Bess Maxwell Elementary

Bess Maxwell Elementary is an elementary school of low-enrollment scale in Crescent City, California, one of the schools within Del Norte County Unified, enrolling 217 students in grades K through 5. That puts it 53% smaller than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Del Norte County Unified comprises 11 schools with combined enrollment of 3,378 students; Bess Maxwell Elementary is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Bess Maxwell Elementary lists that the largest single group is White at 47%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder comes out to 24% Hispanic, 17% Native American, 10% multiracial, 3% Asian. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 64%.

In terms of school funding signals, Bess Maxwell Elementary records 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 19.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. About 86% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Del Norte County's rate of about 69%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Bess Maxwell Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 28.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 13.7%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Del Norte County put median household earnings sit near $67,058, about 21% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. In all, Del Norte County runs 16 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,003 students), of which Bess Maxwell Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Castle Rock, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Bess Maxwell Elementary ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 22.8%.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Bess Maxwell Elementary's enrollment has edged down 18% since 2018, when it stood at 266 (now 217). Over the same period, the Asian share contracted from 10% to 3%. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 22.2:1 in 2018 to 19.7:1 today.

On this page, the feed for Bess Maxwell Elementary typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.