Enrollment
294
Elementary
DISTRICT 378 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA PAULA UNIFIED·NCES 060142106112
Thelma Bedell Elementary
1305 Laurel Rd., Santa Paula, CA 93060 · (805) 933-8951 · Ventura County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL294 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 16% of California public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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
18.4:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.2:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
67%
197 students
DISTRICT 86% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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 | 59 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 42 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 22 | 7% |
| Grade 3 | 34 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 41 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (59) is 44% larger than its 6th grade class (41).
Student demographics
20%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Thelma Bedell Elementary→Isbell Middle
Based on grade levels within Santa Paula Unified. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
30.8%
CA avg 49.1% . -2.2pp since 2014
Math
22.1%
CA avg 37.7% . +3.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 22 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 2 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 9.9% | 20.9% | 23.3% | 45.9% |
| Math | 7.6% | 14.5% | 29.1% | 48.8% |
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 | 30.8% | 22.1% |
| 2023-24 | 28.2% | 26.5% |
| 2022-23 | 25.0% | 19.3% |
| 2021-22 | 29.9% | 19.7% |
| 2018-19 | 47.9% | 47.9% |
| 2017-18 | 44.0% | 46.1% |
| 2016-17 | 48.5% | 44.8% |
| 2015-16 | 38.0% | 37.0% |
| 2014-15 | 33.0% | 19.0% |
% 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
26.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.3%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 40% 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 Thelma Bedell Elementary
Thelma Bedell Elementary's state test result (26.7% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thelma Bedell Elementary this school | 294 | 67.0% | 26.7% |
| Leonardo da Vinci Health Sciences Charter Chula Vista | 273 | 66.7% | N/A |
| Linscott Charter Watsonville | 258 | 65.9% | 44.0% |
| Arroyo Elementary Simi Valley | 264 | 67.0% | 32.2% |
| San Mateo Park Elementary San Mateo | 340 | 63.5% | 12.5% |
| Buchanan Street Elementary Los Angeles | 278 | 66.2% | 38.4% |
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 Thelma Bedell Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Ventura County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 26.7% | #3,896 of 5,151 | #91 of 121 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 22.1% | #4,090 of 5,172 ▼ 643 | #98 of 122 ▼ 17 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 30.8% | #3,901 of 5,172 ▲ 85 | #94 of 122 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.6pp | #2,784 of 5,116 | #70 of 121 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 294 | #4,808 of 5,915 | #110 of 130 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.4:1 | #357 of 5,352 | #9 of 124 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.9% | #4,425 of 5,354 | #91 of 124 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 67.0% | #3,121 of 5,625 | #54 of 127 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.8% | #899 of 1,139 | #21 of 21 |
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
294
+14 (+5%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
18.4:1
was 18.7:1
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 | 294 | 16 | 18.4:1 | 67% (197) |
| 2023-24 | 309 | 16.2 | 19.1:1 | 65% (201) |
| 2022-23 | 268 | 13.1 | 20.5:1 | 65% (173) |
| 2020-21 | 280 | 15 | 18.7:1 | 70% (197) |
| 2017-18 | 286 | 15 | 19.1:1 | 80% (229) |
| 2015-16 | 330 | 16 | 20.6:1 | 78% (256) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thelma Bedell Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (286 to 294); teachers up 7% (15 to 16).
About Thelma Bedell Elementary
This page covers Thelma Bedell Elementary, a small elementary school in Santa Paula, California. The school had 294 students in kindergarten through 6 in 2024-25. Average enrollment for elementary schools in California is about 465, so this school runs 37% smaller than that.
The Santa Paula Unified system has 10 schools and 4,570 students.
Hispanic students make up 89% of enrollment at Thelma Bedell Elementary. The remaining shares are 8% White. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Ventura County's population at about 44%. Pick two students at random and there is a 20% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school reports 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 18.4 students per teacher. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 67%.
Measured against California public elementary schools, Thelma Bedell 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.
Compared with California schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Thelma Bedell Elementary's results are 13.6 points below predicted: 26.7% against 40.3%.
In Ventura County (population about 837,469), the median household income is $109,797, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 36% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 7%. There are 238 public schools in Ventura County, enrolling about 147,841 students in all.
The closest public school to Thelma Bedell Elementary is Mupu Elementary, about 1.0 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 26.7% is below the 31.9% average for nearby schools.
The school's federal locale classification is Town: Fringe.
Enrollment climbed 5% from its 2020-21 level of 280.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss school safety, transportation, and start times at Thelma Bedell Elementary. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Ventura County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
837,469
Census ACS
Median income
$109,797
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
238
147,841 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Santa Paula Unified
- Santa Paula HighHigh · 1,494 students
- Glen City ElementaryElementary · 675 students
- Isbell MiddleMiddle · 634 students
- Grace Thille ElementaryElementary · 358 students
- Barbara Webster ElementaryElementary · 325 students
- Blanchard ElementaryElementary · 317 students
Other schools in Santa Paula
- Santa Paula HighHigh · 1,494 students
- Glen City ElementaryElementary · 675 students
- Isbell MiddleMiddle · 634 students
- Grace Thille ElementaryElementary · 358 students
- Barbara Webster ElementaryElementary · 325 students
- Blanchard ElementaryElementary · 317 students
Nearby schools
- Mupu Elementary1.0 mi · 175
- Barbara Webster Elementary1.0 mi · 325
- McKevett Elementary1.1 mi · 300
- Santa Paula High1.3 mi · 1,494
- Renaissance High1.5 mi · 113
- Grace Thille Elementary1.6 mi · 358
Frequently asked questions
About Thelma Bedell ElementaryHow many students attend Thelma Bedell Elementary?
Thelma Bedell Elementary enrolls approximately 294 students in grades KG-06.
Is Thelma Bedell Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Thelma Bedell Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Thelma Bedell Elementary have?
Thelma Bedell Elementary employs 16 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Thelma Bedell Elementary?
Student demographics at Thelma Bedell Elementary are roughly 8% White, 89% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Thelma Bedell Elementary in?
Thelma Bedell Elementary is part of Santa Paula Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.