Bill L. Williams Elementary

As a large elementary school in Bakersfield, California, Bill L. Williams Elementary caters to 926 students from grades K through 6, overseen by Panama-Buena Vista Union. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 99% larger than typical.

Within Panama-Buena Vista Union, which oversees 25 schools and 19,366 students, Bill L. Williams Elementary is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Bill L. Williams Elementary shows that 69% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest reads as 12% Asian, 9% White, 5% multiracial, 5% Black. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 57%.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 26.1:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 78% of students at Bill L. Williams Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Bill L. Williams Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 36.0%.

Around the school, Kern County reports that median household earnings sit near $70,210, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. Across Kern County's 279 public schools (combined enrollment of about 197,431 students), Bill L. Williams Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Douglas J. Miller Elementary, around 1.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Bill L. Williams Elementary at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 32.5%.

The school occupies a high-density site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Bill L. Williams Elementary's enrollment has fell 4% since 2018, when it stood at 962 (now 926). White enrollment moved from 17% to 9% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 30.1:1 in 2018 to 26.1:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Bill L. Williams Elementary community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.