An equity score of 77/100 ranks Taft Union High #138 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,712 per pupil, Taft Union High ranks #210 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,186
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$23,712
Per-Pupil Spending
High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Taft Union High operates 2 public schools serving 1,186 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high 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 $23,712 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 33.9% local, 56.4% state, and 9.6% 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 77/100, ranked #138 of 1526 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 219.8:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 42.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 62.0% Hispanic or Latino, 33.0% White, 1.1% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Taft Union High, enrolling 1,064 students (93% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Buena Vista High (Continuation), at 85 students, a 13x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Taft Union High accounts for 89.7% of all Taft Union High student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Taft Union High a distant remainder — means Taft Union High-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.
Taft Union High reports 60.7% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Taft Union High student-counselor ratio is 220:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Taft Union High 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.
Taft Union High has 2 schools, including 2 high. Total enrollment is 1,186 students.
How much does Taft Union High spend per student?
Taft Union High spends $23,712 per student. The district has an equity score of 77/100, ranking #138 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Taft Union High?
Taft Union High students are 62.0% Hispanic or Latino, 33.0% White, 1.1% Asian, 0.8% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Taft Union High?
Taft Union High has an equity score of 77/100, ranking #138 out of 1526 districts in California.