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What's one thing Harding Elementary gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
542
Elementary
DISTRICT 619 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BAKERSFIELD CITY·NCES 060363000302
Harding Elementary
3201 Pico Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93306 · (661) 631-5300 · Kern County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL542 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 25% of California public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-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
20.9:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.7:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
81%
440 students
DISTRICT 88% · 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 | 97 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 64 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 55 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 92 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 61 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 100 | 18% |
| Grade 6 | 73 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (97) is 33% larger than its 6th grade class (73).
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · 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
33.9%
CA avg 49.1% . -7.1pp since 2014
Math
21.5%
CA avg 37.7% . -13.5pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 34 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 21 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 7 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 14 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 10.7% | 23.2% | 28.4% | 37.6% |
| Math | 7.4% | 14.1% | 29.1% | 49.4% |
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 | 33.9% | 21.5% |
| 2023-24 | 34.7% | 18.6% |
| 2022-23 | 29.8% | 19.0% |
| 2021-22 | 34.3% | 17.4% |
| 2018-19 | 47.4% | 27.7% |
| 2017-18 | 51.6% | 41.1% |
| 2016-17 | 50.1% | 42.7% |
| 2015-16 | 46.0% | 35.0% |
| 2014-15 | 41.0% | 35.0% |
% 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
27.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 32% 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 Harding Elementary
Harding Elementary's state test result (27.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harding Elementary this school | 542 | 81.2% | 27.7% |
| Victoria Elementary Riverside | 488 | 81.6% | 37.0% |
| Hamilton TK-8 Novato | 544 | 82.0% | 27.9% |
| Withrow Elementary Lake Elsinore | 583 | 84.9% | 27.4% |
| Henry Eissler Elementary Bakersfield | 529 | 85.3% | 27.3% |
| Crestwood Elementary Visalia | 594 | 78.3% | 31.2% |
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 Harding Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.7% | #3,781 of 5,151 | #79 of 148 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 21.5% | #4,162 of 5,172 ▲ 158 | #91 of 150 ▲ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 33.9% | #3,566 of 5,172 ▼ 310 | #76 of 150 ▼ 11 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.8pp | #2,703 of 5,116 | #84 of 147 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 542 | #1,950 of 5,915 | #95 of 163 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.9:1 | #1,403 of 5,352 | #59 of 145 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.4% | #3,779 of 5,354 | #83 of 145 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 81.2% | #2,069 of 5,625 | #95 of 153 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.7% | #3,097 of 3,837 | #69 of 95 |
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
542
+3 (+1%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 651
Student : Teacher
20.9:1
was 20.7:1
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 | 542 | 26 | 20.9:1 | 81% (440) |
| 2023-24 | 546 | 26 | 21.0:1 | 87% (475) |
| 2022-23 | 567 | 24 | 23.6:1 | 81% (459) |
| 2020-21 | 539 | 26 | 20.7:1 | 89% (480) |
| 2017-18 | 581 | 25 | 23.2:1 | 82% (477) |
| 2015-16 | 567 | 25 | 22.7:1 | 79% (447) |
| 2010-11 | 504 | N/A | N/A | 74% (374) |
| 2000-01 | 546 | 25 | 21.8:1 | 60% (330) |
| 1990-91 | 651 | 24 | 27.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Harding Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (581 to 542); teachers up 4% (25 to 26).
About Harding Elementary
Harding Elementary is a public elementary school in Bakersfield, California. The school's enrollment of 542 students covers kindergarten through 6.
Harding Elementary is one school in a 44-school district, Bakersfield City, which enrolls 28,365 students.
Federal enrollment data show Harding Elementary is 80% Hispanic. It is also 13% White and 4% Black. Kern County's residents are about 57% Hispanic, 24 points below the school's share. Harding Elementary's diversity index is 33%, against a US figure of 70%.
A ratio of 20.9:1 comes from the school's 26 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is 1.5 students per teacher below the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 81% in 2024-25.
Measured against California public elementary schools, Harding Elementary receives a C. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
A school with Harding Elementary's lunch-eligibility share in California is predicted to score 32.0%. Harding Elementary scores 27.7%, 4.2 points below that line.
In the county around the school, Kern County, the median household income is $70,210, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 15% of people live in poverty. There are 279 public schools in Kern County, enrolling about 197,431 students in all.
The closest public school to Harding Elementary is Compton Junior High, about 0.1 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. On proficiency, Harding Elementary is ahead of the 24.9% nearby average, ranking 4th of 9.
Harding Elementary falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 539 in 2020-21 and 542 in 2024-25.
The discussion area below is open to posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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 Bakersfield City
- Curran MiddleMiddle · 973 students
- Colonel Howard Nichols ElementaryElementary · 960 students
- Voorhies ElementaryElementary · 915 students
- Walter Stiern MiddleMiddle · 891 students
- Horace Mann ElementaryElementary · 870 students
- Bessie E. Owens ElementaryElementary · 867 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
Other Harding Elementary schools
5 other US public schools in 4 states are named Harding Elementary. Harding Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 6.
- Harding ElementaryEl Centro, CA · 601 students
- Harding ElementaryEl Cerrito, CA · 481 students
- Harding Elementary SchoolLebanon, PA · 555 students
- Harding Elementary SchoolMason City, IA · 387 students
- Harding Elementary SchoolYoungstown, OH · 324 students
Nearby schools
- Compton Junior High0.1 mi · 586
- Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary0.8 mi · 960
- Horace Mann Elementary1.0 mi · 870
- East Bakersfield High1.0 mi · 2,331
- Henry Eissler Elementary1.1 mi · 529
- College Heights Elementary1.1 mi · 761
Frequently asked questions
About Harding ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Harding Elementary?
Harding Elementary enrolls approximately 542 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does Harding Elementary serve?
Harding Elementary serves grades KG-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harding Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Harding Elementary is approximately 20.9:1 (26 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Harding Elementary?
At Harding Elementary, the student body is approximately 13% White, 80% Hispanic, 4% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees Harding Elementary?
Harding Elementary is overseen by Bakersfield City in Kern County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.