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Alumni: what's one memory from Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,151
Elementary
DISTRICT 761 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PANAMA-BUENA VISTA UNION·NCES 060639014239
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8
2923 McKee Rd., Bakersfield, CA 93313 · (661) 885-6600 · Kern County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,151 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 62% of California public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
22.7:1
51 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.7:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
87%
997 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 169 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 106 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 114 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 114 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 115 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 132 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 135 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 137 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 129 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (169) is 31% larger than its 8th grade class (129).
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
49.0%
CA avg 49.1% . -1.0pp since 2018
Math
32.6%
CA avg 37.7% . -5.1pp since 2018
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2018, while math scores are down about 5 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 20.0% | 29.0% | 23.0% | 28.0% |
| Math | 13.1% | 19.5% | 27.7% | 39.6% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 49.0% | 32.6% |
| 2023-24 | 47.1% | 32.7% |
| 2022-23 | 46.8% | 38.7% |
| 2021-22 | 48.7% | 35.0% |
| 2018-19 | 50.0% | 37.7% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
40.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
28.8%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 29% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Dolores S. Whitley TK-8
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8's state test result (40.6% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 this school | 1,151 | 86.6% | 40.6% |
| Pioneer Elementary Merced | 1,055 | 91.2% | 37.8% |
| Berkshire Elementary Bakersfield | 932 | 85.1% | 26.4% |
| Las Palmas Elementary Sacramento | 1,001 | 90.9% | 32.6% |
| Farmdale Elementary Merced | 919 | 92.9% | 35.0% |
| Ewing Elementary Fresno | 842 | 84.1% | 33.7% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.6% | #2,424 of 5,151 | #37 of 148 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.6% | #2,957 of 5,172 ▼ 151 | #51 of 150 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.0% | #2,117 of 5,172 ▼ 6 | #30 of 150 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.0pp | #1,483 of 5,116 | #37 of 147 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,151 | #27 of 5,915 | #2 of 163 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.7:1 | #2,763 of 5,352 | #99 of 145 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 46.7% | #3,015 of 5,354 | #63 of 145 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.6% | #1,511 of 5,625 | #82 of 153 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,151
+329 (+40%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
22.7:1
was 24.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,151 | 50.7 | 22.7:1 | 87% (997) |
| 2023-24 | 1,092 | 48.2 | 22.7:1 | 86% (944) |
| 2022-23 | 987 | 45.5 | 21.7:1 | 85% (841) |
| 2020-21 | 822 | 33 | 24.9:1 | 77% (637) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dolores S. Whitley TK-8.
About Dolores S. Whitley TK-8
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 is a large elementary school that serves part of Bakersfield, California. Grades offered run from kindergarten through 8, with 1,151 students enrolled. For comparison, elementary schools in California average about 465 students.
Panama-Buena Vista Union oversees Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 and 24 other schools, with 19,366 students in total.
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8's enrollment is 71% Hispanic. Other groups include 16% Asian, 5% White, 4% Black, and 3% multiracial. By comparison, Kern County residents are about 57% Hispanic. By the diversity index, Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 comes in at 47%.
A ratio of 22.7:1 comes from the school's 50.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in California average about 22.3:1, a similar figure. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 87% in 2024-25. Across public schools in Kern County, the average is 76%.
Measured against California public elementary schools, Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Dolores S. Whitley TK-8, the prediction is 28.8% and the result is 40.6%.
In the county around the school, Kern County, median household income is about $70,210, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 is among the 279 public schools in Kern County.
Stonecreek Junior High is the public school closest to Dolores S. Whitley TK-8, about 0.9 miles away. Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Dolores S. Whitley TK-8's average proficiency of 40.6% compares with 37.1% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 is coded as City: Large in federal locale data.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 went from 822 students to 1,151. The ratio was 24.9:1 in 2020-21 and 22.7:1 in 2024-25.
Questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Kern County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
915,075
Census ACS
Median income
$70,210
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
279
197,431 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Panama-Buena Vista Union
- Douglas J. Miller ElementaryElementary · 994 students
- Stonecreek Junior HighMiddle · 986 students
- Earl Warren Junior HighMiddle · 965 students
- Berkshire ElementaryElementary · 932 students
- Bill L. Williams ElementaryElementary · 926 students
- Panama ElementaryElementary · 876 students
Other schools in Bakersfield
- Bakersfield HighHigh · 3,069 students
- Ridgeview HighHigh · 2,575 students
- Highland HighHigh · 2,530 students
- Stockdale HighHigh · 2,398 students
- Liberty HighHigh · 2,369 students
- East Bakersfield HighHigh · 2,331 students
Nearby schools
- Stonecreek Junior High0.9 mi · 986
- Granite Pointe Elementary1.1 mi · 670
- Panama Elementary1.2 mi · 876
- Berkshire Elementary1.2 mi · 932
- Ridgeview High1.3 mi · 2,575
- Horizon Elementary1.4 mi · 845
Frequently asked questions
About Dolores S. Whitley TK-8How large is Dolores S. Whitley TK-8?
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 enrolls approximately 1,151 students in grades KG-08.
Is Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 an elementary, middle, or high school?
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 is an elementary school covering grades KG-08.
How many students per teacher at Dolores S. Whitley TK-8?
Approximately 22.7:1 students per teacher at Dolores S. Whitley TK-8.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Dolores S. Whitley TK-8?
At Dolores S. Whitley TK-8, the student body is approximately 5% White, 71% Hispanic, 4% Black, 16% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 in?
Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 is part of Panama-Buena Vista Union.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.