Kern County Office of Education

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Bakersfield, California - 4 schools

An equity score of 85/100 ranks Kern County Office of Education #38 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $93,561 per pupil, Kern County Office of Education ranks #4 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

2,054
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$93,561
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Kern County Office of Education operates 4 public schools serving 2,054 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. 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 $93,561 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 187 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 29.5% local, 48.0% state, and 22.5% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 85/100, ranked #38 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.

a 256.6:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 54.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 58.0% Hispanic or Latino, 25.5% White, 10.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Valley Oaks Charter, with a diversity index of 60.9/100.

Its largest campus is Valley Oaks Charter, enrolling 1,087 students (55% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Kern County Juvenile Court, at 191 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Valley Oaks Charter accounts for 52.9% of all Kern County Office of Education student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Kern County Office of Education a distant remainder — means Kern County Office of Education-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Kern County Office of Education school enrollment varies 5.7× across entities

Kern County Office of Education school enrollment ranges from 191 students (lowest) to 1,087 students (highest), a spread of 896 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Kern County Office of Education has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 68.6% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Kern County Office of Education student-counselor ratio is 257:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Kern County Office of Education is typically wider than the Kern County Office of Education-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Kern County Office of Education chronic absenteeism rate is 54.6% — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

22.5%
Federal
48.0%
State
29.5%
Local

Funding Equity

85
Equity Score
38 / 1517
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Kern County Office of Education.

White 25.5%
Hispanic or Latino 58.0%
African American 10.7%
Asian 1.9%
Multiracial 3.1%
Other 0.8%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 54.2/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Kern County Office of Education's schools, above the California average of 46.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Valley Oaks Charter 60.9
  2. 2 Kern County Juvenile Court 55.7
  3. 3 Kern County Special Education 53.0
  4. 4 Kern County Community 47.4

Programs & Resources

256.6:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
54.6%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Kern County Office of Education

School Enrollment
Valley Oaks Charter
Charter
1,087
Kern County Special Education
387
Kern County Community
325
Kern County Juvenile Court
191

How Kern County Office of Education Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Brawley Union High Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Galt Joint Union High Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Gridley Unified Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Millbrae Elementary Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
San Bernardino County Office of Education Similar size No spending data Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Kern County Office of Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in California

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Los Angeles Unified
427,795 students · 785 schools · $21,940/pupil
Compare vs Kern County Office of Education →
San Diego Unified
93,893 students · 175 schools · $18,665/pupil
Compare vs Kern County Office of Education →
Fresno Unified
69,668 students · 101 schools · $18,783/pupil
Compare vs Kern County Office of Education →
Long Beach Unified
65,554 students · 84 schools · $16,028/pupil
Compare vs Kern County Office of Education →
Elk Grove Unified
62,061 students · 67 schools · $14,134/pupil
Compare vs Kern County Office of Education →

Compare Kern County Office of Education

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Kern County Office of Education?

Kern County Office of Education has 4 schools, including 4 combined. Total enrollment is 2,054 students.

How much does Kern County Office of Education spend per student?

Kern County Office of Education spends $93,561 per student. The district has an equity score of 85/100, ranking #38 in California.

What is the demographic composition of Kern County Office of Education?

Kern County Office of Education students are 58.0% Hispanic or Latino, 25.5% White, 10.7% African American, 1.9% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Kern County Office of Education?

Kern County Office of Education has an equity score of 85/100, ranking #38 out of 1517 districts in California.