Enrollment
714
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 060639009328
Fred L. Thompson Junior High — Bakersfield, CA
Federal NCES profile for Fred L. Thompson Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Panama-Buena Vista Union · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fred L. Thompson Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Fred L. Thompson Junior High reports 714 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 85.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% above the California average and 65% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 714 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Panama-Buena Vista Union spends $15,347 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.2% from local sources (property taxes), 71.3% from the state, and 18.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Fred L. Thompson Junior High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▼ 18% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.3% | ▲ 54% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 714 | top 77% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
85.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
— 18% below state mean
Top 16% in California — lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,347
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 714 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 714 Top 77% in California — larger than 23% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 17.8:1 -18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 85.3% +54% vs state
NCES ID 060639009328
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 73.8%
African American 13.3%
White 7.0%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 714:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 73
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Panama-Buena Vista Union, which includes Fred L. Thompson Junior High.
$15,347
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,151
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 29.4:1
- Enrollment
- 986
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 965
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 28.1:1
Similar middle schools in Bakersfield
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Leon H. Ollivier Middle
Standard public school
1,152 students 21:1 students per teacher
Standard Middle
Standard public school
1,005 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Norris Middle
Standard public school
992 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Stonecreek Junior High
Standard public school
986 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Curran Middle
Standard public school
973 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Earl Warren Junior High
Standard public school
965 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Fred L. Thompson Junior High
How many students attend Fred L. Thompson Junior High?
Fred L. Thompson Junior High has 714 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fred L. Thompson Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Fred L. Thompson Junior High is 17.8:1, which is 18% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fred L. Thompson Junior High?
85.3% of students at Fred L. Thompson Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fred L. Thompson Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Fred L. Thompson Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 73.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fred L. Thompson Junior High?
Fred L. Thompson Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.