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C−

Fairfax Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades K–8

Bakersfield’s School Grade C better than 30% of California school districts

Students
2,667
Schools
4
Spent per student
$19,076
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
22:1
Free or reduced lunch
98%
Debt
$19.5M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Fairfax Elementary School District

  • Its letter, C−: results better than 16% of California districts
  • Math proficiency 16 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 21 pts below the state
  • Spends 10% less per student than the CA average
  • 22 students per teacher
  • Debt of $19.5M, about $7,297 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

C−: better than 16% of the 1,872 California school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
C−

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Bakersfield. Grade by grade →

K–644 schoolsPanama-Buena Vista School District
7–814 middle schoolsPanama-Buena Vista School District
9–1213 high schoolsKern High School District

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22
Math proficiency17%
State average 33.1% · 1,810 students tested
Reading / language arts26%
State average 46.7% · 1,813 students tested

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 85% at Kern High, which runs the high school (state 86.2%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$19,076 per student · 10% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 63%Support & administration 31%Other 6%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 14%State 75%Federal 11%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
2,703’20
2,676’21
2,678’22
2,687’23
2,667’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 92%White 3%Two or more races 2%Black 2%Asian 1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

4 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within California.