The top reported proficiency rate is 6% in Math. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Baker Elementary
Baker Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Baker, an isolated unincorporated desert community in San Bernardino County. The school has an enrollment of about sixty students, with the student body predominantly Hispanic, and a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of a highway-service desert town where tourism-dependent employment is the norm.
The school sits apart from Baker's commercial strip, which runs along Interstate 15 and State Route 127 as a sequence of gas stations and roadside restaurants serving travelers between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Baker itself has been declining in population and economic vitality, especially after the closure of a local prison that once employed a portion of residents. The median housing stock dates to mid-20th century, vacancy is high, and the community has few anchors beyond its identity as a gateway to Death Valley and Mojave National Preserve. The nearest supermarket or hospital is roughly an hour away.
State test results for Baker Elementary are weak. Across tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency rate is in the bottom quartile among districts in San Bernardino County. In fourth-grade English language arts, proficiency was at zero. Fourth-grade math proficiency was very low as well. Results for third and fifth grades in both subjects were suppressed for confidentiality, likely because tested cohorts were very small. A multi-year trend cannot be assessed from the data available; only the current year (2024-25) is reported.
The student composition is stable and reflects the town's demographics: the enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller white population and no reported students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Special education and English learner status data were not provided, so a parent should ask the school directly about the availability of services in these areas and how those populations are supported.
Baker Elementary is the only elementary school in Baker Valley Unified, a K-12 district covering the census-designated place. The district itself is very small, serving a handful of schools across a minimal geographic area. No recent strategic changes to the district were available in public sources. A parent considering this school should speak with the school and district directly about instructional approaches, curriculum resources, and student support services, given the limited data available on programs and staffing. The isolation of the community and the school's position in a contracting local economy are contextual factors that differ sharply from more populated or growing areas.
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