Enrollment
732
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060639014551
Highgate Elementary — Bakersfield, CA
Federal NCES profile for Highgate Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 54
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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highgate Elementary 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
Highgate Elementary reports 732 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 49% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the California average and 33% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% 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 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Highgate Elementary 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.9% | ▼ 37% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 732 | top 79% | — | — |
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
34.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
23.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 69% in California — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 732 Top 79% in California — larger than 21% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 23.7:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.9% -37% vs state
NCES ID 060639014551
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 35.2%
Asian 30.6%
White 18.0%
Two or More 11.1%
African American 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 35.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Panama-Buena Vista Union, which includes Highgate Elementary.
$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 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 21.9:1 students per teacher
Veterans Elementary
Standard public school
1,002 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Douglas J. Miller Elementary
Standard public school
994 students 29.4:1 students per teacher
Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary
Standard public school
960 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Berkshire Elementary
Standard public school
932 students 28.1:1 students per teacher
Patriot Elementary
Standard public school
931 students 22.7:1 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 Highgate Elementary
How many students attend Highgate Elementary?
Highgate Elementary has 732 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highgate Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highgate Elementary is 23.7:1, which is 10% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highgate Elementary?
34.9% of students at Highgate Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highgate Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highgate Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 35.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highgate Elementary?
Highgate Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.