Is James A. Whitaker Elementary a good school?

James A. Whitaker Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend James A. Whitaker Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 579 students attended James A. Whitaker Elementary.

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

Students at James A. Whitaker Elementary are 80% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 5% White, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of James A. Whitaker Elementary attend?

Students who attend James A. Whitaker Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Gordon H. Beatty Middle High : Buena Park High

James A. Whitaker Elementary

Summary:

James A. Whitaker Elementary is a public elementary school in Buena Park, California, serving 639 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Buena Park Elementary District, which is ranked 814 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

Academically, James A. Whitaker Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of California elementary schools, with significantly lower performance on standardized tests compared to the district and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 23.48% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.39% in the Buena Park Elementary District and 47.04% statewide. The school also has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students (89.83%) and English Language Learners, who perform relatively well compared to other subgroups at the school. However, the school's Special Education and Disabled student subgroups perform very poorly, ranking in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools in these categories.

Interestingly, the nearby Charles G. Emery Elementary, also part of the Buena Park Elementary District, significantly outperforms James A. Whitaker Elementary, with 66.29% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts. Other nearby schools, such as Mabel L. Pendleton Elementary and Carl E. Gilbert Elementary, also outperform James A. Whitaker Elementary, though not to the same extent as Charles G. Emery. Additionally, James A. Whitaker Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 8.8% in 2018-2019 to 35.1% in 2022-2023, which may be contributing to the school's low academic performance.

Detail:

Public K-5

8401 Montana St.
Buena Park, CA 90621-3629

(714) 521-9770

District: Buena Park Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4537^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,823

Students who attend James A. Whitaker Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gordon H. Beatty Middle
High:	Buena Park High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.9

Number of students: 579

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.0%

Asian:

8.1%

White:

4.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare James A. Whitaker Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details James A. Whitaker Elementary ranks worse than 77.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Buena Park Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.37. (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 (80%), Asian (8.1%), White (4.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 88.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at James A. Whitaker Elementary is 19.9, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Buena Park Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare James A. Whitaker Elementary employs 29 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at James A. Whitaker Elementary is $7,823. 2 elementary schools in the Buena Park Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

James A. Whitaker Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks James A. Whitaker Elementary 4537^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See James A. Whitaker 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:

Hispanic students:

Buena Park Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buena Park Elementary 814^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for James A. Whitaker Elementary

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Rank History for all students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	42.88	2508^th	4809	47.8%
2005	42.31	2583^rd	4822	46.4%
2006	39.49	2742^nd	4818	43.1%
2007	38.06	3041^st	5113	40.5%
2008	33.14	3381^st	5113	33.9%
2009	39.18	3099^th	5193	40.3%
2010	37.29	3333^rd	5314	37.3%
2011	39.19	3312^th	5377	38.4%
2012	39.23	3313^th	5390	38.5%
2013	30.65	3994^th	5530	27.8%
2015	30.97	3628^th	5611	35.3%
2016	34.41	3450^th	5614	38.5%
2017	33.65	3543^rd	5692	37.8%
2018	39.66	3174^th	5662	43.9%
2019	37.88	3320^th	5789	42.6%
2022	29.54	3904^th	5883	33.6%
2023	20.83	4780^th	5874	18.6%
2024	23.37	4537^th	5862	22.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.35	332^nd	3246	89.8%
2019	71.27	503^rd	3275	84.6%
2022	54.51	979^th	3311	70.4%
2023	46.62	1370^th	3250	57.8%
2024	59.21	760^th	3160	75.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	21.93	2109^th	2420	12.9%
2024	19.83	2403^rd	2634	8.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.69	1922^nd	5084	62.2%
2019	52.19	2256^th	5173	56.4%
2022	39.24	3074^th	5264	41.6%
2023	26.19	4218^th	5374	21.5%
2024	30.13	3932^nd	5511	28.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.61	3117^th	5413	42.4%
2019	36.26	3330^th	5492	39.4%
2022	32.96	3494^th	5635	38.0%
2023	17.51	4931^st	5617	12.2%
2024	26.00	4147^th	5605	26.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	17.93	2503^rd	2585	3.2%
2022	25.45	1718^th	2227	22.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.98	3049^th	5431	43.9%
2019	39.90	3046^th	5510	44.7%
2022	27.50	4001^st	5663	29.3%
2023	24.72	4290^th	5650	24.1%
2024	22.42	4492^nd	5636	20.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at James A. Whitaker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.36	2330^th	4830	51.8%
2019	47.14	2474^th	4963	50.2%
2022	38.23	3036^th	5084	40.3%
2023	24.53	4150^th	5098	18.6%
2024	28.66	3820^th	5102	25.1%

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 James A. Whitaker Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	218	34	61	159	2	n/a	n/a	0	474
1989	236	37	52	185	2	n/a	n/a	0	512
1990	200	44	59	212	0	n/a	n/a	0	515
1991	179	52	77	246	2	n/a	n/a	0	556
1992	214	57	92	224	0	n/a	n/a	0	587
1993	223	51	74	304	1	n/a	n/a	0	653
1994	202	50	93	325	0	n/a	n/a	0	670
1995	203	51	67	355	0	n/a	n/a	0	676
1996	203	51	67	355	0	n/a	n/a	0	676
1997	187	69	67	415	0	n/a	n/a	0	738
1998	191	58	65	392	0	n/a	n/a	0	706
1999	208	61	61	432	0	n/a	n/a	0	762
2000	215	61	83	487	0	n/a	n/a	0	846
2001	181	74	79	514	1	n/a	n/a	67	916
2002	127	43	73	544	0	n/a	n/a	12	799
2003	127	43	73	544	0	n/a	n/a	12	799
2004	116	45	83	554	1	n/a	n/a	15	814
2005	103	51	75	579	3	n/a	n/a	28	839
2006	92	40	76	540	2	n/a	n/a	33	783
2007	77	41	90	538	1	n/a	n/a	46	793
2008	67	47	77	526	2	n/a	n/a	0	719
2009	63	44	58	510	4	6	46	0	731
2010	56	48	57	482	5	4	16	0	668
2011	44	39	61	492	3	3	14	0	656
2012	50	28	63	507	3	0	12	0	663
2013	65	28	56	497	3	0	10	0	659
2014	55	21	43	483	1	3	10	0	616
2015	47	18	42	480	2	2	7	0	598
2016	34	19	37	445	2	5	7	0	549
2017	26	22	39	464	2	6	9	0	568
2018	24	20	36	437	2	3	9	0	531
2019	23	19	35	428	2	3	9	0	519
2020	12	15	33	438	2	6	7	0	513
2021	16	16	43	432	0	7	10	0	524
2022	16	19	51	470	3	10	14	0	583
2023	27	20	53	507	3	6	23	0	639
2024	27	21	47	463	3	3	15	0	579

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 James A. Whitaker Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	474	18.0	26.3	n/a
1989	512	20.0	25.6	n/a
1990	515	21.0	24.5	n/a
1991	556	22.0	25.2	n/a
1992	587	22.4	26.2	54.5
1993	653	21.0	31.1	52.5
1994	670	23.0	29.1	56
1995	676	24.0	28.2	75.1
1996	676	24.0	28.2	75.1
1997	738	28.0	26.4	81.2
1998	706	30.0	23.5	74.5
1999	762	38.0	20.1	80.1
2000	846	38.0	22.3	74.2
2001	916	39.0	23.5	66.5
2002	799	40.0	20.0	84.1
2003	799	40.0	20.0	84.1
2004	814	38.0	21.4	80.7
2005	839	37.0	22.7	86.7
2006	783	36.0	21.8	95.1
2007	793	36.0	22.0	79.1
2008	719	37.0	19.4	77.9
2009	731	34.0	19.8	77
2010	668	26.0	25.6	86.4
2011	656	n/a	n/a	87
2012	663	25.0	26.5	n/a
2013	659	24.0	27.4	90.1
2014	616	22.0	28.0	92.4
2015	598	23.0	26.0	90.1
2016	549	23.0	23.8	88.5
2017	568	22.0	25.8	86.6
2018	531	21.0	25.2	88.3
2019	519	21.0	24.7	87.7
2020	513	n/a	n/a	90.1
2021	524	24.0	21.8	87
2022	583	26.4	22.0	85.6
2023	639	27.0	23.6	89.8
2024	579	29.0	19.9	88.6

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 James A. Whitaker Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	474	18.0	26.3	n/a
1989	512	20.0	25.6	n/a
1990	515	21.0	24.5	n/a
1991	556	22.0	25.2	n/a
1992	587	22.4	26.2	54.5
1993	653	21.0	31.1	52.5
1994	670	23.0	29.1	56
1995	676	24.0	28.2	75.1
1996	676	24.0	28.2	75.1
1997	738	28.0	26.4	81.2
1998	706	30.0	23.5	74.5
1999	762	38.0	20.1	80.1
2000	846	38.0	22.3	74.2
2001	916	39.0	23.5	66.5
2002	799	40.0	20.0	84.1
2003	799	40.0	20.0	84.1
2004	814	38.0	21.4	80.7
2005	839	37.0	22.7	86.7
2006	783	36.0	21.8	95.1
2007	793	36.0	22.0	79.1
2008	719	37.0	19.4	77.9
2009	731	34.0	19.8	77
2010	668	26.0	25.6	86.4
2011	656	n/a	n/a	87
2012	663	25.0	26.5	n/a
2013	659	24.0	27.4	90.1
2014	616	22.0	28.0	92.4
2015	598	23.0	26.0	90.1
2016	549	23.0	23.8	88.5
2017	568	22.0	25.8	86.6
2018	531	21.0	25.2	88.3
2019	519	21.0	24.7	87.7
2020	513	n/a	n/a	90.1
2021	524	24.0	21.8	87
2022	583	26.4	22.0	85.6
2023	639	27.0	23.6	89.8
2024	579	29.0	19.9	88.6

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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