Mt. Vernon Elementary, Bakersfield CA

Original Research by School Decision on Mt. Vernon Elementary

Mt. Vernon Elementary serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade in Bakersfield's central zip code, just south of downtown. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with the great majority of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is stable across grade levels, ranging from about eighty to just over one hundred students per grade.

The school's academic performance is substantially below grade-level proficiency across all tested subjects. In mathematics, proficiency rates across grades three through six average to single digits, with the highest rates in third grade and the sharpest drop in fourth grade. In English language arts, results are similarly weak, with proficiency rates in the low to mid-single digits across the upper grades, though third grade shows marginally higher performance. In science, fifth-grade proficiency is also very low. These results reflect a school serving a population with complex academic needs. A parent considering Mt. Vernon should understand that the school is working with a student population facing substantial achievement gaps and should ask directly with school leadership about intervention strategies, literacy programs, and how the school is supporting students who enter below grade level.

The school is part of Bakersfield City, the largest elementary school district in California, which serves a diverse and rapidly growing city. The district has taken several recent steps that touch classroom experience: it is implementing a smartphone-use policy aligned with state law that will take effect in fall 2026, has approved development of ethnic studies coursework to integrate into existing subjects, and has adopted a parental opt-out policy for instruction that conflicts with stated religious beliefs. These are shifts that will shape the environment for all families in the district.

Bakersfield itself is a mixed urban-suburban landscape shaped by agriculture, energy, and healthcare. The city is among California's fastest-growing large cities and has substantial housing development underway in downtown and in southeast neighborhoods. The Mt. Vernon area is part of central Bakersfield, which is relatively walkable around a downtown core but car-dependent elsewhere. Housing in the area is below the state median, and rental costs are moderate. Most families in the school's attendance zone have limited income, which aligns with the high free-lunch-eligible rate. The neighborhood has modest resources but is anchored by parks, the county library system, and bus transit through Golden Empire Transit.

Mt. Vernon is a regular public school with no specific magnet or charter designation. It serves an elementary-only band, so there is no high school graduation rate. Data on English learner enrollment and special education identification were not available. The school is positioned in the bottom quartile among Kern County districts on overall proficiency. For families choosing this school, the setting is a neighborhood elementary in a working-class part of Bakersfield, with an engaged school community but with sustained academic challenges that a parent should explore in detail with administrators.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 24% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 45%

School 5% · District 18% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 13% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 16% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 27% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 27% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 29% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 29% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 510%

School 10% · 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.