643	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	2377 of 5638	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	2138 of 5663	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	2376 of 5510	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.4	1143 of 2635	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.8	1193 of 2420	50.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	13.4	2434 of 2726	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	1156 of 2761	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	1030 of 2783	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	878 of 2781	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	574 of 739	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.5	437 of 743	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.2	385 of 715	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.2	768 of 1478	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.7	859 of 1521	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	1203 of 2533	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.6	829 of 2551	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	789 of 2531	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.9	632 of 2395	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	59.9	730 of 2388	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.0	503 of 2374	78.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	806 of 2542	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	674 of 2579	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.7	477 of 2531	81.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	989 of 2534	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	1133 of 2552	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	843 of 2538	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.6	1379 of 1566	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)69th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2024)57th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)54th percentile~ school

Female (2025)54th percentile~ school

Male (2025)54th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)52nd percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2025)23rd percentile-32 vs school

White (2022)11th percentile-50 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)61st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)53rd percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)48th percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2025)22nd percentile-36 vs school

Special Education (2025)12th percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy49%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-5 vs state

Science31%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8

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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)	% 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 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
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		$21,835	$20,372	$1,463
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	$28,083	$25,990	$2,093
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		$21,922	$20,610	$1,312
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				$20,671	$19,256	$1,415
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					$22,295	$20,178	$2,117
Valle Verde Elementary	Public	K-5	400 Berkshire Rd.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Greenfield Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-6150	768	33	23.2	92.8%	32 (4.2%)	26 (3.4%)	687 (89.5%)	16 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	32.8	3742^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	36.1%		31.5	3809^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.1%	67	16.2		16.2	41.9	38.9	45.6				42.2	27.4	27.5	23.5				26.0	95.6	98.4	97.3	96.7		$23,297	$21,070	$2,227
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		$20,713	$19,266	$1,447
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						$27,632	$26,114	$1,518
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		$24,460	$22,374	$2,086
Raffaello Palla Elementary	Public	K-5	800 Fairview Rd.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Greenfield Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 837-6100	770	30	25.6	94.5%	23 (3.0%)	47 (6.1%)	688 (89.4%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	31	3874^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.9%		27.4	4166^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.0%	292	23.8		23.8	28.1	31.7	40.4				33.8	41.0	27.3	23.2				30.1	96.3	98.1	98.1	96.9		$23,638	$21,646	$1,992

Frequently Asked Questions about Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8

How many students attend Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8?

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

Is Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 a good school?

Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 ranks 2676^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8?

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

What district is Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 in?

Panama-Buena Vista Union

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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.