Is Harding Elementary a good school?

Harding Elementary ranks 4213 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Harding Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 546 students attended Harding Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Harding Elementary?

Students at Harding Elementary are 77% Hispanic, 13% White, 6% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Harding Elementary attend?

Students who attend Harding Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Compton Junior High High : East Bakersfield High

Harding Elementary

Summary:

Harding Elementary is a public elementary school in Bakersfield, California, serving 567 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Bakersfield City School District, which is ranked 1338 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Harding Elementary consistently outperforms the district average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessments, with 34.73% of students proficient or better in ELA and 18.65% in Mathematics, compared to the district's 27.74% and 15.01%, respectively. However, the school's performance still lags behind the state average. Harding Elementary also faces significant challenges with chronic absenteeism, ranging from 3.7% to 51.5% in recent years, which is consistently higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 80.95% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and a relatively high student-teacher ratio, which may impact the school's ability to provide personalized attention.

Compared to nearby schools in the Bakersfield City School District, Harding Elementary generally outperforms its peers, particularly in ELA and Mathematics assessments. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Harding Elementary's ELA proficiency rate of 34.73% was significantly higher than the nearby Williams Elementary (14.39%) and Pioneer Drive Elementary (28.01%). However, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with Hispanic and English Language Learner students performing relatively better than White and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

Detail:

Public K-6

3201 Pico Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93306-3531

(661) 631-5300

District: Bakersfield City

SchoolDigger Rank:
4213^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,122

Students who attend Harding Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Compton Junior High
High:	East Bakersfield High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.0

Number of students: 546

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.3%

White:

12.8%

African American:

5.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 87%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Harding Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Harding Elementary ranks worse than 71.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 32 ranked elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 26.86. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (77.3%), White (12.8%), African American (5.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 87% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Harding Elementary is 21. 24 elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Harding Elementary employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Harding Elementary is $8,122. 24 elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Harding Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Harding Elementary 4213^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Harding Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Bakersfield City:

SchoolDigger ranks Bakersfield City 1338^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Harding Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	38.59	2716^th	4809	43.5%
2005	50.07	2193^rd	4822	54.5%
2006	51.32	2125^th	4818	55.9%
2007	46.42	2531^st	5113	50.5%
2008	46.64	2574^th	5113	49.7%
2009	51.03	2422^nd	5193	53.4%
2010	49.36	2598^th	5314	51.1%
2011	47.70	2739^th	5377	49.1%
2012	59.58	2071^st	5390	61.6%
2013	48.53	2776^th	5530	49.8%
2015	47.28	2608^th	5611	53.5%
2016	49.07	2537^th	5614	54.8%
2017	58.28	2103^rd	5692	63.1%
2018	55.60	2257^th	5662	60.1%
2019	35.58	3489^th	5789	39.7%
2022	27.73	4077^th	5883	30.7%
2023	25.03	4363^rd	5874	25.7%
2024	26.86	4213^th	5862	28.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	33.98	2245^th	3250	30.9%
2024	57.86	808^th	3160	74.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	66.58	1366^th	5084	73.1%
2019	43.80	2841^st	5173	45.1%
2022	30.39	3807^th	5264	27.7%
2023	28.31	4047^th	5374	24.7%
2024	31.12	3840^th	5511	30.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.11	2490^th	5413	54.0%
2019	32.53	3633^rd	5492	33.8%
2022	28.45	3885^th	5635	31.1%
2023	24.09	4320^th	5617	23.1%
2024	23.96	4347^th	5605	22.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	59.32	1968^th	5431	63.8%
2019	38.55	3144^th	5510	42.9%
2022	28.32	3935^th	5663	30.5%
2023	27.05	4034^th	5650	28.6%
2024	31.52	3694^th	5636	34.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	64.30	1430^th	4830	70.4%
2019	44.62	2640^th	4963	46.8%
2022	38.25	3034^th	5084	40.3%
2023	32.09	3541^st	5098	30.5%
2024	32.91	3504^th	5102	31.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.47	1399^th	2737	48.9%
2019	31.26	2112^th	2834	25.5%
2023	28.06	2030^th	2662	23.7%
2024	19.74	2224^th	2647	16.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Harding Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	351	27	14	186	8	n/a	n/a	0	586
1989	360	29	16	207	5	n/a	n/a	0	617
1990	368	30	21	231	6	n/a	n/a	0	656
1991	370	30	14	229	8	n/a	n/a	0	651
1992	363	30	20	250	9	n/a	n/a	0	672
1993	337	33	18	287	8	n/a	n/a	0	683
1994	291	40	15	290	12	n/a	n/a	0	648
1995	267	26	11	300	11	n/a	n/a	0	615
1996	267	26	11	300	11	n/a	n/a	0	615
1997	252	38	12	296	9	n/a	n/a	0	607
1998	237	39	12	286	11	n/a	n/a	0	585
1999	231	55	10	307	8	n/a	n/a	0	611
2000	214	22	13	266	7	n/a	n/a	0	522
2001	221	24	16	280	5	n/a	n/a	0	546
2002	178	25	12	289	5	n/a	n/a	0	509
2003	178	25	12	289	5	n/a	n/a	0	509
2004	157	21	8	285	1	n/a	n/a	3	475
2005	144	15	7	293	2	n/a	n/a	0	461
2006	138	16	5	317	1	n/a	n/a	2	479
2007	129	23	9	339	2	n/a	n/a	2	504
2008	105	28	18	353	2	n/a	n/a	0	506
2009	113	31	13	351	4	0	1	0	513
2010	109	18	11	407	2	0	4	0	551
2011	98	11	7	380	2	0	6	0	504
2012	89	13	4	419	2	1	8	0	536
2013	97	20	9	462	3	0	7	0	598
2014	99	25	9	465	2	0	9	0	609
2015	102	19	9	410	2	0	7	0	549
2016	104	15	10	427	3	0	8	0	567
2017	79	16	10	469	2	1	12	0	589
2018	84	13	14	456	1	1	12	0	581
2019	79	15	12	456	1	0	10	0	573
2020	82	9	12	466	1	0	10	0	580
2021	69	13	13	434	1	0	9	0	539
2022	64	9	13	418	2	0	7	0	513
2023	79	31	11	432	3	0	11	0	567
2024	70	31	12	422	2	0	9	0	546

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Harding Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	586	22.0	26.6	n/a
1989	617	23.0	26.8	n/a
1990	656	24.0	27.3	n/a
1991	651	24.4	26.6	n/a
1992	672	24.8	27.0	37.2
1993	683	24.0	28.5	34.7
1994	648	23.0	28.2	44.1
1995	615	23.0	26.7	50.1
1996	615	23.0	26.7	50.1
1997	607	26.0	23.3	54.5
1998	585	28.0	20.9	59
1999	611	29.0	21.1	59.2
2000	522	26.4	19.8	59.2
2001	546	25.0	21.8	60.4
2002	509	25.7	19.8	57.8
2003	509	25.7	19.8	57.8
2004	475	20.7	22.9	63.1
2005	461	20.7	22.3	65.3
2006	479	23.0	20.8	63.1
2007	504	23.0	21.9	63.5
2008	506	27.7	18.3	62.6
2009	513	23.0	21.4	65.3
2010	551	25.0	22.0	77.7
2011	504	n/a	n/a	74.2
2012	536	24.6	21.7	n/a
2013	598	26.3	22.7	69.4
2014	609	26.0	23.4	75.2
2015	549	26.0	21.1	75
2016	567	25.0	22.6	78.8
2017	589	25.0	23.5	81.7
2018	581	25.0	23.2	82.1
2019	573	26.0	22.0	82.2
2020	580	n/a	n/a	86.9
2021	539	26.9	19.9	89.1
2022	513	25.6	19.9	75.4
2023	567	24.0	23.6	81
2024	546	26.0	21.0	87

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Harding Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	586	22.0	26.6	n/a
1989	617	23.0	26.8	n/a
1990	656	24.0	27.3	n/a
1991	651	24.4	26.6	n/a
1992	672	24.8	27.0	37.2
1993	683	24.0	28.5	34.7
1994	648	23.0	28.2	44.1
1995	615	23.0	26.7	50.1
1996	615	23.0	26.7	50.1
1997	607	26.0	23.3	54.5
1998	585	28.0	20.9	59
1999	611	29.0	21.1	59.2
2000	522	26.4	19.8	59.2
2001	546	25.0	21.8	60.4
2002	509	25.7	19.8	57.8
2003	509	25.7	19.8	57.8
2004	475	20.7	22.9	63.1
2005	461	20.7	22.3	65.3
2006	479	23.0	20.8	63.1
2007	504	23.0	21.9	63.5
2008	506	27.7	18.3	62.6
2009	513	23.0	21.4	65.3
2010	551	25.0	22.0	77.7
2011	504	n/a	n/a	74.2
2012	536	24.6	21.7	n/a
2013	598	26.3	22.7	69.4
2014	609	26.0	23.4	75.2
2015	549	26.0	21.1	75
2016	567	25.0	22.6	78.8
2017	589	25.0	23.5	81.7
2018	581	25.0	23.2	82.1
2019	573	26.0	22.0	82.2
2020	580	n/a	n/a	86.9
2021	539	26.9	19.9	89.1
2022	513	25.6	19.9	75.4
2023	567	24.0	23.6	81
2024	546	26.0	21.0	87

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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