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Bakersfield, California - 2 schools
An equity score of 18/100 ranks Lakeside Union #1451 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,422 per pupil, Lakeside Union ranks #1768 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,570
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$10,422
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lakeside Union operates 2 public schools serving 1,570 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary 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 $10,422 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 187 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 30.3% local, 63.4% state, and 6.3% 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 18/100, ranked #1451 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 1695:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 42.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% White, 9.1% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Lakeside, enrolling 892 students (53% of the district's total enrollment).
Lakeside accounts for 52.6% of all Lakeside Union student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Lakeside Union a distant remainder — means Lakeside Union-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Lakeside Union has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.5% 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 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.
Lakeside Union student-counselor ratio is 1695:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 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.
Lakeside Union chronic absenteeism rate is 42.4% — 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.
Lakeside Union has 2 schools, including 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,570 students.
How much does Lakeside Union spend per student?
Lakeside Union spends $10,422 per student. The district has an equity score of 18/100, ranking #1451 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Lakeside Union?
Lakeside Union students are 68.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% White, 9.1% Asian, 5.3% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lakeside Union?
Lakeside Union has an equity score of 18/100, ranking #1451 out of 1517 districts in California.