The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary
Jefferson Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through third grade in Taft, a historic oil-industry town in Kern County at the southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley. The school sits on Taylor Street in a community shaped by the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, lower housing costs than surrounding areas, and a tight-knit town character.
The school enrolls roughly two hundred fifty students, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a small number of white students and minimal representation from other racial and ethnic groups. Specific counts of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners were not available in the data provided.
Academic performance at Jefferson Elementary is well below expectations. On the most recent state assessment in 2024-25, fewer than one in ten third graders scored at proficient levels in mathematics, and proficiency in English language arts was roughly double that but still under one in five. The school's proficiency index across tested grades and subjects places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Kern County. Only a single point in time of test data is available, so trend information cannot be established. A parent may want to look into further with the school what instructional supports and interventions are in place to address these results and what trajectory the school aims for.
Taft itself is a small, deliberate-paced community that originated as an early-20th-century oil boomtown and retains a mix of historic commercial buildings, including the 1930s Fox Theatre anchoring downtown, and established residential neighborhoods. The town's economy remains centered on oil and gas operations, with major employers also including nearby correctional facilities and Taft College. Housing is affordable relative to coastal California, and the city is actively planning for infill development and modest growth tied to the region's oil industry and regional transportation access. Downtown has walkability aspiration in the city's General Plan, though car ownership is generally necessary for most local travel in this small valley town. Public transit is provided by Taft Area Transit on weekday and limited weekend schedules, with regional connections via Kern Transit to Bakersfield and Amtrak.
The Taft City School District encompasses the area, though no recent parent-relevant changes such as major bond measures or curriculum shifts were found in available district records.
Families considering Jefferson Elementary should understand it as a small, early-primary school in an affordable, oil-industry-anchored small town serving a student population nearly entirely reliant on free and reduced-price lunch support. Current academic performance is low and warrants direct conversation with school leadership about instructional priorities and support structures. The setting is rural and community-oriented, with limited urban density or transit-oriented character.
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