Teresa Burke Elementary, Wasco CA

Original Research by School Decision on Teresa Burke Elementary

Teresa Burke Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Wasco, a small agricultural community in Kern County about twenty-five miles northwest of Bakersfield. The school enrolls a small cohort of students in a setting shaped by the town's economic and demographic profile.

The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, and a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working and lower-income character of the families Wasco serves. The school draws from the town's residential neighborhoods and the agricultural workforce that anchors the region's economy.

On state assessments, Teresa Burke's proficiency in reading and math trails considerably. In reading, across grades three through five, roughly one-third of students meet proficiency standards. Math performance is lower still, with fifth grade showing particularly weak results. Science proficiency in grade five is similarly modest. These results place the school above the midpoint among elementary schools tested in Kern County, though that positioning reflects the overall academic level of the county rather than strong absolute performance. A parent looking at these numbers should understand that many students are working below grade-level standards and that the school will need strong support systems and teaching resources to help close gaps.

The school operates as a regular public elementary, not a charter, magnet, or specialized program. Its grade band means there is no high school graduation data or advanced coursework to consider. Data on special education services, English learner enrollment, and chronic absenteeism were not available. The school website was not provided, so parents seeking program details, contact information, or enrollment procedures would need to reach out directly or consult the Wasco Union Elementary School District.

Wasco itself is in a period of housing growth, with new single-family neighborhoods and apartment communities expanding beyond the town's historic core along Seventh Street. The local housing market is among California's more affordable, though water scarcity and a shortage of mid-range homes have led some families to relocate to nearby Shafter or Bakersfield. The economy remains rooted in agriculture, with secondary employment in corrections, retail, and public education. Parks, a library branch, and regional transit provide civic anchors, and the town maintains close ties to Bakersfield for secondary services.

At the district level, voters rejected a facilities bond in early 2020 that would have modernized classrooms, improved safety, and built athletic fields at multiple schools. That failure meant the district proceeded without those upgrades, a constraint that may affect the physical condition and amenities families encounter on campus.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 39% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 18% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 10% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 38% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 32% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 14% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolWasco 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income42%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income25%11 pp gap