Panama-Buena Vista Union School District
Listed by NCES as Panama-Buena Vista Union (district ID 0606390)
Public school district · Kern County · California · NCES district ID 0606390
Panama-Buena Vista Union School District spent $15,641 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 68% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,855). Its 25 schools enrolled 19,366 students in 2024-25; 84.0% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $17,448 per student, up 11.6% 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union in enrollment (18,354 to 20,151 students) and Panama-Buena Vista Union itself.
Where the money came from
$380,375,000 in revenue: 84.0% state, 9.1% local and 6.9% federal. Total spending including $17,246,000 of capital outlay was $324,189,000, or $16,967 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$319,598,000 84%
- Local$34,638,000 9%
- Federal$26,139,000 7%
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 rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
19,103 students in 2022-23, 19,369 students in 2023-24, 19,366 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 | 19,103 | 790.9 | 24.2 |
| 2023-24 | 19,369 | 814.8 | 23.8 |
| 2024-25 | 19,366 | 836.5 | 23.2 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$88,684,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,641 per student
Panama-Buena Vista Union School District booked $88,684,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 791 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 $112,129 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 71 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 | $76,920,000 | 86.7% |
| Special education | $11,441,000 | 12.9% |
| Other programs | $323,000 | 0.4% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,891 in 2018-19, $4,011 in 2019-20, $4,400 in 2020-21, $4,371 in 2021-22, $4,641 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District scored proficient or above: 47% in reading and 30% 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 | 47% | 45% | 12,390 |
| Math | 30% | 34% | 12,379 |
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.
20 elementary schools, 15,213 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores S. Whitley TK-8 | 1,151 | 22.7 | 67.9% | Not reported |
| Douglas J. Miller Elementary | 994 | 28.0 | 61.1% | Not reported |
| Berkshire Elementary | 932 | 25.9 | 66.4% | Not reported |
| Bill L. Williams Elementary | 926 | 26.1 | 63.1% | Not reported |
| Panama Elementary | 876 | 26.5 | 61.9% | Not reported |
| Charles H. Castle Elementary | 832 | 27.1 | 78.7% | Not reported |
| Ronald Reagan Elementary | 831 | 25.0 | 30.4% | Not reported |
| Sing Lum Elementary | 809 | 25.5 | 62.4% | Not reported |
| Roy W. Loudon Elementary | 807 | 23.6 | 77.0% | Not reported |
| Old River Elementary | 795 | 24.8 | 60.0% | Not reported |
| Highgate Elementary | 732 | 25.2 | 33.9% | Not reported |
| Buena Vista Elementary | 713 | 25.9 | 52.6% | Not reported |
The other 8 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo B. Hart Elementary | 705 | 26.4 | 56.7% | Not reported |
| Amy B. Seibert Elementary | 628 | 23.1 | 83.1% | Not reported |
| Stine Elementary | 615 | 23.7 | 82.0% | Not reported |
| Louise Sandrini Elementary | 604 | 24.2 | 79.8% | Not reported |
| Stockdale Elementary | 587 | 22.6 | 45.8% | Not reported |
| Wayne Van Horn Elementary | 578 | 23.6 | 78.0% | Not reported |
| Laurelglen Elementary | 574 | 23.1 | 65.0% | Not reported |
| Christa McAuliffe Elementary | 524 | 21.4 | 62.0% | 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.
5 middle schools, 4,153 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonecreek Junior High | 986 | 18.9 | 63.7% | Not reported |
| Earl Warren Junior High | 965 | 21.1 | 44.4% | Not reported |
| Tevis Junior High | 807 | 19.7 | 57.7% | Not reported |
| Fred L. Thompson Junior High | 714 | 17.0 | 81.1% | Not reported |
| O. J. Actis Junior High | 681 | 16.2 | 70.3% | 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District
- Website: pbvusd.k12.ca.us
- Phone: (661) 831-8331
- Office: 4200 Ashe Rd., Bakersfield, CA 93313
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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District
- California districts by spending per studentPanama-Buena Vista Union School District ranks 438 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,641).#438 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaPanama-Buena Vista Union School District is the number 66 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 19,107 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#66 of 1,991
- Colton Joint UnifiedThe next larger California district: 19,297 students in fall 2022, $18,922 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,922
- Vista UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 18,818 students in fall 2022, $17,624 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,624
- Compare Panama-Buena Vista Union School District with Colton Joint UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaPanama-Buena Vista Union School District spent $112,129 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$112,129
- 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District
How many schools and students are in Panama-Buena Vista Union School District?
25 schools were open in 2024-25 (20 elementary, 5 middle), enrolling 19,366 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Panama-Buena Vista Union School District spend per student?
$15,641 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 $17,448 per student, up 11.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Panama-Buena Vista Union School District's money come from?
$380,375,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 84.0% state, 9.1% local and 6.9% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Panama-Buena Vista Union School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 3,699 of the 20,406 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 18.1%, 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District spend on teacher salaries?
$88,684,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,641 per student. Divided by the 791 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $112,129 per teacher, more than 71 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Panama-Buena Vista Union School District scored proficient or above: 47% in reading and 30% 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union School District's NCES district ID?
0606390. 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