John Bidwell Elementary, Sacramento CA

Original Research by School Decision on John Bidwell Elementary

John Bidwell Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Sacramento, with a total enrollment of just under three hundred students. The school sits in a neighborhood where the median home value is moderate for the region, and rents are within reach for working families, though housing affordability measured against median income falls below the state benchmark. The zip code 95822 reflects a mixed-income area in a city with complex economic conditions.

The student body is diverse and economically disadvantaged. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. By race and ethnicity, the enrollment is roughly split among Hispanic, Black, and Asian students, with smaller populations of white students and other groups. The school does not report counts for English learners or students with individualized education plans, so the full scope of language and special-needs support remains unclear from the available data.

Academic performance at John Bidwell is a significant concern. In English language arts, results are mixed by grade. Fourth-grade students showed solid proficiency, while third, fifth, and sixth grades fell well below that, with third grade posting particularly weak results. The school's overall ELA proficiency sits below the midpoint when compared to other schools across Sacramento County. Mathematics performance is substantially weaker. Across the tested grades, proficiency rates are very low, with fifth grade showing proficiency near zero. The school's overall math proficiency places it below the midpoint among county schools. Science proficiency in fifth grade was similarly very low. These patterns suggest persistent academic challenges that warrant direct conversation with school leadership about curriculum, instructional approaches, and student support systems.

The school is part of Sacramento City Unified, which faces acute financial strain. The district approved a Fiscal Solvency Plan in late 2025 to avert state or county takeover, with a projected deficit reaching critical levels by mid-2026. The district has issued layoff notices to hundreds of employees and is delaying purchases of updated curriculum materials and technology. These cuts directly affect classroom supplies, staffing ratios, and the pace of program renewal. Additionally, the district went through an eight-day strike in spring 2022 that disrupted instruction, and has since shifted school calendars to earlier start dates to recover lost time and avoid state penalties. Voters approved a school facilities bond (Measure D) in November 2024 that will fund modernization and new construction but also imposes a property tax increase on homeowners for the life of the debt.

A family considering John Bidwell should view it as a school serving a high-poverty, multicultural enrollment in a district under serious fiscal pressure. The school's test scores indicate students are not meeting grade-level standards, and the district's current budget crisis is directly reducing resources. A parent may want to look into further with school leadership what specific interventions are in place to address the math and science proficiency gaps, how the current budget cuts are affecting classroom staffing and materials, and what the school's strategy is for improvement in the coming school year.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 35% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 28% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 37% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 39% · ▲ 29 pts above district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 39% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 44% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 28% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

This schoolSacramento City 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.