Enrollment
2,228
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 061954011297
Golden Valley High — Bakersfield, CA
Federal NCES profile for Golden Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 4
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 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: Kern High · 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)
105.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Golden Valley 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
Golden Valley High reports 2,228 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 105.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 52% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the California average and 57% above the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 279 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 40.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kern High spends $19,114 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.9% from local sources (property taxes), 63.4% from the state, and 11.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Golden Valley 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 | 24.1:1 | ▲ 12% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.2% | ▲ 46% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,228 | top 98% | — | — |
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
81.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
24.1:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 73% in California — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
40.7%
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
$19,114
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 279 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 249 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 2,228 Top 98% in California — larger than 2% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 105.0
Students per teacher 24.1:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.2% +46% vs state
NCES ID 061954011297
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 88.4%
African American 4.4%
White 2.8%
Asian 2.2%
Two or More 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 279:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 40.7%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 249
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kern High, which includes Golden Valley High.
$19,114
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.9%
State 63.4%
Federal 11.6%
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
- 3,069
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,653
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,575
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,530
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
Similar high schools in Bakersfield
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Bakersfield High
Standard public school
3,069 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Ridgeview High
Standard public school
2,575 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Highland High
Standard public school
2,530 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Stockdale High
Standard public school
2,398 students 27:1 students per teacher
Liberty High
Standard public school
2,369 students 27.4:1 students per teacher
East Bakersfield High
Standard public school
2,331 students 24.7:1 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 Golden Valley High
How many students attend Golden Valley High?
Golden Valley High has 2,228 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Golden Valley High is 24.1:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Golden Valley High?
81.2% of students at Golden Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Golden Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Golden Valley High is Hispanic or Latino at 88.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Golden Valley High?
Golden Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.