The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Conley Elementary
Conley Elementary serves kindergarten through third grade in Taft, a small oil-industry town in the southwestern foothills of the San Joaquin Valley. The school sits in a community shaped by the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, lower housing costs than surrounding areas, and a tight-knit local identity rooted in early-20th-century oil discovery.
The school enrolls a small population of students, evenly distributed across its four grade levels. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of Taft's working families. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a small white population and very few students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Specific data on the share of English learners or students with individualized education plans was not available.
On the 2024-25 CAASPP, the school's proficiency rates in third grade showed modest results. In math, roughly two in five students met proficiency standards; in English language arts, the rate was somewhat lower. When compared against other districts in Kern County, Conley's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a position that reflects the reality that many elementary schools across the region show similarly low absolute proficiency rates. The comparison should be read carefully: a top quartile position in this county context means Conley is performing better than the median elementary school locally, not that proficiency is high in absolute terms. Only one year of testing data was available, so trend information could not be assessed.
The school does not serve high school grades and therefore has no graduation rate. State assessment results for kindergarten through second grade were not reported, as California does not administer standardized tests at those levels. The only test-based picture available is third-grade performance in math and English language arts.
Taft's housing market is considerably more affordable than state and national benchmarks, with median home values substantially below both California and national figures. This affordability, combined with the area's oil-industry employment, explains why families in the community face real economic constraints reflected in the high free and reduced-price lunch participation at Conley.
The town itself moves at a slow, rural pace. Its downtown centers on a historic Fox Theatre and older commercial buildings dating to the oil boom era, and a General Plan goal explicitly targets creating a walkable downtown, though car ownership is generally necessary for most daily travel. Taft Area Transit provides weekday and limited Saturday service. Major employers are the oil and gas operators in surrounding fields, nearby federal and state correctional facilities, and Taft College. Beyond school, the community has recreation at Buena Vista Lake and Heritage Park, and the West Kern Oil Museum reflects local history.
A parent considering Conley should understand that the school serves a low-income, predominantly Hispanic, early-grades population in a rural oil-industry town. The available test data shows that proficiency is below majority levels, particularly in reading. The proficiency index position among Kern County districts reflects local context rather than strong absolute performance. No recent district-level change or innovation was identified. The school's strength lies in serving a small, stable elementary population in a close-knit community where housing is affordable and employment, though often in oil and extraction work, provides a base for family life. A parent may want to look further into the school's approach to literacy instruction and math support for the significant share of students not yet meeting proficiency, and to understand what programs or partnerships exist to support English learners in the early grades.
See more original research from School Decision →