Is Panama Elementary a good school?

Panama Elementary ranks 2308 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Panama Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 797 students attended Panama Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Panama Elementary?

Students at Panama Elementary are 63% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 9% Asian, 8% White, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Panama Elementary attend?

Students who attend Panama Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Stonecreek Junior High High : Ridgeview High

Panama Elementary

Summary:

Panama Elementary is a public elementary school located in Bakersfield, California, serving 797 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, which is ranked 790 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Panama Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics across all grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rates ranged from 38.74% to 56.67%, compared to the district's 42.93% to 47.94% and the state's 42.8% to 47.37%. In Mathematics, Panama Elementary's proficiency rates ranged from 27.84% to 46.36%, compared to the district's 27.4% to 43.14% and the state's 34.31% to 45.64%. The school also performs better than the district and state in Science proficiency. Additionally, Panama Elementary's Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) students consistently outperform their counterparts at the district and state levels.

However, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 6.7% in 2018-2019 to 23.3% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the district and state averages. Panama Elementary also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 70.41% to 80.95% over the past few years, indicating a high socioeconomic need among the student population. While Panama Elementary generally outperforms nearby schools in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 performs on par with or slightly better than Panama Elementary in some academic areas.

Detail:

Public K-6

9400 Stine Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93313-9728

(661) 831-1741

District: Panama-Buena Vista Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
2308^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,256

Students who attend Panama Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Stonecreek Junior High
High:	Ridgeview High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.5

Number of students: 797

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

62.6%

Two or more races:

15.4%

Asian:

8.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 79.8%

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Compare Panama Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Panama Elementary ranks better than 60.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.6. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 (62.6%), two or more races (15.4%), Asian (8.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 79.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Panama Elementary is 26.5. 12 elementary schools in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Panama Elementary employs 30 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Panama Elementary is $10,256. 15 elementary schools in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Panama Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Panama Elementary 2308^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Panama Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Panama-Buena Vista Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Panama-Buena Vista Union 790^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Panama Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	46.45	2339^th	4809	51.4%
2005	49.72	2208^th	4822	54.2%
2006	37.94	2828^th	4818	41.3%
2007	31.23	3483^rd	5113	31.9%
2008	33.00	3392^nd	5113	33.7%
2009	28.58	3803^rd	5193	26.8%
2010	44.31	2892^nd	5314	45.6%
2011	35.12	3610^th	5377	32.9%
2012	36.53	3494^th	5390	35.2%
2013	29.95	4046^th	5530	26.8%
2015	37.08	3197^th	5611	43.0%
2016	35.93	3336^th	5614	40.6%
2017	40.39	3082^nd	5692	45.9%
2018	42.97	2957^th	5662	47.8%
2019	47.82	2713^th	5789	53.1%
2022	54.33	2329^th	5883	60.4%
2023	59.83	2061^st	5874	64.9%
2024	54.60	2308^th	5862	60.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	19.20	512^th	610	16.1%
2023	27.80	525^th	669	21.5%
2024	15.10	599^th	669	10.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.75	1625^th	3246	49.9%
2019	42.03	1670^th	3275	49.0%
2022	61.97	696^th	3311	79.0%
2023	86.43	178^th	3250	94.5%
2024	59.69	736^th	3160	76.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.25	1941^st	2420	19.8%
2024	49.08	991^st	2634	62.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.68	2314^th	5084	54.5%
2019	54.37	2112^th	5173	59.2%
2022	72.47	1053^rd	5264	80.0%
2023	71.05	1169^th	5374	78.2%
2024	66.11	1451^st	5511	73.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.02	2715^th	5413	49.8%
2019	55.97	2178^th	5492	60.3%
2022	53.06	2259^th	5635	59.9%
2023	54.03	2204^th	5617	60.8%
2024	53.96	2221^st	5605	60.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.19	872^nd	2128	59.0%
2019	60.11	727^th	2585	71.9%
2022	33.52	1325^th	2227	40.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.34	3028^th	5431	44.2%
2019	42.28	2898^th	5510	47.4%
2022	54.31	2225^th	5663	60.7%
2023	64.18	1759^th	5650	68.9%
2024	53.89	2266^th	5636	59.8%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	32.86	833^rd	1071	22.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	51.98	2112^th	4830	56.3%
2019	59.89	1690^th	4963	65.9%
2022	71.25	1094^th	5084	78.5%
2023	70.84	1143^rd	5098	77.6%
2024	66.17	1346^th	5102	73.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Panama Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	28.60	2114^th	2737	22.8%
2019	22.95	2324^th	2834	18.0%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Panama Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	638	51	19	113	1	n/a	n/a	0	822
1990	309	13	11	76	1	n/a	n/a	0	410
1991	296	24	10	97	0	n/a	n/a	0	427
1992	313	36	8	105	2	n/a	n/a	0	464
1993	340	31	8	113	3	n/a	n/a	0	495
1994	404	38	11	141	3	n/a	n/a	0	597
1995	518	89	29	227	3	n/a	n/a	0	866
1996	518	89	29	227	3	n/a	n/a	0	866
1997	323	46	16	129	1	n/a	n/a	0	515
1998	307	63	32	162	1	n/a	n/a	0	565
1999	332	61	30	207	1	n/a	n/a	0	631
2000	350	64	39	272	1	n/a	n/a	0	726
2001	371	70	56	320	1	n/a	n/a	0	818
2002	235	34	46	244	4	n/a	n/a	0	563
2003	235	34	46	244	4	n/a	n/a	0	563
2004	243	34	48	281	3	n/a	n/a	2	611
2005	236	56	72	367	5	n/a	n/a	1	737
2006	215	54	90	487	8	n/a	n/a	2	856
2007	199	80	82	616	5	n/a	n/a	2	984
2008	182	75	91	707	6	n/a	n/a	0	1061
2009	156	71	97	716	4	0	3	0	1047
2010	115	44	78	387	6	1	0	0	631
2011	107	44	87	373	3	0	2	0	616
2012	109	44	90	402	2	2	0	0	649
2013	116	49	83	418	2	2	0	0	670
2014	122	55	87	468	3	2	5	0	742
2015	118	73	84	516	2	3	3	0	799
2016	127	60	89	526	1	7	7	0	817
2017	132	55	93	545	2	7	9	0	843
2018	116	45	87	580	2	9	15	0	854
2019	82	35	56	482	1	5	8	0	669
2020	79	37	60	485	1	6	9	0	677
2021	86	34	56	485	2	4	9	0	676
2022	51	22	44	393	4	0	158	0	672
2023	65	33	68	499	4	1	123	4	797

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 Panama Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	822	35.4	23.2	n/a
1990	410	21.6	18.9	n/a
1991	427	20.3	21.0	n/a
1992	464	20.6	22.5	45.3
1993	495	24.4	20.3	42.8
1994	597	27.0	22.1	37.7
1995	866	34.4	25.2	29.6
1996	866	34.4	25.2	29.6
1997	515	25.4	20.3	33.6
1998	565	27.5	20.5	31.5
1999	631	29.5	21.4	39.5
2000	726	35.0	20.7	38.6
2001	818	40.5	20.2	41.9
2002	563	30.0	18.8	54.4
2003	563	30.0	18.8	54.4
2004	611	32.6	18.7	56.7
2005	737	39.7	18.6	57.7
2006	856	44.2	19.4	60.3
2007	984	49.3	20.0	59.6
2008	1061	54.5	19.5	60.6
2009	1047	49.4	19.4	61.9
2010	631	26.0	24.2	65.5
2011	616	n/a	n/a	67.7
2012	649	21.0	30.8	65.6
2013	670	24.3	27.5	69.4
2014	742	25.8	28.7	70.2
2015	799	34.0	23.5	69.3
2016	817	30.0	27.2	71.5
2017	843	31.5	26.7	71.9
2018	854	29.5	28.9	76.9
2019	669	24.5	27.3	73.2
2020	677	n/a	n/a	78.1
2021	676	26.5	25.5	70.4
2022	672	26.0	25.8	81
2023	797	30.0	26.5	79.8

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 Panama Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	822	35.4	23.2	n/a
1990	410	21.6	18.9	n/a
1991	427	20.3	21.0	n/a
1992	464	20.6	22.5	45.3
1993	495	24.4	20.3	42.8
1994	597	27.0	22.1	37.7
1995	866	34.4	25.2	29.6
1996	866	34.4	25.2	29.6
1997	515	25.4	20.3	33.6
1998	565	27.5	20.5	31.5
1999	631	29.5	21.4	39.5
2000	726	35.0	20.7	38.6
2001	818	40.5	20.2	41.9
2002	563	30.0	18.8	54.4
2003	563	30.0	18.8	54.4
2004	611	32.6	18.7	56.7
2005	737	39.7	18.6	57.7
2006	856	44.2	19.4	60.3
2007	984	49.3	20.0	59.6
2008	1061	54.5	19.5	60.6
2009	1047	49.4	19.4	61.9
2010	631	26.0	24.2	65.5
2011	616	n/a	n/a	67.7
2012	649	21.0	30.8	65.6
2013	670	24.3	27.5	69.4
2014	742	25.8	28.7	70.2
2015	799	34.0	23.5	69.3
2016	817	30.0	27.2	71.5
2017	843	31.5	26.7	71.9
2018	854	29.5	28.9	76.9
2019	669	24.5	27.3	73.2
2020	677	n/a	n/a	78.1
2021	676	26.5	25.5	70.4
2022	672	26.0	25.8	81
2023	797	30.0	26.5	79.8

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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