Is Bessie E. Owens Elementary a good school?

Bessie E. Owens Elementary ranks 3677 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bessie E. Owens Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 900 students attended Bessie E. Owens Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bessie E. Owens Elementary?

Students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary are 83% Hispanic, 10% African American, 6% White.

What schools do graduates of Bessie E. Owens Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bessie E. Owens Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Abraham Lincoln Junior High Middle : Chipman Junior High High : Bakersfield High

Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Summary:

Bessie E. Owens Elementary is a public elementary school in Bakersfield, California, serving 889 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.

Bessie E. Owens Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of California elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments across all grade levels and subjects. In 2023-2024, only 32.87% of Bessie E. Owens students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 27.74% for Bakersfield City and 47.04% for California. In Math, only 26.33% of Bessie E. Owens students were proficient, compared to 15.01% for Bakersfield City and 35.54% for California. The school also has a high percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 91.56% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and a significant proportion of English Language Learners.

Compared to nearby schools, Bessie E. Owens Elementary performs significantly worse than Downtown Elementary, which is ranked in the top 25% of California elementary schools and outperforms the district and state averages on academic assessments. Other nearby schools, such as Jefferson Elementary, Longfellow Elementary, and McKinley Elementary, also struggle academically, with test scores well below the state average and high chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public K-6

815 Potomac Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93307-1450

(661) 631-5420

District: Bakersfield City

SchoolDigger Rank:
3677^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,334

Students who attend Bessie E. Owens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Abraham Lincoln Junior High
	Chipman Junior High
High:	Bakersfield High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.9

Number of students: 900

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

83.2%

African American:

9.7%

White:

5.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Bessie E. Owens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Bessie E. Owens Elementary ranks worse than 62.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 32 ranked elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 33.02. (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 (83.2%), African American (9.7%), White (5.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bessie E. Owens Elementary is 20.9. 22 elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Bessie E. Owens Elementary employs 42.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bessie E. Owens Elementary is $10,334, which is the 4^th highest among 32 elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bessie E. Owens Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Bessie E. Owens Elementary 3677^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Bessie E. Owens Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic 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 Bessie E. Owens Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	16.84	5179^th	5883	12.0%
2023	26.38	4242^nd	5874	27.8%
2024	33.02	3677^th	5862	37.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	24.20	2992^nd	3311	9.6%
2023	29.10	2593^rd	3250	20.2%
2024	29.41	2587^th	3160	18.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	34.01	1476^th	2420	39.0%
2024	32.05	1697^th	2634	35.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	19.22	4703^rd	5264	10.7%
2023	27.94	4083^rd	5374	24.0%
2024	37.71	3314^th	5511	39.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.03	4965^th	5617	11.6%
2024	24.93	4249^th	5605	24.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	20.53	4660^th	5663	17.7%
2023	37.10	3254^th	5650	42.4%
2024	41.15	2988^th	5636	47.0%

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

Rank History for African American students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.64	475^th	662	28.2%
2024	70.61	122^nd	593	79.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bessie E. Owens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	26.17	4021^st	5084	20.9%
2023	35.46	3280^th	5098	35.7%
2024	45.59	2573^rd	5102	49.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 Bessie E. Owens Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	109	295	4	527	6	n/a	n/a	0	941
1989	120	312	5	585	7	n/a	n/a	0	1029
1990	145	303	6	619	7	n/a	n/a	0	1080
1991	154	283	8	672	11	n/a	n/a	0	1128
1992	138	289	13	697	10	n/a	n/a	0	1147
1993	134	292	19	691	8	n/a	n/a	0	1144
1994	132	259	20	671	7	n/a	n/a	0	1089
1995	99	233	17	616	7	n/a	n/a	0	972
1996	99	233	17	616	7	n/a	n/a	0	972
1997	106	252	18	689	6	n/a	n/a	0	1071
1998	110	238	22	746	5	n/a	n/a	0	1121
1999	103	223	13	751	8	n/a	n/a	0	1098
2000	36	137	1	487	5	n/a	n/a	0	666
2001	27	107	7	519	3	n/a	n/a	0	663
2002	44	93	6	522	2	n/a	n/a	1	668
2003	44	93	6	522	2	n/a	n/a	1	668
2004	39	87	5	507	2	n/a	n/a	3	643
2005	31	71	4	495	3	n/a	n/a	2	606
2006	26	70	1	474	2	n/a	n/a	3	576
2007	25	76	6	527	3	n/a	n/a	4	641
2008	25	76	9	527	4	n/a	n/a	0	641
2009	24	93	8	489	1	0	4	0	619
2010	22	78	8	500	1	0	13	0	622
2011	22	65	5	507	1	0	11	0	611
2012	42	58	8	573	4	0	11	0	696
2013	32	59	10	582	4	0	8	0	695
2014	46	60	7	603	4	0	3	0	723
2015	54	70	5	615	5	0	4	0	753
2016	42	80	4	554	2	0	8	0	690
2017	46	80	5	575	3	0	10	0	719
2018	43	72	4	562	2	0	13	0	696
2019	42	72	2	534	6	0	11	0	667
2020	41	79	2	553	5	0	5	0	685
2021	32	63	3	500	6	0	7	0	611
2022	34	72	3	522	3	0	2	0	636
2023	45	90	4	742	0	0	8	0	889
2024	52	87	4	749	0	1	7	0	900

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 Bessie E. Owens Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	941	41.0	22.9	n/a
1989	1029	44.0	23.3	n/a
1990	1080	44.0	24.5	n/a
1991	1128	49.8	22.6	n/a
1992	1147	50.6	22.6	86.1
1993	1144	54.0	21.2	89.9
1994	1089	52.0	20.9	92.2
1995	972	45.4	21.4	83.6
1996	972	45.4	21.4	83.6
1997	1071	55.0	19.5	89.8
1998	1121	61.0	18.4	88
1999	1098	62.0	17.7	89
2000	666	42.0	15.9	87.1
2001	663	40.3	16.5	91.9
2002	668	43.4	15.4	93.4
2003	668	43.4	15.4	93.4
2004	643	35.0	18.4	94.5
2005	606	34.0	17.8	95.9
2006	576	32.0	18.0	100
2007	641	36.0	17.8	90.6
2008	641	37.8	17.0	86.6
2009	619	37.0	15.9	89.5
2010	622	40.8	15.2	93.4
2011	611	n/a	n/a	96.4
2012	696	34.7	20.0	n/a
2013	695	36.1	19.2	92.7
2014	723	35.5	20.3	86.2
2015	753	37.0	20.3	91.2
2016	690	35.0	19.7	93.3
2017	719	37.5	19.1	94
2018	696	37.5	18.5	94.1
2019	667	35.5	18.7	94
2020	685	n/a	n/a	96.4
2021	611	32.0	19.0	95.4
2022	636	31.0	20.5	87.6
2023	889	40.0	22.2	91.6
2024	900	42.9	20.9	93.2

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 Bessie E. Owens Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	941	41.0	22.9	n/a
1989	1029	44.0	23.3	n/a
1990	1080	44.0	24.5	n/a
1991	1128	49.8	22.6	n/a
1992	1147	50.6	22.6	86.1
1993	1144	54.0	21.2	89.9
1994	1089	52.0	20.9	92.2
1995	972	45.4	21.4	83.6
1996	972	45.4	21.4	83.6
1997	1071	55.0	19.5	89.8
1998	1121	61.0	18.4	88
1999	1098	62.0	17.7	89
2000	666	42.0	15.9	87.1
2001	663	40.3	16.5	91.9
2002	668	43.4	15.4	93.4
2003	668	43.4	15.4	93.4
2004	643	35.0	18.4	94.5
2005	606	34.0	17.8	95.9
2006	576	32.0	18.0	100
2007	641	36.0	17.8	90.6
2008	641	37.8	17.0	86.6
2009	619	37.0	15.9	89.5
2010	622	40.8	15.2	93.4
2011	611	n/a	n/a	96.4
2012	696	34.7	20.0	n/a
2013	695	36.1	19.2	92.7
2014	723	35.5	20.3	86.2
2015	753	37.0	20.3	91.2
2016	690	35.0	19.7	93.3
2017	719	37.5	19.1	94
2018	696	37.5	18.5	94.1
2019	667	35.5	18.7	94
2020	685	n/a	n/a	96.4
2021	611	32.0	19.0	95.4
2022	636	31.0	20.5	87.6
2023	889	40.0	22.2	91.6
2024	900	42.9	20.9	93.2

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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