Henderson Elementary, Barstow CA

Original Research by School Decision on Henderson Elementary

Henderson Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Barstow, a Mojave Desert crossroads city anchored by rail, military, and logistics. The school enrolls students from a community facing significant academic challenges, with standardized test results in California's lowest range.

In the most recent state testing data available, Henderson's students show very low proficiency rates across all tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, about a fifth of third and fourth graders met proficiency standards. Math proficiency was similarly low, with fewer than a fifth of third graders and roughly one in seven fourth graders meeting grade-level expectations. In fifth-grade science, proficiency fell to single digits. These results place Henderson well below the midpoint among San Bernardino County school districts.

The student population reflects Barstow's demographics and economic conditions. The school is roughly equally divided between Hispanic and Black students, with a substantial white enrollment and smaller populations across other racial and ethnic groups. A very large share of Henderson's enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, indicating deep economic strain across the families it serves.

Henderson draws from a city where the economy centers on government, rail and logistics infrastructure, and healthcare and retail sectors. Major employment drivers include BNSF Railway's rail yard and Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow. Housing costs are moderate relative to state benchmarks, and median household income is below the national average, though rents and mortgages remain accessible compared to other parts of California. The area is experiencing growth activity: the Barstow International Gateway, a major new integrated rail facility expected to generate substantial job creation, is set to begin construction soon, and the Brightline West high-speed rail project is planned for the region.

At the school level, enrollment is stable at a size typical for an elementary school serving its grade band. The district recently expanded to offer 4K for three-and-four-year-olds as an earlier entry point, and has implemented a district-wide Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework aimed at shaping student behavior and school climate. These changes reflect the district's approach to meeting family needs and improving the environment across its schools.

Henderson's very low test results suggest that students arrive with significant gaps and face obstacles to proficiency that the school is currently not closing at grade level. A parent weighing this school may want to look closely at what intervention and support structures Henderson has in place, how it identifies students needing extra help, and what progress monitoring and family engagement look like. The school's setting in a working-class community with limited local resources also matters: families should understand what wraparound services, summer programs, or tutoring the school or district offers, and whether partnerships exist with community agencies to support student learning outside school hours.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 19% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 15% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 17% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 18% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 9%

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

This schoolBarstow Unified, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income9%Higher-income48%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income22%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income12%Higher-income38%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income10%Higher-income23%12 pp gap