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Highgate Elementary

Public Grades K-6

527^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of California elementary schools

Summary

Highgate Elementary is a high-performing K-6 public school serving 732 students in Bakersfield, part of the Panama-Buena Vista Union district, and it stands out as a top-tier school in the state despite its district's average ranking.

Academically, Highgate excels far beyond both its district and state averages, with nearly 80% of students proficient in English and over 68% proficient in math. What makes this especially impressive is that the school achieves these results with larger class sizes than many neighbors and serves a significant population of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, it dramatically outperforms nearby schools like Christa McAuliffe Elementary and Old River Elementary, even those with more funding or smaller classes. The school also shows a strong, consistent record of year-over-year improvement in both test scores and student attendance.

Highgate is particularly effective at supporting all its students, with exceptional results for those from low-income families and those in special education. Its chronic absenteeism rate is well below the district and state averages, contributing to its success. While schools in the generally higher-ranked Rosedale Union Elementary district have even better attendance, Highgate surpasses them all academically, proving that a school's own practices and culture are powerful drivers of student success.

732

Students ?

25.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,840

Per pupil spending ?

44.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13401 Pemberley Passage Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93311

(661) 501-1617

District: Panama-Buena Vista Union

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.2%

Asian:

30.6%

White:

18.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 81st percentile in 2023 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (72% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg38%

California avg41%

527^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 10 pts since 2023

From top 19% (2023) to top 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.3	527 of 5857	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	84.6	970 of 5869	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	1114 of 5859	81.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.3	157 of 1203	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	409 of 1205	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.8	278 of 1190	76.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.5	564 of 5597	89.9%	★★★★☆
2024	79.4	1119 of 5612	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	82.3	1008 of 5609	82.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.2	292 of 5107	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	85.8	519 of 5107	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	81.7	665 of 5087	86.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	375 of 5460	93.1%	★★★★★
2024	78.8	890 of 5517	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	79.6	793 of 5363	85.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.8	526 of 5628	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	86.8	780 of 5643	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	1233 of 5638	78.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.1	205 of 2847	92.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.0	381 of 2598	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	87.8	149 of 2651	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	72.0	736 of 2661	72.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)94th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)90th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)87th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy79%+30 vs state

Mathematics68%+31 vs state

Science52%+20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highgate 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
Highgate Elementary	Public	K-6	13401 Pemberley Passage Ave.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 501-1617	732	29	25.2	44.8%	132 (18.0%)	32 (4.4%)	258 (35.2%)	224 (30.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	81 (11.1%)	92.3	527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.0%		84.6	970^th of 5869 public elementary schools	83.5%	443	52.5	52.5	72.9	81.3	78.8	83.6	79.1	74.1	70.3	67.5	59.7	68.4							$21,840	$20,840	$1,000
Del Rio Elementary	Public	K-6	600 Hidalgo Dr.	Bakersfield	93314	Kern County	Rosedale Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-6050	595	27	21.9	34.3%	237 (39.8%)	7 (1.2%)	270 (45.4%)	37 (6.2%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	40 (6.7%)	70.7	1569^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.2%		64	1874^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.1%	305	47.5	47.5	43.0	67.1	69.6	55.0	58.8	39.2	58.5	54.4	43.8	49.1							$17,401	$17,152	$249
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							$24,213	$23,130	$1,083
Grow Public Schools	Public, Charter	K-8	4800 Corporate Ct.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Grow Public Schools District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 527-5000	1,446	64	22.4	85.2%	93 (6.4%)	14 (1.0%)	1,314 (90.9%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.2%)								(n/a)																			$40,454	$38,234	$2,220
Centennial Elementary	Public	K-6	15200 Westdale Dr.	Bakersfield	93314	Kern County	Rosedale Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-6020	576	30	19.0	34.0%	283 (49.1%)	6 (1.0%)	225 (39.1%)	32 (5.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.7%)	62.3	1948^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.7%		63.1	1920^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.3%	28	44.0	44.0	42.5	54.9	64.0	47.7	52.2	41.1	50.0	50.7	36.4	44.3	92.4	92.4	92.4	92.4	92.4	92.4	$21,647	$21,284	$363
Leo B. Hart Elementary	Public	K-6	9501 Ridge Oak Dr.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 664-1296	705	27	26.4	71.6%	133 (18.9%)	63 (8.9%)	395 (56.0%)	74 (10.5%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	34 (4.8%)	63.1	1920^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.2%		64.7	1839^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.7%	81	41.2	41.2	43.7	55.6	65.1	60.0	56.6	37.9	43.3	34.0	50.0	41.4	96.4	98.2		97.3	98.2		$21,946	$20,904	$1,042
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							$19,031	$18,778	$253
Old River Elementary	Public	K-6	9815 Campus Park Dr.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Panama-Buena Vista Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 664-7009	795	32	24.8	76.0%	153 (19.2%)	53 (6.7%)	446 (56.1%)	86 (10.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (6.7%)	58.6	2138^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.5%		68	1684^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.3%	454	38.1	38.1	33.0	52.8	60.6	55.9	51.1	29.6	47.2	46.7	42.0	41.6	94.0	97.4		97.4	95.7	97.4	$22,186	$21,126	$1,060
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	$29,227	$28,068	$1,159
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							$17,590	$17,338	$252

Frequently Asked Questions about Highgate Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Highgate Elementary?

Students at Highgate Elementary are 35% Hispanic, 31% Asian, 18% White, 11% Two or more races, 4% African American.

How many students attend Highgate Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 732 students attended Highgate Elementary.

What district is Highgate Elementary in?

Panama-Buena Vista Union

Is Highgate Elementary a good school?

Yes. Highgate Elementary ranks in the top 9.0% of California elementary schools.

Rate Highgate 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.