Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bakersfield, CA

Centennial Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Centennial Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063348010033
0/100100/10056/100
👥 S:T ratio
20
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Centennial Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#1 of 97
elementary schools in Bakersfield · Resource Index
56
Resource Index · Higher
19.9:1
students per teacher
27.5%
free-lunch eligible

Centennial Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary ranks #1 of 97 elementary schools in Bakersfield, CA.

Enrollment

576

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

29.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-7% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

27.5%

vs 55.5% California avg

-50% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Centennial Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Centennial Elementary

Centennial Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Bakersfield, California, enrolling 576 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.5% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 576 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 1,385 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #8, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 60/100).

Attendance holds up well here: only 8.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

The surrounding Rosedale Union Elementary spends $11,913 per pupil, 28% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Bakersfield's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students): Centennial Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.9:1 vs 25.6:1).

Rosedale Union Elementary also operates Patriot Elementary (931 students) and Rosedale Middle (810 students) alongside Centennial Elementary.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Centennial Elementary compares

Centennial Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.9:1 ▼ 7% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 27.5% ▼ 50% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 576 top 35% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
576
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
27.5%
free-lunch eligible - 50% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher - 7% below state mean
Top 34% in California - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,913
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 49.2%
Hispanic or Latino 39.1%
Asian 5.6%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Largest group: White at 49.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 60.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 60.0, Centennial Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rosedale Union Elementary, which includes Centennial Elementary.

$11,913
Per student
-28%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 61.7%
Federal 9.4%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Centennial Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Patriot Elementary Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Rosedale Middle Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Freedom Middle Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Independence Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
American Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Centennial Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Rosedale Union Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Bakersfield

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Centennial Elementary's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Centennial Elementary

How many students attend Centennial Elementary?

Centennial Elementary has 576 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bakersfield, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary is 19.9:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Centennial Elementary?

27.5% of students at Centennial Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Centennial Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Centennial Elementary is White at 49.2% of enrollment, in Bakersfield, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Centennial Elementary?

Centennial Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Centennial Elementary rank among elementary schools in Bakersfield?

By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary ranks #1 of 97 elementary schools in Bakersfield, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Bakersfield on the city page.

Is Centennial Elementary a good school?

Centennial Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Rosedale Union Elementary?

Besides Centennial Elementary, Rosedale Union Elementary also operates Patriot Elementary (931 students), Rosedale Middle (810 students), and Freedom Middle (712 students). See the Rosedale Union Elementary district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.