Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Bakersfield City

This page covers 34 elementary schools in Bakersfield City. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

34
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 34
1
rank
Rafer Johnson
Grades KG–0832 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (5.8:1) · above-average investment ($18,394/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
5.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
78%
High economic need
2
rank
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
Grades KG–06509 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
49
/100
Student:Teacher
19.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
51%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Downtown Elementary
Grades KG–08323 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
48
/100
Student:Teacher
22.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
31%
Low economic need
4
rank
Caroline Harris Elementary
Grades KG–06573 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
45
/100
Student:Teacher
19.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
5
rank
Munsey Elementary
Grades KG–06621 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
44
/100
Student:Teacher
19.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
92%
High economic need
6
rank
Stella I. Hills Elementary
Grades KG–06665 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
44
/100
Student:Teacher
19.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
96%
High economic need
7
rank
Frank West Elementary
Grades KG–05695 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
19.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
96%
High economic need
8
rank
Franklin Elementary
Grades KG–06451 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
21.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
85%
High economic need
9
rank
Longfellow Elementary
Grades KG–06746 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
20.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
10
rank
Henry Eissler Elementary
Grades KG–06566 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,394/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
20.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,394
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
24 more elementary schools in Bakersfield City not shown here.
View all schools in Bakersfield City
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
34
Elementary Schools
44
Total Schools
57
#1 Score
42
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
Rafer Johnson
Score: 57/100
Compare Bakersfield City with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.