Kern High
Public school district · Kern County · California · NCES district ID 0619540
Kern High spent $17,392 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 56% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 25 schools enrolled 42,814 students in 2024-25; 66.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $19,073 per student, up 9.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85% (California: 86.2%).
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's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Kern High ranks 7.
Where the money came from
$1,002,410,000 in revenue: 66.7% state, 23.4% local and 9.9% federal. Total spending including $92,268,000 of capital outlay was $868,488,000, or $20,188 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$668,474,000 67%
- Local$234,225,000 23%
- Federal$99,711,000 10%
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 held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25
42,667 students in 2022-23, 42,729 students in 2023-24, 42,814 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 | 42,667 | 1771.4 | 24.1 |
| 2023-24 | 42,729 | 1792.4 | 23.8 |
| 2024-25 | 42,814 | 1774.9 | 24.1 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$201,103,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,675 per student
Kern High booked $201,103,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,804 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 $111,489 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 70 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 | $148,906,000 | 74.0% |
| Special education | $32,838,000 | 16.3% |
| Vocational | $8,472,000 | 4.2% |
| Other programs | $10,887,000 | 5.4% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,738 in 2018-19, $3,834 in 2019-20, $3,706 in 2020-21, $4,270 in 2021-22, $4,675 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).
Graduation rate, class of 2023
85% of the 10,701 students in Kern High's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 85% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 10,701 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
25 high schools, 42,814 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield High | 3,069 | 25.6 | 76.1% | Not reported |
| Arvin High | 2,653 | 25.9 | 90.5% | Not reported |
| Ridgeview High | 2,575 | 26.9 | 59.9% | Not reported |
| Highland High | 2,530 | 23.9 | 65.7% | Not reported |
| Stockdale High | 2,398 | 27.5 | 36.4% | Not reported |
| Liberty High | 2,369 | 26.7 | 34.5% | Not reported |
| East Bakersfield High | 2,331 | 24.4 | 85.2% | Not reported |
| Independence High | 2,324 | 26.0 | 59.2% | Not reported |
| Golden Valley High | 2,228 | 23.3 | 77.8% | Not reported |
| Centennial High | 2,212 | 25.1 | 36.1% | Not reported |
| West High | 2,159 | 27.5 | 81.4% | Not reported |
| North High | 2,135 | 25.3 | 78.7% | Not reported |
The other 13 high schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South High | 2,107 | 24.3 | 88.3% | Not reported |
| Frontier High | 2,098 | 26.1 | 29.2% | Not reported |
| Mira Monte High | 2,048 | 24.2 | 85.9% | Not reported |
| Foothill High | 2,043 | 24.0 | 80.1% | Not reported |
| Del Oro High | 1,927 | 25.1 | 91.9% | Not reported |
| Shafter High | 1,599 | 21.7 | 76.2% | Not reported |
| Kern Valley High | 516 | 17.2 | 69.4% | Not reported |
| Kern Workforce 2000 Academy | 491 | 9.0 | 85.9% | Not reported |
| Vista West Continuation High | 375 | 14.3 | 79.2% | Not reported |
| Tierra Del Sol Continuation High | 241 | 14.5 | 95.0% | Not reported |
| Vista Continuation High | 221 | 14.7 | 86.0% | Not reported |
| Central Valley High (Continuation) | 86 | 13.0 | 88.4% | Not reported |
| Nueva Continuation High | 79 | 10.0 | 92.4% | 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 Kern High
- Website: kernhigh.org
- Phone: (661) 827-3100
- Office: 5801 Sundale Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93309
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 Kern High
- California districts by spending per studentKern High ranks 284 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($17,392).#284 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaKern High is the number 9 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 43,020 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#9 of 1,991
- San Bernardino City UnifiedThe next larger California district: 45,971 students in fall 2022, $21,009 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$21,009
- Clovis UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 42,802 students in fall 2022, $15,101 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,101
- Compare Kern High with San Bernardino City UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Bakersfield High, its largest high school3,069 students in 2024-25, 25.6 per teacher.3,069
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaKern High spent $111,489 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$111,489
- 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 Kern High
How many schools and students are in Kern High?
25 schools were open in 2024-25 (25 high), enrolling 42,814 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Kern High spend per student?
$17,392 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 $19,073 per student, up 9.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Kern High's money come from?
$1,002,410,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 66.7% state, 23.4% local and 9.9% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Kern High live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 10,363 of the 46,906 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 22.1%, 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 Kern High spend on teacher salaries?
$201,103,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,675 per student. Divided by the 1,804 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $111,489 per teacher, more than 70 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).What is the graduation rate in Kern High?
85% of the 10,701 students in Kern High's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Kern High's NCES district ID?
0619540. 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 four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 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