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Golden Oak Elementary

Q: Is Golden Oak Elementary a good school?

Golden Oak Elementary ranks 3811 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3811^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of California elementary schools

Summary

Golden Oak Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 717 students in Shafter, part of the Richland Union Elementary district, which faces significant challenges, yet the school itself shows a strong pattern of post-pandemic recovery and improvement.

Academically, Golden Oak consistently outperforms its district averages in English, math, and science, and stands out for its exceptional support for English Language Learners, ranking in the state's top quartile for that group. The school has also made remarkable progress in getting students to attend regularly, slashing its chronic absenteeism rate from over 50% to 13%, which is better than both the district and state averages and compares favorably to nearby schools like Sequoia Elementary (23.5%) and Redwood Elementary (21.5%). However, performance varies, with notable strengths in early grades and with female students, but significant challenges in supporting special education students and a concerning decline in math scores in 5th and 6th grades.

When compared to schools in higher-performing districts like Norris Elementary or Maple Elementary, Golden Oak's overall state ranking is lower, reflecting the broader district context. It operates with a more favorable student-teacher ratio than some peers but has higher per-student spending, indicating that resources are being allocated differently. The nearby charter school, Grow Academy Shafter, shows similar academic results with a much smaller size and lower absenteeism, highlighting different operational models in the area.

717

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,976

Per pupil spending ?

89.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

190 South Wall
Shafter, CA 93263

(661) 746-8670

District: Richland Union Elementary

Students who attend Golden Oak Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Richland Junior High
High:	Shafter High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.0%

White:

2.4%

African American:

1.5%

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Compare Golden Oak Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 18th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (31% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 13 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg25%

California avg41%

3,811^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Richland Union Elementary

1282^nd of 1,543Richland 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.8	3811 of 5857	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	3143 of 5869	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.1	3631 of 5859	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	4153 of 5883	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	1175 of 1417	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	2959 of 5789	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	3242 of 5662	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.1	2915 of 5692	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.8	3500 of 5614	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	20.2	4607 of 5611	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.4	3501 of 5530	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.6	3832 of 5390	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.2	3599 of 5377	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	19.8	4606 of 5314	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.2	4667 of 5193	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.3	4693 of 5113	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	18.9	4380 of 5113	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.4	3895 of 4818	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	22.7	3778 of 4822	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	15.2	4335 of 4809	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.5	1763 of 2227	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.4	196 of 293	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.8	2572 of 2585	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	1443 of 2128	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.8	732 of 3162	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	54.7	981 of 3245	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.2	1941 of 3311	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.1	531 of 602	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.4	1030 of 3275	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.1	971 of 3246	70.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.7	3417 of 5597	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	2625 of 5612	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.3	3189 of 5609	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.4	3891 of 5635	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.3	945 of 1267	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.4	2646 of 5492	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.0	2830 of 5413	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	2606 of 5107	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.7	1747 of 5107	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.3	2343 of 5087	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.0	2978 of 5084	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.4	1722 of 4963	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	2055 of 4830	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	38.7	202 of 335	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	3100 of 5460	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.2	2443 of 5517	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.0	2700 of 5363	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.6	3119 of 5264	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.7	857 of 1110	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.8	2018 of 5173	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.7	2189 of 5084	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.2	4006 of 5628	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.5	3450 of 5643	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	3868 of 5638	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.9	4141 of 5663	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	1121 of 1272	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	3092 of 5510	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.9	3472 of 5431	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	2349 of 2847	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	1898 of 2635	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	1993 of 2420	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)77th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)43rd percentile+8 vs school

Homeless (2023)40th percentile~ school

Female (2025)39th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)17th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Writing55%+38 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy35%-13 vs state

Listening30%+5 vs state

Mathematics28%-9 vs state

Science24%-9 vs state

Overall20%+10 vs state

Reading20%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Golden Oak 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)				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)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (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	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
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
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
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
Teresa Burke Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 Filburn St.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7480	503	25	20.1	93.0%	10 (2.0%)	7 (1.4%)	477 (94.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	29.8	3980^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.0%		29	4020^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.5%	40									17.7		17.7	35.7	42.9	28.6				35.3	40.5	32.4	11.8				27.9	95.8		95.8			$21,433	$1,043	$20,390
Karl F. Clemens Elementary	Public	K-5	600 Griffith Ave.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7120	551	26	21.1	95.5%	13 (2.4%)	4 (0.7%)	531 (96.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11.5	5534^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.5%		12.6	5516^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.0%	18									7.7		7.7	28.1	21.8	16.2				21.4	24.4	10.1	4.3				12.0	96.9		96.9			$20,450	$1,005	$19,445
James A. Forrest Elementary	Public	K-5	401 North Griffith Ave.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7490	576	24	24.0	89.4%	10 (1.7%)	5 (0.9%)	557 (96.7%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27	4222^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	27.9%		27	4198^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.5%	24									10.8		10.8	41.0	30.2	29.3				33.5	49.4	18.6	12.2				26.7	96.8	96.8			96.8	$21,124	$1,059	$20,065
John L. Prueitt Elementary	Public	K-5	3501 Seventh St.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Wasco Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 758-7180	621	29	21.4	89.0%	9 (1.4%)	6 (1.0%)	593 (95.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	5 (0.8%)	31.6	3833^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	34.6%		36.4	3410^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.9%	423									22.3		22.3	46.2	33.0	39.6				39.6	41.1	15.7	13.9				23.7						$19,357	$1,020	$18,337

Frequently Asked Questions about Golden Oak Elementary

What district is Golden Oak Elementary in?

Richland Union Elementary

How many students attend Golden Oak Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 717 students attended Golden Oak Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Golden Oak Elementary attend?

Students who attend Golden Oak Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Richland Junior High
High : Shafter High

What is the racial makeup of Golden Oak Elementary?

Students at Golden Oak Elementary are 96% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% African American.

Is Golden Oak Elementary a good school?

Golden Oak Elementary ranks 3811^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Golden Oak Elementary!

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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.