Enrollment
709
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bakersfield, CA
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060363014494
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #11 of 97
- elementary schools in Bakersfield · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.5:1
- students per teacher
- 93.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary ranks #11 of 97 elementary schools in Bakersfield, CA.
School address
District: Bakersfield City · California
NCES ID 060363014494 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Bakersfield, California, enrolling 709 students.
At 21.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 93.2% of students qualify for free meals, 68% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 709 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 960 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #45, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Its district draws 15.7% 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): Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.5:1 vs 25.6:1).
Bakersfield City also operates Curran Middle (973 students) and Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary (960 students) alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 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 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary compares
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 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 | 21.5:1 | ▼ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.2% | ▲ 68% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 709 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.5:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
709
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.5:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 48% in California - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$17,295
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 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 82.7%
African American 12.4%
White 3.9%
Two or More 0.7%
Asian 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.9, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bakersfield City, which includes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary.
$17,295
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 6.5%
State 77.8%
Federal 15.7%
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 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curran Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Voorhies Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Walter Stiern Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horace Mann Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 973
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 960
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 891
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 870
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools in Bakersfield
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8
Standard public school
1,151 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Veterans Elementary
Standard public school
1,002 students 27.8:1 students per teacher
Douglas J. Miller Elementary
Standard public school
994 students 29.2:1 students per teacher
Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary
Standard public school
960 students 24:1 students per teacher
Berkshire Elementary
Standard public school
932 students 28.2:1 students per teacher
Patriot Elementary
Standard public school
931 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~709 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bakersfield City's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
How many students attend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary has 709 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary is 21.5:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary?
93.2% of students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 82.7% of enrollment, in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary rank among elementary schools in Bakersfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary ranks #11 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 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary a good school?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary earns 42/100 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 Bakersfield City?
Besides Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Bakersfield City also operates Curran Middle (973 students), Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary (960 students), and Voorhies Elementary (915 students). See the Bakersfield City district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.