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Bakersfield, California - 44 schools
An equity score of 79/100 ranks Bakersfield City #102 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,295 per pupil, Bakersfield City ranks #487 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
28,835
Total Enrollment
44
Schools
$17,295
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Bakersfield City operates 44 public schools serving 28,835 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 34 elementary, 10 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Kern County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,295 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 6.5% local, 77.8% state, and 15.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 79/100, ranked #102 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 58.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 82.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% African American, 7.6% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Downtown Elementary, with a diversity index of 56.2/100.
Its largest campus is Curran Middle, enrolling 973 students (3% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Rafer Johnson, at 32 students, a 30x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Bakersfield City school enrollment varies 30× across entities
Bakersfield City school enrollment ranges from 32 students (lowest) to 973 students (highest), a spread of 941 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Bakersfield City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 82.4% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Bakersfield City chronic absenteeism rate is 58.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Bakersfield City has 44 schools, including 10 middle, 34 elementary. Total enrollment is 28,835 students.
How much does Bakersfield City spend per student?
Bakersfield City spends $17,295 per student. The district has an equity score of 79/100, ranking #102 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Bakersfield City?
Bakersfield City students are 82.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% African American, 7.6% White, 1.0% Asian, averaged across 44 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Bakersfield City?
Bakersfield City has an equity score of 79/100, ranking #102 out of 1517 districts in California.