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James A. Forrest Elementary

Q: Is James A. Forrest Elementary a good school?

James A. Forrest Elementary ranks 4044 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

4044^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of California elementary schools

Summary

James A. Forrest Elementary serves 576 students in kindergarten through grade 5 in Wasco, in the Wasco Union Elementary district. Its 2025–26 results show a clear mix of strengths and challenges: math compares favorably with nearby schools and its district, while science is the school’s most important academic concern, at 13% proficiency—below the nearby-school average, district and state.

Math is the school’s strongest subject relative to local comparisons: 31% of students were proficient, about 10 percentage points above the district and 3 points above the nearby-school average, though 8 points below the state. Science was weaker at 13%, about 4 points below the district and 8 below nearby schools, and 23 points below the state. ELA proficiency was 35%, close to the district and nearby-school averages (both about 36%), but 14 points below the state.

Math has improved over time, rising from 25% proficiency in 2022–23 to 31% in 2025–26 and narrowing its gap with the state by 2 points. Science edged up from 12% to 13%, but its gap with the state widened by 5 points; ELA remained essentially flat. Attendance is a bright spot: chronic absenteeism fell from 34% in 2021–22 to 6% in 2025–26, below the district’s 11% and state’s 18%. SchoolDigger places the school at the 30th percentile with 2 stars, up from the 28th percentile the prior year; its district is at the 17th percentile with 1 star. The 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 24, compared with a nearby average of about 21; this is not a class-size measure. In 2024–25, 89% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible; California is flagged as a statewide-free-meals state, so this is an enrollment measure, not a count of students receiving meals. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well the school serves English Language Learner Students fell from the 63rd percentile in 2021–22 to the 35th in 2023–24. For Special Education Students, it recorded the 59th percentile in 2022–23, versus the school’s overall 33rd percentile that year; only one year of subgroup data is available.

576

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,410

Per pupil spending ?

89.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

401 North Griffith Ave.
Wasco, CA 93280

(661) 758-7490

District: Wasco Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.7%

White:

1.7%

African American:

0.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare James A. Forrest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2022 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (30% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Science scores 23 pts below the California average

!Near the bottom of Wasco Union Elementary's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg27%

California avg42%

4,044^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 2 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Wasco Union Elementary

1215^th of 1,530Wasco 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
2026	29.3	4044 of 5817	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.0	4222 of 5857	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	4198 of 5869	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	3942 of 5859	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.4	3994 of 5883	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.6	2063 of 3162	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.6	1650 of 3245	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.7	1217 of 3311	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	3893 of 5581	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.7	4104 of 5597	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	4201 of 5612	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	3695 of 5609	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.2	3905 of 5635	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	2921 of 5094	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.9	3254 of 5107	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	3196 of 5107	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.7	2928 of 5087	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	2854 of 5084	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	3388 of 5423	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.4	3796 of 5460	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	3703 of 5517	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	3388 of 5363	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	3063 of 5264	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	3872 of 5603	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.9	4030 of 5628	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	3849 of 5643	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	3870 of 5638	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	3786 of 5663	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	47.0	988 of 2420	59.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2023)59th percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2026)43rd percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)35th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)31st percentile~ school

Female (2026)30th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy35%-14 vs state

Mathematics31%-8 vs state

Science13%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near James A. Forrest 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	29.3	4044^th of 5817 public elementary schools	30.5%		27	4222^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	27.9%	178	12.8		12.8	34.4	30.7	39.5				35.1	44.4	34.7	12.8				30.7	98%	0%	$20,410	$1,351	$19,059
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%)	13.5	5354^th of 5817 public elementary schools	8.0%		11.5	5534^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.5%	180	7.2		7.2	33.3	25.9	17.9				25.0	29.2	10.8	5.2				13.9	96%	0%	$20,121	$1,354	$18,767
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%)	33.2	3723^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	36.0%		31.6	3833^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	34.6%	110	17.0		17.0	47.7	47.6	37.8				44.0	34.8	30.8	11.5				24.8	≥ 99%		$19,706	$1,340	$18,366
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%)	33.5	3701^st of 5817 public elementary schools	36.4%		29.8	3980^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.0%	279	24.6		24.6	26.1	40.0	34.8				34.1	30.4	43.5	26.1				34.1	≥ 99%		$21,437	$1,350	$20,087
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%)	69.7	1601^st of 5817 public elementary schools	72.5%		64	1884^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.8%	283	54.8	53.3	54.1	55.6	53.6	71.0	42.9	72.4	50.0	57.8	66.7	21.4	64.5	46.4	72.4	50.0	53.8	≥ 95%		$19,926	$1,355	$18,571
Horizon Elementary	Public	K-6	800 South Garzoli Ave.	Mc Farland	93250	Kern County	McFarland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-3081	542	21	26.4	87.8%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	528 (97.4%)	11 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	35.3	3562^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	38.8%		39.5	3256^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.4%	306	18.2		18.2	41.2	43.9	36.4	31.7			38.1	47.1	40.9	28.6	13.4			32.3	94%	0%	$19,607	$2,444	$17,163
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%)	23.8	4482^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	22.9%		29.7	3986^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.9%	496	19.4		19.4	27.8	32.9	34.7	25.9			30.7	30.6	39.0	11.1	11.1			24.0	≥ 98%		$19,326	$3,163	$16,163
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%)	18.3	4961^st of 5817 public elementary schools	14.7%		14.9	5271^st of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%	310	22.5		22.5	26.1	31.3	29.2	24.7			27.7	29.9	9.0	15.7	10.6			16.8	≥ 98%		$21,904	$3,480	$18,424
Pond Elementary	Public	K-8	29585 Pond Rd.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Pond Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-2545	175	10	17.1	96.0%	8 (4.6%)	1 (0.6%)	160 (91.4%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	32.5	3774^th of 5817 public elementary schools	35.1%		22.9	4602^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.4%	828	20.0	10.0	14.3	58.8	38.5	40.0	26.7	29.4	30.0	37.3	23.5	34.6	20.0	13.3	11.8	25.0	22.7	89%	0%	$25,482	$2,497	$22,985
Kern Avenue Elementary	Public	K-6	356 West Kern Ave.	Mc Farland	93250	Kern County	McFarland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-3033	700	28	25.0	82.7%	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	678 (96.9%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	17	5069^th of 5817 public elementary schools	12.9%		19.7	4847^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.2%	222	5.3		5.3	16.4	22.5	29.3	34.3			25.5	18.5	19.1	13.3	25.9			19.7	92%	0%	$18,850	$2,478	$16,372

Frequently Asked Questions about James A. Forrest Elementary

How many students attend James A. Forrest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 576 students attended James A. Forrest Elementary.

Is James A. Forrest Elementary a good school?

James A. Forrest Elementary ranks 4044^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is James A. Forrest Elementary in?

Wasco Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of James A. Forrest Elementary?

Students at James A. Forrest Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 2% White.

Rate James A. Forrest Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.