Buttonwillow Elementary, Buttonwillow CA

Original Research by School Decision on Buttonwillow Elementary

Buttonwillow Elementary is a K-8 school serving a small agricultural community in western Kern County, about midway between Bakersfield and the Central Valley's western edge. The school enrolls students across a modest size for its grade band, with the largest share coming from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a student body that is overwhelmingly Hispanic and Latino. Nearly all students live in the area; the town itself is a tight-knit farming community where agricultural work, highway logistics, and hospitality jobs form the economic backbone.

The school's academic results show persistent weakness across math, English language arts, and science. In the most recent state testing, proficiency in math ranged from single digits in the upper middle grades to the low-to-mid 30s in grade 3. English language arts showed somewhat steadier performance in the early grades but dropped sharply by grade 4, hovering in the low 20s through grade 8. Science proficiency, tested in grades 5 and 8, was extremely low, in the single digits. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits at the bottom quartile when compared against other districts in Kern County. The gap between Buttonwillow and the county median is substantial. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what support structures and curriculum adjustments are in place to address these results and whether the school has an action plan tied to the low performance.

The school is part of Buttonwillow Union Elementary, a single-school district serving only grades K through 8; there is no high school, so families transition students elsewhere at the end of eighth grade. Two recent changes shape the school's resource picture. In November 2024, voters approved a general obligation bond focused on critical building repairs, particularly replacing a deteriorating classroom roof that has historically leaked and been infested with bats. The bond creates a long-term property tax on district homeowners. More positively, the district opened a new early childhood education and family resource center in 2025, which houses a dedicated preschool classroom, a transitional kindergarten classroom, and community support services, giving younger learners separate facilities for the first time.

The town and school sit on Highway 58 in a rural area of flat farmland, orchards, and cotton fields. Housing is predominantly owner-occupied single-family homes, many dating from the 1950s. Median home values are modest for California, and the area's economy relies on agriculture, transportation and logistics tied to Interstate 5 access, and hospitality services. A large warehousing and logistics project approved near the highway interchange is expected to bring new employment but reflects the region's shift toward commercial rather than residential growth. Schools in Buttonwillow are essentially the only public anchor in town besides the library, community center, and a small handful of local businesses. Families choosing this school should understand they are sending a child to a school with very low state test performance in a district with limited secondary options and a small-town setting where most family networks and economic stability rest on agricultural or service-sector work.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 33%

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

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 0%

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 27%

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

Grade 73%

School 3% · District 3%

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7%

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

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 22%

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

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 4%

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

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 4%

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

Social studies

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

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

This schoolButtonwillow Union 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.