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

Douglas J. Miller Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Douglas J. Miller Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060639012414
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Douglas J. Miller Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of California schools.

#67 of 97
elementary schools in Bakersfield · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
29.2:1
large classes for California
58.1%
free-lunch eligible

Douglas J. Miller Elementary has class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Douglas J. Miller Elementary ranks #67 of 97 elementary schools in Bakersfield, CA.

Enrollment

994

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

34.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

29.2:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+36% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

58.1%

vs 55.5% California avg

+5% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Douglas J. Miller Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Douglas J. Miller Elementary

Douglas J. Miller Elementary is a higher-need, large elementary school in Bakersfield, California, enrolling 994 students.

Class loads run heavy: 29.2:1 is larger than about 95% of California schools and 36% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 994 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 866 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #424.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (53%) and Asian (34%) (diversity index 60/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Bakersfield's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students): Douglas J. Miller Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (29.2:1 vs 25.6:1).

Panama-Buena Vista Union also operates Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students) and Stonecreek Junior High (986 students) alongside Douglas J. Miller 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 Douglas J. Miller Elementary compares

Douglas J. Miller 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 29.2:1 ▲ 36% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 58.1% ▲ 5% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 994 top 11% - -

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

29.2:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
994
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
58.1%
free-lunch eligible - 5% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
29.2:1
students per teacher - 36% above state mean
Top 95% in California - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
38.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,357
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints 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 + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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

Hispanic or Latino 52.7%
Asian 33.5%
White 6.1%
African American 4.7%
Two or More 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 60.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 60.3, Douglas J. Miller Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Panama-Buena Vista Union, which includes Douglas J. Miller Elementary.

$14,357
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.2%
State 71.3%
Federal 18.5%

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 Douglas J. Miller Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Stonecreek Junior High Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Earl Warren Junior High Similar size Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Berkshire Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bill L. Williams Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Panama-Buena Vista Union · 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 Douglas J. Miller 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 Douglas J. Miller Elementary

How many students attend Douglas J. Miller Elementary?

Douglas J. Miller Elementary has 994 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bakersfield, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Douglas J. Miller Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Douglas J. Miller Elementary is 29.2:1, which is 36% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 86% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Douglas J. Miller Elementary?

58.1% of students at Douglas J. Miller Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Douglas J. Miller Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Douglas J. Miller Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 52.7% of enrollment, in Bakersfield, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Douglas J. Miller Elementary?

Douglas J. Miller Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower 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 Douglas J. Miller Elementary rank among elementary schools in Bakersfield?

By Resource Investment Index, Douglas J. Miller Elementary ranks #67 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 Douglas J. Miller Elementary a good school?

Douglas J. Miller Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union?

Besides Douglas J. Miller Elementary, Panama-Buena Vista Union also operates Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students), Stonecreek Junior High (986 students), and Earl Warren Junior High (965 students). See the Panama-Buena Vista Union 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.

View saved

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.