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School Profile · Buttonwillow

Buttonwillow Elementary: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Buttonwillow posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

42600 Hwy 58, 93206 (opens in new tab)·Buttonwillow Union Elementary·Buttonwillow·Grades TK-8·288 students·91% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 764-5166·Website
Scope Score
27
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #5,118 statewide

Buttonwillow Elementary scores 27 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 11th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “25% proficient” and call it done. Buttonwillow deserves a closer read. The school sits in Buttonwillow, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

11%
31%
58%
Grade 3 · 42% proficient
19%
77%
Grade 4 · 23% proficient
17%
83%
Grade 5 · 17% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
6.3%
State 21.3%
15.0pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-29.9pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
25.0%
State 42.7%
17.6pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
20.6%
State 17.9%
2.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.7%
State 1.6%
0.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
11.1%
State 18.0%
6.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

Your other options

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic93.8%
White4.5%
Black1.4%
Other0.3%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 90.6% (27pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
288
192 below CA avg (~480)
Transitional Kindergarten
19 TK students
7% of a 266-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
13:1
8 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$21,317
District avg: $16,779 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
11.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$57,644 – $111,461
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Buttonwillow Elementary in Buttonwillow, 25.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Buttonwillow Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (25.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 10.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 166 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+10.4pp
31.0% vs 20.6% overall · n=58
ELA · English Learner−10.4pp
14.5% vs 24.9% overall · n=82
1 more gap by subject
Math · English Learner−4.1pp
13.5% vs 17.6% overall · n=83

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income166 tested
ELA 25.3%·Math 18.1%· +0.0pp vs district
Hispanic166 tested
ELA 25.9%·Math 18.1%· +0.0pp vs district
English Learner94 tested
ELA 12.9%·Math 11.7%· +0.0pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 27.3pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -27.3pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 55%Support 39%Other 6%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$54K
$31K below CA median
Median Home Value
$225K
$434K below CA median
Bachelor's+
5%
30pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
8.3 years avg experience
26 teachers · 8% first-year · 15% second-year
Teacher Credentials
79% fully credentialed
5.0% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Buttonwillow Elementary a good elementary school?
Buttonwillow Elementary has a Scope Score of 27 out of 100, placing it in the 11th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #5,118 statewide. 6.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 15.0 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Buttonwillow Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 25.0% of students at Buttonwillow Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.3% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 171 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Buttonwillow Elementary rank in California?
Buttonwillow Elementary ranks #5,118 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 11th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Buttonwillow Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Buttonwillow Elementary decreases by 29.9 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Buttonwillow Elementary?
20.6% of students at Buttonwillow Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.7%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Buttonwillow Elementary compare to other schools in Buttonwillow?
Buttonwillow Elementary scores 27/100 (11th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 288 students. Use the schools in Buttonwillow page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Buttonwillow Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Buttonwillow Elementary in Buttonwillow, 25.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Buttonwillow Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (25.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 10.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 166 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
6.3%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 35th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-29.9pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 35th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
25.0%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 37th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
20.6%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 46th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.7%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 49th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
11.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 42th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 33511%31%37%20%43%−1
Grade 4274%19%30%48%22%−23
Grade 5230%17%35%48%17%−30
Grade 6333%18%33%45%21%−25
Grade 7336%15%24%55%21%−26
Grade 8290%24%52%24%24%−22
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 33511%23%43%23%34%−11
Grade 42711%22%33%33%33%−8
Grade 5240%0%38%63%0%−35
Grade 6333%24%21%52%27%−8
Grade 7330%3%18%79%3%−31
Grade 8290%7%14%79%7%−25
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11530%4%74%23%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged16625.3%+0−13
Hispanic/Latino16625.9%+0−13
English Learners9312.9%+0+2
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Buttonwillow Elementary ←276.3%25.0%−29.91.7%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
20%27%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #5339 → #5674 → #5703 → #5261 → #5118
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 13 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue