Is Buttonwillow Elementary a good school?

Buttonwillow Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Buttonwillow Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 287 students attended Buttonwillow Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Buttonwillow Elementary?

Students at Buttonwillow Elementary are 91% Hispanic, 6% White, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Buttonwillow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buttonwillow Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Shafter High

Buttonwillow Elementary

Summary:

Buttonwillow Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades K-8 in Buttonwillow, CA, with 313 students. The school faces significant challenges, with high chronic absenteeism rates, low test scores, and struggles to support its student subgroups.

Buttonwillow Elementary has seen a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 2.5% in 2018-2019 to 49.3% in 2021-2022, much higher than the state average of around 14%. The school consistently performs well below the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with only 23.68% of students proficient or better in ELA and 15.54% in Math, compared to the state averages of 47.04% and 35.54%, respectively. Buttonwillow Elementary also struggles to support its student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of California elementary schools for Female, Male, Hispanic, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, though it performs slightly better for English Language Learners.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Semitropic Elementary, Sequoia Elementary, and Teresa Burke Elementary, generally perform better than Buttonwillow Elementary on key metrics. However, one notable exception is McKittrick Elementary, a small school about 10 miles from Buttonwillow, which outperforms Buttonwillow and the state averages on many measures, including test scores and student-teacher ratio, despite having a similar high percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients. Additionally, the public charter school Grow Academy Shafter, about 12 miles from Buttonwillow, also outperforms the district and state on most academic measures, suggesting that alternative school models may be more effective in this region.

Detail:

Public K-8

42600 Hwy 58
Buttonwillow, CA 93206-9726

(661) 764-5166

District: Buttonwillow Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5554^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,647

Students who attend Buttonwillow Elementary usually attend:

High:

Shafter High

Student/teacher ratio: 13.4

Number of students: 287

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.3%

White:

6.3%

African American:

1.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 80.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Buttonwillow Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Buttonwillow Elementary ranks worse than 94.7% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.95. (See more...)

Compare Details Buttonwillow Elementary ranks worse than 67.5% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.53. (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 (91.3%), White (6.3%), African American (1.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 80.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Buttonwillow Elementary is 13.4. (See more...)

Compare Buttonwillow Elementary employs 21.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buttonwillow Elementary is $13,647.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Buttonwillow Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buttonwillow Elementary 5554^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Buttonwillow 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:

SchoolDigger ranks Buttonwillow Elementary 1875^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Buttonwillow Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Buttonwillow Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buttonwillow Union Elementary 1393^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Buttonwillow Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	14.46	4382^nd	4809	8.9%
2005	10.50	4633^rd	4822	3.9%
2006	19.14	4061^st	4818	15.7%
2007	9.57	4936^th	5113	3.5%
2008	8.82	4972^nd	5113	2.8%
2009	4.17	5164^th	5193	0.6%
2010	6.03	5259^th	5314	1.0%
2011	7.62	5289^th	5377	1.6%
2012	8.64	5238^th	5390	2.8%
2013	5.23	5468^th	5530	1.1%
2015	9.18	5520^th	5611	1.6%
2016	9.93	5442^nd	5614	3.1%
2017	11.68	5385^th	5692	5.4%
2018	8.11	5527^th	5662	2.4%
2019	21.48	4667^th	5789	19.4%
2022	13.64	5482^nd	5883	6.8%
2023	11.44	5619^th	5874	4.3%
2024	11.95	5554^th	5862	5.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.23	2585^th	3246	20.4%
2019	50.20	1236^th	3275	62.3%
2022	32.60	2400^th	3311	27.5%
2023	41.44	1716^th	3250	47.2%
2024	36.03	2107^th	3160	33.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.34	4942^nd	5084	2.8%
2019	27.48	4061^st	5173	21.5%
2022	17.89	4787^th	5264	9.1%
2023	13.95	5109^th	5374	4.9%
2024	12.14	5312^th	5511	3.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	8.40	5303^rd	5413	2.0%
2019	20.20	4608^th	5492	16.1%
2022	14.00	5272^nd	5635	6.4%
2023	8.73	5542^nd	5617	1.3%
2024	11.24	5406^th	5605	3.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.36	5255^th	5431	3.2%
2019	24.58	4229^th	5510	23.2%
2022	14.62	5240^th	5663	7.5%
2023	15.28	5146^th	5650	8.9%
2024	15.96	5075^th	5636	10.0%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.32	4718^th	4830	2.3%
2019	27.41	3868^th	4963	22.1%
2022	18.88	4588^th	5084	9.8%
2023	12.94	4910^th	5098	3.7%
2024	14.34	4800^th	5102	5.9%

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

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

Rank History for Buttonwillow Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	14.92	1575^th	1769	11.0%
2005	19.25	1473^rd	1777	17.1%
2006	21.80	1441^st	1804	20.1%
2007	20.32	1637^th	1999	18.1%
2008	18.10	1731^st	2005	13.7%
2009	10.07	1928^th	2063	6.5%
2010	23.32	1755^th	2179	19.5%
2011	19.88	1909^th	2236	14.6%
2012	14.88	2030^th	2259	10.1%
2013	7.66	2277^th	2379	4.3%
2015	13.83	2228^th	2477	10.1%
2016	14.18	2225^th	2497	10.9%
2017	17.02	2143^rd	2508	14.6%
2018	15.79	2153^rd	2480	13.2%
2019	23.65	2033^rd	2715	25.1%
2022	19.35	2249^th	2740	17.9%
2023	15.75	2477^th	2802	11.6%
2024	28.53	1875^th	2777	32.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.63	525^th	1364	61.5%
2019	44.92	544^th	1442	62.3%
2022	31.27	1186^th	1540	23.0%
2023	43.49	637^th	1529	58.3%
2024	43.50	609^th	1477	58.8%

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

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.89	1754^th	2230	21.3%
2019	29.86	1697^th	2369	28.4%
2022	27.01	1812^th	2458	26.3%
2023	21.14	2123^rd	2549	16.7%
2024	33.41	1630^th	2575	36.7%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.31	1934^th	2262	14.5%
2019	23.25	1850^th	2380	22.3%
2022	15.59	2245^th	2509	10.5%
2023	18.77	2134^th	2547	16.2%
2024	31.92	1606^th	2546	36.9%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.75	2027^th	2273	10.8%
2019	24.40	1824^th	2407	24.2%
2022	26.20	1802^nd	2527	28.7%
2023	16.44	2267^th	2558	11.4%
2024	29.49	1699^th	2547	33.3%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Buttonwillow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.58	1766^th	2072	14.8%
2019	30.98	1509^th	2213	31.8%
2022	27.36	1729^th	2359	26.7%
2023	19.08	2064^th	2391	13.7%
2024	37.69	1381^st	2383	42.0%

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 Buttonwillow Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	122	32	3	230	0	n/a	n/a	387
1989	113	20	3	247	0	n/a	n/a	383
1990	125	26	0	275	0	n/a	n/a	426
1991	124	25	0	271	0	n/a	n/a	420
1992	105	30	0	291	0	n/a	n/a	426
1993	115	26	2	278	0	n/a	n/a	421
1994	110	22	0	257	0	n/a	n/a	389
1995	92	22	0	280	0	n/a	n/a	394
1996	92	22	0	280	0	n/a	n/a	394
1997	93	21	0	290	0	n/a	n/a	404
1998	77	24	0	318	0	n/a	n/a	419
1999	69	22	2	328	0	n/a	n/a	421
2000	62	16	3	314	0	n/a	n/a	395
2001	57	13	4	310	0	n/a	n/a	384
2002	44	12	0	335	0	n/a	n/a	391
2003	44	12	0	335	0	n/a	n/a	391
2004	32	20	0	334	0	n/a	n/a	386
2005	47	15	0	341	0	n/a	n/a	403
2006	50	10	0	320	0	n/a	n/a	380
2007	44	11	0	334	0	n/a	n/a	389
2008	40	8	n/a	322	1	n/a	n/a	371
2009	41	5	0	339	1	0	0	386
2010	43	5	0	337	1	0	0	386
2011	35	4	0	333	0	0	0	372
2012	30	4	0	333	0	0	0	367
2013	24	5	0	313	0	0	0	342
2014	16	3	1	316	0	0	2	338
2015	21	3	2	316	0	0	1	343
2016	32	3	3	339	1	0	1	379
2017	27	3	3	339	1	0	1	374
2018	27	5	2	308	1	0	1	344
2019	19	3	2	298	2	0	2	326
2020	16	6	2	297	2	0	5	328
2021	22	7	2	275	2	0	0	308
2022	17	10	1	292	2	0	0	322
2023	17	6	1	288	1	0	0	313
2024	18	5	1	262	1	0	0	287

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 Buttonwillow Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	387	17.0	22.7	n/a
1989	383	18.0	21.2	n/a
1990	426	17.9	23.7	n/a
1991	420	17.5	24.0	n/a
1992	426	17.8	23.9	81.7
1993	421	16.9	24.9	78.1
1994	389	16.5	23.6	76.1
1995	394	17.7	22.3	78.4
1996	394	17.7	22.3	78.4
1997	404	20.6	19.6	58.7
1998	419	21.8	19.2	78.8
1999	421	25.5	16.5	77.9
2000	395	25.8	15.3	81.5
2001	384	24.0	16.0	82.8
2002	391	22.5	17.4	91
2003	391	22.5	17.4	91
2004	386	22.0	17.5	90.4
2005	403	22.0	18.3	93.3
2006	380	23.0	16.5	92.9
2007	389	23.6	16.5	93.1
2008	371	26.5	14.0	91.1
2009	386	23.0	15.1	90.2
2010	386	23.0	16.7	96.6
2011	372	n/a	n/a	97.3
2012	367	21.4	17.0	94.8
2013	342	19.0	18.0	96.8
2014	338	18.0	18.7	84.9
2015	343	20.0	17.1	95.3
2016	379	18.0	21.0	94.7
2017	374	19.0	19.6	86.6
2018	344	16.0	21.5	54.1
2019	326	21.0	15.5	92.6
2020	328	n/a	n/a	93
2021	308	17.8	17.2	89.3
2022	322	19.6	16.3	96.3
2023	313	20.8	15.0	91.4
2024	287	21.2	13.4	80.1

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 Buttonwillow Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	387	17.0	22.7	n/a
1989	383	18.0	21.2	n/a
1990	426	17.9	23.7	n/a
1991	420	17.5	24.0	n/a
1992	426	17.8	23.9	81.7
1993	421	16.9	24.9	78.1
1994	389	16.5	23.6	76.1
1995	394	17.7	22.3	78.4
1996	394	17.7	22.3	78.4
1997	404	20.6	19.6	58.7
1998	419	21.8	19.2	78.8
1999	421	25.5	16.5	77.9
2000	395	25.8	15.3	81.5
2001	384	24.0	16.0	82.8
2002	391	22.5	17.4	91
2003	391	22.5	17.4	91
2004	386	22.0	17.5	90.4
2005	403	22.0	18.3	93.3
2006	380	23.0	16.5	92.9
2007	389	23.6	16.5	93.1
2008	371	26.5	14.0	91.1
2009	386	23.0	15.1	90.2
2010	386	23.0	16.7	96.6
2011	372	n/a	n/a	97.3
2012	367	21.4	17.0	94.8
2013	342	19.0	18.0	96.8
2014	338	18.0	18.7	84.9
2015	343	20.0	17.1	95.3
2016	379	18.0	21.0	94.7
2017	374	19.0	19.6	86.6
2018	344	16.0	21.5	54.1
2019	326	21.0	15.5	92.6
2020	328	n/a	n/a	93
2021	308	17.8	17.2	89.3
2022	322	19.6	16.3	96.3
2023	313	20.8	15.0	91.4
2024	287	21.2	13.4	80.1

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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