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B−

Kern High School District

Public school districtGrades 9–12Regional · 3 towns

Serves Bakersfield, Shafter and Arvin.

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

Students
42,814
Schools
25
Spent per student
$19,073
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
24:1
Free or reduced lunch
78%
Debt
$371.6M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Kern High School District

  • Its letter, B−: results better than 47% of California districts
  • Math proficiency 17 pts below the state
  • Spends 10% less per student than the CA average
  • 24 students per teacher
  • Debt of $371.6M, about $8,680 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B−: better than 47% 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+
GraduationFour-year graduation close to the state, class of 2023
C
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
CBakersfield 422,165C+Shafter 23,871C+Arvin 19,820

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 schoolsThis district

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency16%
State average 33.1% · 9,445 students tested
Reading / language arts47%
State average 46.7% · 9,518 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)85%
State average 86.2% · 10,701 in the class

89% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

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
$19,073 per student · 10% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 49%Support & administration 48%Other 4%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 24%State 63%Federal 12%

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

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

Enrollment over time
42,054’20
42,521’21
42,667’22
42,729’23
42,814’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 72%White 14%Black 5%Two or more races 5%Asian 3%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

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

Bakersfield High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A−
3,069 students26:1
Arvin High
High · Grades 9–12 · Arvin
A+
2,653 students26:1
Ridgeview High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A+
2,575 students27:1
Highland High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A
2,530 students24:1
Stockdale High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
2,398 students28:1
Liberty High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A+
2,369 students27:1
East Bakersfield High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A
2,331 students24:1
Independence High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
2,324 students26:1
Golden Valley High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A
2,228 students23:1
Centennial High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A+
2,212 students25:1
West High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A+
2,159 students27:1
North High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A
2,135 students25:1
South High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A+
2,107 students24:1
Frontier High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A+
2,098 students26:1
Mira Monte High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
2,048 students24:1
Foothill High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
A
2,043 students24:1
Del Oro High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
1,927 students25:1
Shafter High
High · Grades 9–12 · Shafter
A
1,599 students22:1
Kern Valley High
High · Grades 9–12 · Lake Isabella
A
516 students17:1
Kern Workforce 2000 Academy
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
491 students9:1
Vista West Continuation High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
375 students14:1
Tierra Del Sol Continuation High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
C−
241 students15:1
Vista Continuation High
High · Grades 9–12 · Bakersfield
221 students15:1
Central Valley High (Continuation)
High · Grades 9–12 · Shafter
86 students13:1
Nueva Continuation High
High · Grades 9–12 · Lamont
79 students10:1

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.