Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Buttonwillow Elementary

Public Grades K-8

4531^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of California elementary schools

Summary

Buttonwillow Elementary is a K-8 public school serving 288 students in a rural community within the Buttonwillow Union Elementary district, where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

After years of low performance, the school is showing promising improvement, jumping from the 5th to the 23rd percentile in statewide rankings in just one year—the most significant recent gain among nearby schools like Semitropic Elementary or Redwood Elementary. This progress coincides with a dramatic drop in chronic absenteeism, and the school has notable strengths, such as a strong 12-to-1 student-teacher ratio for more individual attention and effective support for English Language Learners. However, proficiency rates in English, math, and especially science remain low, with severe weaknesses in middle-grade math.

Compared to other high-need schools, such as Teresa Burke Elementary or Golden Oak Elementary, Buttonwillow's academic results are lower, suggesting its challenges aren't explained by poverty alone. The school spends significantly more per student than many higher-performing area schools like Maple Elementary, indicating resources are in place to potentially accelerate its positive trajectory if focused on curriculum alignment and consistent instruction across all grades.

288

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,677

Per pupil spending ?

90.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

42600 Hwy 58
Buttonwillow, CA 93206-9726

(661) 764-5166

District: Buttonwillow Union Elementary

Students who attend Buttonwillow Elementary usually attend:

High:

Shafter High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.8%

White:

4.5%

African American:

1.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Buttonwillow Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2013 → 23rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Science scores 29 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg20%

California avg41%

Elementary school

4,531^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

2,479^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1407^th of 1,543Buttonwillow Union Elementary 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	23.7	4531 of 5857	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	5561 of 5869	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	5605 of 5859	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	5482 of 5883	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	4667 of 5789	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	5527 of 5662	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	5385 of 5692	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.9	5442 of 5614	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.2	5520 of 5611	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.2	5468 of 5530	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.6	5238 of 5390	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.6	5289 of 5377	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.0	5259 of 5314	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.2	5164 of 5193	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.8	4972 of 5113	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.6	4936 of 5113	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	19.1	4061 of 4818	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	10.5	4633 of 4822	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	14.5	4382 of 4809	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.0	2109 of 3162	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	1714 of 3245	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.6	2400 of 3311	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.2	1236 of 3275	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.2	2585 of 3246	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.7	4108 of 5597	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	5413 of 5612	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	5534 of 5609	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	5272 of 5635	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	4608 of 5492	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	5303 of 5413	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	3533 of 5107	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	14.3	4805 of 5107	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	4900 of 5087	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	4588 of 5084	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	3868 of 4963	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	4718 of 4830	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	3761 of 5460	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	12.1	5318 of 5517	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	5099 of 5363	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	4787 of 5264	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	4061 of 5173	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	4942 of 5084	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.8	4482 of 5628	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	5082 of 5643	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	5136 of 5638	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	5240 of 5663	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	4229 of 5510	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	5255 of 5431	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	2479 of 2761	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	1879 of 2783	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.7	2461 of 2781	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	2249 of 2740	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.6	2033 of 2715	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	2153 of 2480	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.0	2143 of 2508	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.2	2225 of 2497	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.8	2228 of 2477	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.7	2277 of 2379	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.9	2030 of 2259	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.9	1909 of 2236	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.3	1755 of 2179	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	10.1	1928 of 2063	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	18.1	1731 of 2005	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	20.3	1637 of 1999	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.8	1441 of 1804	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.3	1473 of 1777	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	14.9	1575 of 1769	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	43.5	609 of 1478	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.5	635 of 1521	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.3	1186 of 1540	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.9	544 of 1442	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.6	525 of 1364	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.1	2327 of 2533	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.9	1610 of 2551	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.8	2124 of 2531	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	2245 of 2509	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	1850 of 2380	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	1934 of 2262	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.9	2121 of 2395	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.7	1385 of 2388	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.1	2052 of 2374	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.4	1729 of 2359	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	1509 of 2213	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	19.6	1766 of 2072	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	2254 of 2542	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	1633 of 2579	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.1	2111 of 2531	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	1812 of 2458	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	1697 of 2369	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	1754 of 2230	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.2	2322 of 2534	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	1703 of 2552	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	16.4	2252 of 2538	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	1802 of 2527	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.4	1824 of 2407	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	2027 of 2273	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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

English Language Learner (2024)33rd percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile~ school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)59th percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2025)11th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)8th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-23 vs state

Mathematics18%-19 vs state

Science4%-29 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Buttonwillow Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Buttonwillow Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Buttonwillow Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)		CSA Spanish Listening (2025)		CSA Spanish Writing (2025)		CSA Spanish Reading (2025)		CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buttonwillow Elementary	Public	K-8	42600 Hwy 58	Buttonwillow	93206	Kern County	Buttonwillow Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 764-5166	288	23	12.4	90.6%	13 (4.5%)	4 (1.4%)	270 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23.7	4531^st of 5857 public elementary schools	22.6%		11.9	5561^st of 5869 public elementary schools	5.2%	1030									4.2	3.5	3.8	42.9	22.2	17.4	21.2	21.2	24.1	25.6	34.3	33.3	0.0	27.3	3.0	6.9	18.2			$26,677	$6,429	$20,248
Elk Hills Elementary	Public	K-8	501 Kern St.	Tupman	93276	Kern County	Elk Hills Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 765-7431	159	9	17.3	73.0%	116 (73.0%)	5 (3.1%)	33 (20.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	35.6	3531^st of 5857 public elementary schools	39.7%		35.3	3493^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	40.5%	38									30.4	36.8	33.3	14.3	38.9	30.4	55.6	35.3	31.6	34.9	30.8	16.7	21.7	44.4	35.3	26.3	28.7			$15,404	$1,657	$13,747
McKittrick Elementary	Public	K-8	23250 Second St.	Mc Kittrick	93251	Kern County	McKittrick Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 762-7303	61	5	12.2	37.7%	36 (59.0%)	3 (4.9%)	21 (34.4%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											61.5		18.2					54.8		18.2					57.1			$45,375	$922	$44,453
Maple Elementary	Public	K-8	29161 Fresno Ave.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Maple Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-4439	287	12	24.0	60.3%	58 (20.2%)	0 (0.0%)	226 (78.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64	1884^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.8%		57.4	2177^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.9%	293									39.3	46.7	43.1	42.9	35.5	64.3	73.3	58.1	63.3	56.2	25.0	54.8	46.4	70.0	45.2	56.7	50.0			$17,413	$1,733	$15,680
Grow Academy Shafter	Public, Charter	K-8	471 West Los Angeles St.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Grow Academy Shafter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 630-7220	80	6	14.5	72.5%	12 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										24.7	24.7						36.4	36.4						23.4	23.4			$21,090	$1,468	$19,622
Rio Bravo Elementary	Public	K-4	22725 Elementary Ln.	Bakersfield	93314	Kern County	Rio Bravo-Greeley Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 588-6313	589	28	21.0	48.2%	269 (45.7%)	2 (0.3%)	290 (49.2%)	25 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	56.3	2237^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.8%		65.4	1795^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.4%	442												48.3	46.3					47.3	50.0	42.6					46.4	98.4		$14,929	$1,324	$13,605
Golden Oak Elementary	Public	K-6	190 South Wall	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Richland Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-8670	717	40	18.1	89.7%	17 (2.4%)	11 (1.5%)	688 (96.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.8	3811^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.9%		40.7	3143^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	46.4%	668	20.0	20.0	30.0	30.0	55.0	55.0	20.0	20.0	24.1		24.1	29.1	37.1	36.0	37.8			35.3	22.2	42.0	26.8	19.2			27.8			$21,976	$9,085	$12,891
Redwood Elementary	Public	K-6	331 North Shafter Ave.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Richland Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-8650	601	30	20.0	91.8%	20 (3.3%)	3 (0.5%)	569 (94.7%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14.9	5271^st of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%		17.7	5058^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.8%	213									8.4		8.4	23.5	25.8	21.7	23.3			23.6	26.5	28.1	10.8	6.7			16.7			$24,591	$11,098	$13,493
Semitropic Elementary	Public	K-8	25300 Highway 46	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Semitropic Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-6412	140	10	14.5	61.4%	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)	136 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.7	5295^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.6%		21.1	4762^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	18.9%	533									0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0		30.0	33.3	43.8	23.8	30.1	16.7		0.0	16.7	18.8	0.0	10.8
Sequoia Elementary	Public	K-6	500 East Fresno Ave.	Shafter	93263	Kern County	Richland Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 746-8740	534	32	16.4	89.3%	41 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	474 (88.8%)	17 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29.7	3986^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.9%		28.5	4072^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	30.6%	86									25.4		25.4	33.3	38.0	42.4	32.1			36.1	37.2	30.4	15.3	12.7			24.4	95.4	96.5	$21,778	$9,219	$12,559

Frequently Asked Questions about Buttonwillow Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Buttonwillow Elementary?

Students at Buttonwillow Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 5% White, 1% African American.

What district is Buttonwillow Elementary in?

Buttonwillow Union Elementary

How many students attend Buttonwillow Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 288 students attended Buttonwillow Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Buttonwillow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buttonwillow Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Shafter High

Is Buttonwillow Elementary a good school?

Buttonwillow Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.6% of California elementary schools.

Rate Buttonwillow Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Buttonwillow, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Buttonwillow Elementary!

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.