Fremont Elementary, Bakersfield CA

Original Research by School Decision on Fremont Elementary

Fremont Elementary serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade in Bakersfield, a diverse, fast-growing city in Kern County's southern region. The school sits at a downtown location in a community where families face substantial economic pressure.

The student body reflects Bakersfield's composition. Nearly all students come from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and the vast majority are Hispanic. Enrollment sits at a moderate level for an elementary school across the grade span, with roughly equal representation in most grades. No data on English learner or special education populations was available.

The academic picture here is one parents should examine closely. On California's state assessments in 2024-25, proficiency rates in English language arts and math are low across all tested grades. In third grade, roughly one quarter of students met proficiency in ELA, though math proficiency was substantially lower. By fourth grade and beyond, proficiency drops sharply in both subjects—in math, single-digit percentages of students in grades four, five, and six reached proficiency. Science proficiency in fifth grade was similarly weak. These results place Fremont in the bottom quartile relative to other elementary schools across Kern County districts.

Trend data is available only for the most recent school year, so it is not yet clear whether these proficiency levels represent a stable condition or a change. A parent may want to look into the school's recent trajectory and its current efforts to strengthen foundational skills in math and literacy.

Bakersfield itself is an affordable housing market compared to much of California, though home prices and rents have moved upward in recent months. The city is among California's fastest-growing large cities. Downtown, where Fremont sits, is car-dependent overall but contains a small walkable core with restored storefronts, restaurants, and civic anchors including the Beale Memorial Library. The Kern River Parkway offers long walking and cycling paths along the city's eastern edge.

The Bakersfield City School District, Fremont's parent district, serves the city's public elementary students across many schools. The district has recently approved expanded ethnic studies curriculum that can be integrated across subjects to connect learning to students' cultural backgrounds. Beginning in fall 2026, the district will implement a new policy limiting student smartphone use during school hours, following California's Phone-Free Schools Act. In October 2025, the board also revised policy to allow parents to opt their children out of instruction conflicting with religious beliefs.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 24% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 18% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 13% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 16% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 27% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 27% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 29% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 29% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 17% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolBakersfield City, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.