Enrollment
2,530
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 061954002345
Highland High — Bakersfield, CA
Federal NCES profile for Highland High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
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)
103.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland 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
Highland High reports 2,530 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 103.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 58% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% above the California average and 30% above the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
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 44/100 (D), 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 Highland 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 | 25.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.3% | ▲ 21% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,530 | top 99% | — | — |
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
67.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
25.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 84% in California — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 361 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 217 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,530 Top 99% in California — larger than 1% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 103.0
Students per teacher 25.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.3% +21% vs state
NCES ID 061954002345
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 74.4%
White 15.1%
African American 5.0%
Asian 3.1%
Two or More 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 217
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kern High, which includes Highland 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
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Enrollment
- 2,369
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
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
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
Independence High
Standard public school
2,324 students 26.3:1 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 Highland High
How many students attend Highland High?
Highland High has 2,530 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland High?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland High is 25.2:1, which is 17% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 58% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland High?
67.3% of students at Highland High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland High?
The largest demographic group at Highland High is Hispanic or Latino at 74.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland High?
Highland High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.