Veterans Elementary, Bakersfield CA

Original Research by School Decision on Veterans Elementary

Veterans Elementary sits in a growing pocket of northwest Bakersfield, serving grades kindergarten through sixth, and operates as a regular public school within Norris Elementary School District. The school enrolls a school-sized population with a diverse student body, where no single group dominates. Roughly one third of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school draws roughly balanced representation across Hispanic, white, Asian, and multiracial students, with smaller numbers of Black students and almost no Native American or Pacific Islander enrollment.

The school sits in a moderate-income Bakersfield neighborhood where median home values align with prices somewhat below the state benchmark, and rental costs run modestly lower than mortgage costs would suggest relative to income. This is a part of the city shaped by its role as the largest elementary school district in California, with ongoing residential growth in the surrounding neighborhoods driving enrollment gains district-wide over the past few years.

On California's state assessments in 2024-25, Veterans' proficiency rates sit below half across most grades and subjects. In English language arts, grade three performed in the low-to-mid range, grade four and sixth held near half, and grade five performed measurably better at around two-thirds. Math proficiency was notably weaker, clustering in the low-to-mid forties across grades three and four and sixth, with grade five slipping further. Science testing, available only for grade five, showed proficiency near the low-to-mid range. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is in the top quartile of schools measured across Kern County districts, meaning Veterans performs better in state testing than most elementary schools in the county. A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school directly about tutoring, intervention programs, and whether math instruction is being adjusted or supported, since the math results are softer than the literacy results. Only one year of testing data is available at present, so trend information is not yet available.

The school is part of a district undergoing deliberate investment in career pathways. Beginning in 2023-24, Norris Middle School introduced career and technical education electives through a partnership with the Kern High School District, creating a pipeline from elementary through high school that exposes students to hands-on learning and college-and-career options earlier. This is a structural advantage for families who plan to stay in the district through middle and high school. The district itself is growing with the neighborhoods around it, adding families and students as new housing development continues.

Bakersfield itself is among California's fastest-growing large cities, with a compact walkable downtown centered on arts, civic, and education anchors, though most residential areas are car-dependent. The city's economy rests on agriculture, energy, and healthcare. The Kern River Parkway runs as a long corridor of biking and walking trails on the city's eastern edge. Families living here balance affordability and growth against transportation needs and the reality that most daily errands require a car in outlying neighborhoods like the one where Veterans sits.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 53% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 50% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 55% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 50% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 60% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 59% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 41% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolNorris 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 3Lower-income50%Higher-income55%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income59%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income67%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income60%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income42%Higher-income50%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income59%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income46%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income55%21 pp gap