Bakersfield City School District
Listed by NCES as Bakersfield City (district ID 0603630)
Public school district · Kern County · California · NCES district ID 0603630
Bakersfield City School District spent $19,155 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 77% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 44 schools enrolled 28,365 students in 2024-25; 79.4% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $20,798 per student, up 8.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Bakersfield City in enrollment (26,379 to 31,653 students) and Bakersfield City itself.
Where the money came from
$762,271,000 in revenue: 79.4% state, 6.6% local and 14.1% federal. Total spending including $34,880,000 of capital outlay was $598,200,000, or $20,746 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$605,026,000 79%
- Local$49,935,000 7%
- Federal$107,310,000 14%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
28,835 students in 2022-23, 28,761 students in 2023-24, 28,365 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 28,835 | 1336.9 | 21.6 |
| 2023-24 | 28,761 | 1403.8 | 20.5 |
| 2024-25 | 28,365 | 1388.7 | 20.4 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$154,716,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,366 per student
Bakersfield City School District booked $154,716,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,337 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $115,727 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 76 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $125,984,000 | 81.4% |
| Special education | $24,642,000 | 15.9% |
| Other programs | $4,090,000 | 2.6% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,252 in 2018-19, $4,080 in 2019-20, $4,342 in 2020-21, $5,140 in 2021-22, $5,366 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Bakersfield City School District scored proficient or above: 26% in reading and 13% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | California | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 26% | 45% | 19,468 |
| Math | 13% | 34% | 19,496 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
34 elementary schools, 21,057 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary | 960 | 23.5 | 73.5% | Not reported |
| Voorhies Elementary | 915 | 20.1 | 78.1% | Not reported |
| Horace Mann Elementary | 870 | 21.2 | 90.9% | Not reported |
| Bessie E. Owens Elementary | 867 | 21.7 | 86.4% | Not reported |
| Myra A. Noble Elementary | 813 | 20.3 | 86.7% | Not reported |
| Dr. Juliet Thorner Elementary | 813 | 22.6 | 65.8% | Not reported |
| Longfellow Elementary | 780 | 19.7 | 92.3% | Not reported |
| College Heights Elementary | 761 | 21.0 | 91.7% | Not reported |
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | 709 | 21.6 | 88.3% | Not reported |
| Fremont Elementary | 707 | 20.6 | 93.5% | Not reported |
| Dr. Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary | 705 | 19.6 | 54.3% | Not reported |
| Leo G. Pauly Elementary | 694 | 20.2 | 88.2% | Not reported |
The other 22 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stella I. Hills Elementary | 670 | 19.3 | 96.1% | Not reported |
| Munsey Elementary | 663 | 19.9 | 81.0% | Not reported |
| Evergreen Elementary | 660 | 18.9 | 90.0% | Not reported |
| Ramon Garza Elementary | 658 | 20.4 | 92.9% | Not reported |
| Wayside Elementary | 652 | 20.2 | 91.7% | Not reported |
| Frank West Elementary | 650 | 18.3 | 86.5% | Not reported |
| McKinley Elementary | 628 | 20.7 | 95.4% | Not reported |
| Cesar E. Chavez Elementary | 621 | 19.5 | 47.5% | Not reported |
| Mt. Vernon Elementary | 614 | 18.7 | 87.6% | Not reported |
| Hort Elementary | 590 | 19.8 | 79.5% | Not reported |
| Caroline Harris Elementary | 587 | 19.3 | 71.2% | Not reported |
| Pioneer Drive Elementary | 562 | 19.8 | 90.0% | Not reported |
| Harding Elementary | 542 | 20.8 | 73.6% | Not reported |
| Henry Eissler Elementary | 529 | 18.0 | 72.6% | Not reported |
| Jefferson Elementary | 510 | 20.4 | 92.5% | Not reported |
| Franklin Elementary | 475 | 20.4 | 80.4% | Not reported |
| Williams Elementary | 452 | 20.5 | 96.9% | Not reported |
| Casa Loma Elementary | 424 | 18.3 | 88.2% | Not reported |
| Roosevelt Elementary | 392 | 20.1 | 87.0% | Not reported |
| Downtown Elementary | 317 | 21.6 | 17.7% | Not reported |
| William Penn Elementary | 235 | 16.8 | 90.2% | Not reported |
| Rafer Johnson | 32 | 5.5 | 90.6% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
10 middle schools, 7,308 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curran Middle | 973 | 21.2 | 82.5% | Not reported |
| Walter Stiern Middle | 891 | 21.5 | 78.3% | Not reported |
| Emerson Middle | 813 | 22.0 | 87.3% | Not reported |
| Sequoia Jr. High | 746 | 21.6 | 91.3% | Not reported |
| Sierra Middle | 731 | 20.7 | 92.1% | Not reported |
| Chipman Junior High | 708 | 21.7 | 60.2% | Not reported |
| Paul L. Cato Middle | 694 | 22.5 | 42.7% | Not reported |
| Washington Middle | 639 | 21.6 | 83.4% | Not reported |
| Compton Junior High | 586 | 20.6 | 80.9% | Not reported |
| Abraham Lincoln Jr. High | 527 | 19.8 | 98.7% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Bakersfield City School District
- Website: bcsd.com
- Phone: (661) 631-4600
- Office: 1300 Baker St., Bakersfield, CA 93305
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Bakersfield City School District
- California districts by spending per studentBakersfield City School District ranks 152 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($19,155).#152 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaBakersfield City School District is the number 29 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 28,835 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#29 of 1,991
- Visalia UnifiedThe next larger California district: 28,893 students in fall 2022, $16,966 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,966
- Anaheim Union HighThe next smaller California district: 27,748 students in fall 2022, $18,314 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,314
- Compare Bakersfield City School District with Visalia UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaBakersfield City School District spent $115,727 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$115,727
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Bakersfield City School District
How many schools and students are in Bakersfield City School District?
44 schools were open in 2024-25 (34 elementary, 10 middle), enrolling 28,365 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Bakersfield City School District spend per student?
$19,155 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $20,798 per student, up 8.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Bakersfield City School District's money come from?
$762,271,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 79.4% state, 6.6% local and 14.1% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Bakersfield City School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 10,630 of the 31,518 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 33.7%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Bakersfield City School District spend on teacher salaries?
$154,716,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,366 per student. Divided by the 1,337 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $115,727 per teacher, more than 76 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Bakersfield City School District do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Bakersfield City School District scored proficient or above: 26% in reading and 13% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is Bakersfield City School District's NCES district ID?
0603630. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25