How does William Penn Elementary compare to other elementary schools in Bakersfield?

William Penn Elementary has a SchoolScope composite score of 33.6/100, placing it at the 18th percentile statewide. 6% of students exceed standard, with a total of 470 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at William Penn Elementary?

5.5% of students at William Penn Elementary exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 17.6% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is William Penn Elementary improving or declining?

William Penn Elementary's proficiency rate decreases by 0.8 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at William Penn Elementary?

18.9% of students at William Penn Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

William Penn Elementary

Bakersfield City Bakersfield Kern County 93304

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of elementary schools

State Rank

470 students tested

School overview

Enrollment

255 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

18:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

98%

Teachers

14 full-time

Student demographics

Hispanic 80.8%

White 8.2%

Black 9.8%

Other 1.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for William Penn Elementary
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	5.5%
Met Standard	12.0%
Below Standard	82.4%

Exceeded

5.5%

Met

12.0%

Below

82.4%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "18% proficient" for William Penn Elementary and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

5.5% of students exceeded standard while 12.0% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 15.4 points below the state average of 21.0%. That's 2.2 points below the Bakersfield City district average of 7.8%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 6.9% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 0.8 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5 — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

Chronic absenteeism is 18.9%, above the state average of 18.7%.