William R. Buckley Elementary, Porterville CA

Original Research by School Decision on William R. Buckley Elementary

William R. Buckley Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Porterville, a mid-sized Tulare County city at the base of the southern Sierra Nevada. The school is part of the Burton Elementary School District, a smaller district serving the Porterville area.

The school enrolls a student population of about five hundred, with substantial diversity: just under seven in ten students identify as Hispanic, one in seven as white, and smaller shares as Asian, American Indian, and other backgrounds. A very high proportion of students—roughly four in five—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting significant economic need in the enrollment area. The school's grade distribution is relatively even across the early and intermediate grades, with somewhat larger sixth-grade cohorts.

On California's 2024-25 state assessments, William R. Buckley's proficiency rates are low in both English language arts and math. In English language arts, roughly two-thirds of third-graders did not meet proficiency; similar or larger gaps appear in fourth and fifth grades. The sixth-grade cohort performs notably better in ELA, with about half meeting proficiency, though this still reflects significant gaps. In math, proficiency is even lower: only about one in four third-graders and fifth-graders met the standard, about three in ten in fourth grade, and about four in ten in sixth grade. Science proficiency, measured in fifth grade, sits at about one in four students. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Tulare County, though this positioning reflects the county context rather than a broad state comparison.

The school's performance pattern—with notably weaker results in elementary grades and somewhat stronger performance in sixth grade, particularly in ELA—is worth noting and may merit a conversation with school leadership about literacy and numeracy support strategies at each grade level.

Porterville itself is a city with small-town character and family orientation. It functions as an economic hub for the Southern Sierra region and a gateway to Sequoia National Forest. The local economy centers on agribusiness, light industry, healthcare, education, and retail. A historic downtown around Main Street hosts local businesses, civic buildings, and community events, while commercial activity clusters along state highway corridors and shopping centers. The housing market in the Porterville ZIP code is relatively affordable by state standards, with median home values and rental rates substantially below California state benchmarks.

The Burton School District recently passed a voter-approved bond in November 2024 for facility improvements including roofing, plumbing, electrical and sewer system upgrades, HVAC replacement, technology infrastructure, new athletic fields and playgrounds, and parking and drop-off improvements. The bond levies a new ongoing property tax on assessed home value, a cost families in the area would incur; a parent may want to check the current rate with the district.

No state testing data history or comparison across multiple years is available, so trends cannot be assessed. The school's data on English learner enrollment and students with Individualized Education Plans was not available. A parent interested in the school's support systems for these populations, or in broader questions about how the school is addressing proficiency gaps, would benefit from direct conversation with the school or district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 37% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 26% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 35% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 35% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 44% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 45% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 23% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolBurton Elementary, 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 4Lower-income31%Higher-income15%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income83%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income46%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income50%15 pp gap