Is Bess Maxwell Elementary a good school?

Bess Maxwell Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Bess Maxwell Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 232 students attended Bess Maxwell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bess Maxwell Elementary?

Students at Bess Maxwell Elementary are 45% White, 21% Hispanic, 17% American Indian, 13% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Bess Maxwell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bess Maxwell Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Crescent Elk Middle High : Del Norte High

Bess Maxwell Elementary

Summary:

Bess Maxwell Elementary is a public elementary school in Crescent City, California, serving 233 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Del Norte County Unified School District, which is ranked 1191 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a rating of 1 out of 5 stars.

Bess Maxwell Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of California elementary schools, with a 0 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger for the past three years. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics are significantly lower than the district and state averages, with only 14.56% and 13% of students proficient, respectively. Bess Maxwell also struggles with high chronic absenteeism, reaching as high as 65% in the 2020-2021 school year. The school's student subgroups, including female, male, white, special education, and low socioeconomic status students, all rank in the bottom 10% of their respective subgroups statewide.

In comparison, the nearby schools within the Del Norte County Unified School District, such as Margaret Keating Elementary, Mountain Elementary, and Smith River Elementary, generally perform better than Bess Maxwell Elementary on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism. This suggests that there may be systemic issues within the school or district that are contributing to the low academic achievement at Bess Maxwell.

Detail:

Public K-5

1124 El Dorado St.
Crescent City, CA 95531-2111

(707) 464-0310

District: Del Norte County Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5652^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,415

Students who attend Bess Maxwell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Crescent Elk Middle
High:	Del Norte High

Student/teacher ratio: 17.3

Number of students: 232

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.3%

Hispanic:

21.1%

American Indian:

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Bess Maxwell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Bess Maxwell Elementary ranks worse than 96.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 7 ranked elementary schools in the Del Norte County Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.52. (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 Student population at Bess Maxwell Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (45.3%), Hispanic (21.1%), American Indian (17.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 81% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bess Maxwell Elementary is 17.3, which is the 3^rd best among 7 elementary schools in the Del Norte County Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Bess Maxwell Elementary employs 13.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bess Maxwell Elementary is $16,415, which is the 2^nd highest among 7 elementary schools in the Del Norte County Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bess Maxwell Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Bess Maxwell Elementary 5652^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Bess Maxwell Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Del Norte County Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Del Norte County Unified 1191^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Bess Maxwell Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Bess Maxwell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	33.53	3026^th	4809	37.1%
2005	35.39	2985^th	4822	38.1%
2006	28.88	3391^st	4818	29.6%
2007	28.95	3648^th	5113	28.7%
2008	34.85	3278^th	5113	35.9%
2009	33.94	3441^st	5193	33.7%
2010	55.40	2257^th	5314	57.5%
2011	43.18	3012^th	5377	44.0%
2012	23.75	4400^th	5390	18.4%
2013	46.18	2914^th	5530	47.3%
2015	29.99	3704^th	5611	34.0%
2016	31.24	3669^th	5614	34.6%
2017	17.37	4915^th	5692	13.7%
2018	21.61	4551^st	5662	19.6%
2019	21.42	4673^rd	5789	19.3%
2022	10.38	5708^th	5883	3.0%
2023	9.57	5725^th	5874	2.5%
2024	10.52	5652^nd	5862	3.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Bess Maxwell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	17.11	2572^nd	2634	2.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bess Maxwell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.28	4097^th	5084	19.4%
2019	24.91	4232^nd	5173	18.2%
2022	11.56	5131^st	5264	2.5%
2023	9.36	5296^th	5374	1.5%
2024	10.64	5360^th	5511	2.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Bess Maxwell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.59	3954^th	5413	27.0%
2019	23.58	4334^th	5492	21.1%
2022	9.69	5549^th	5635	1.5%
2023	11.62	5411^th	5617	3.7%
2024	12.15	5343^rd	5605	4.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Bess Maxwell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.16	4562^nd	5431	16.0%
2019	20.91	4576^th	5510	17.0%
2022	12.89	5383^rd	5663	4.9%
2023	9.58	5543^rd	5650	1.9%
2024	10.73	5442^nd	5636	3.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Bess Maxwell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	3.58	2701^st	2737	1.3%
2019	10.16	2626^th	2834	7.3%
2022	3.28	2694^th	2726	1.2%
2023	3.38	2626^th	2662	1.4%
2024	3.36	2606^th	2647	1.5%

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: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, March 26, 2019

My son's 1st grade teacher ms.Lucas is wonderful. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Bess Maxwell Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	273	9	42	16	32	n/a	n/a	372
1989	314	5	60	20	24	n/a	n/a	423
1990	304	5	63	17	31	n/a	n/a	420
1991	437	4	56	36	32	n/a	n/a	565
1992	475	3	56	24	44	n/a	n/a	602
1993	445	1	69	24	42	n/a	n/a	581
1994	465	1	64	26	49	n/a	n/a	605
1995	330	5	47	32	56	n/a	n/a	470
1996	330	5	47	32	56	n/a	n/a	470
1997	329	4	67	38	55	n/a	n/a	493
1998	275	1	79	33	51	n/a	n/a	439
1999	277	3	60	30	33	n/a	n/a	403
2000	229	5	63	34	46	n/a	n/a	377
2001	192	1	48	38	37	n/a	n/a	316
2002	219	1	41	26	27	n/a	n/a	314
2003	219	1	41	26	27	n/a	n/a	314
2004	209	4	39	25	37	n/a	n/a	314
2005	193	2	46	31	27	n/a	n/a	299
2006	177	2	45	48	21	n/a	n/a	293
2007	177	2	40	52	21	n/a	n/a	292
2008	178	2	39	47	26	n/a	n/a	292
2009	149	0	41	42	37	0	21	290
2010	133	2	41	46	41	0	8	271
2011	150	3	36	47	33	0	0	269
2012	145	4	39	60	30	0	1	279
2013	137	5	40	55	33	1	7	278
2014	131	3	46	56	28	1	20	285
2015	123	3	44	58	22	1	13	264
2016	123	7	45	56	23	2	13	269
2017	141	6	30	52	29	1	15	274
2018	128	5	27	53	36	0	17	266
2019	141	6	27	56	36	0	11	277
2020	129	2	28	51	40	0	9	259
2021	113	1	19	52	45	1	15	246
2022	105	0	16	45	45	0	18	229
2023	112	0	7	48	45	0	21	233
2024	105	2	7	49	40	0	29	232

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 Bess Maxwell Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	372	16.5	22.5	n/a
1989	423	18.9	22.3	n/a
1990	420	21.6	19.4	n/a
1991	565	25.7	21.9	n/a
1992	602	26.1	23.0	43.4
1993	581	24.0	24.2	48
1994	605	25.0	24.2	48.9
1995	470	21.0	22.4	64.3
1996	470	21.0	22.4	64.3
1997	493	26.8	18.4	66.7
1998	439	28.0	15.7	80
1999	403	25.0	16.1	86.1
2000	377	21.2	17.8	71.4
2001	316	20.0	15.8	85.1
2002	314	18.0	17.4	78.3
2003	314	18.0	17.4	78.3
2004	314	16.4	19.1	80.6
2005	299	16.4	18.2	87.6
2006	293	17.4	16.8	82.6
2007	292	15.8	18.5	72.3
2008	292	17.5	16.7	81.5
2009	290	16.0	17.1	80
2010	271	15.0	18.0	90.8
2011	269	n/a	n/a	84.4
2012	279	15.0	18.6	n/a
2013	278	15.0	18.5	81.3
2014	285	14.0	20.3	84.9
2015	264	12.0	22.0	78
2016	269	12.0	22.4	82.9
2017	274	11.5	23.8	79.2
2018	266	12.0	22.1	82.7
2019	277	14.5	19.1	83.4
2020	259	n/a	n/a	79.2
2021	246	11.7	20.8	84.1
2022	229	13.3	17.1	82.5
2023	233	12.7	18.3	81.5
2024	232	13.3	17.3	81

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 Bess Maxwell Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	372	16.5	22.5	n/a
1989	423	18.9	22.3	n/a
1990	420	21.6	19.4	n/a
1991	565	25.7	21.9	n/a
1992	602	26.1	23.0	43.4
1993	581	24.0	24.2	48
1994	605	25.0	24.2	48.9
1995	470	21.0	22.4	64.3
1996	470	21.0	22.4	64.3
1997	493	26.8	18.4	66.7
1998	439	28.0	15.7	80
1999	403	25.0	16.1	86.1
2000	377	21.2	17.8	71.4
2001	316	20.0	15.8	85.1
2002	314	18.0	17.4	78.3
2003	314	18.0	17.4	78.3
2004	314	16.4	19.1	80.6
2005	299	16.4	18.2	87.6
2006	293	17.4	16.8	82.6
2007	292	15.8	18.5	72.3
2008	292	17.5	16.7	81.5
2009	290	16.0	17.1	80
2010	271	15.0	18.0	90.8
2011	269	n/a	n/a	84.4
2012	279	15.0	18.6	n/a
2013	278	15.0	18.5	81.3
2014	285	14.0	20.3	84.9
2015	264	12.0	22.0	78
2016	269	12.0	22.4	82.9
2017	274	11.5	23.8	79.2
2018	266	12.0	22.1	82.7
2019	277	14.5	19.1	83.4
2020	259	n/a	n/a	79.2
2021	246	11.7	20.8	84.1
2022	229	13.3	17.1	82.5
2023	233	12.7	18.3	81.5
2024	232	13.3	17.3	81

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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