Enrollment
387
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bakersfield, CA
Kern County Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Kern County Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069101207112
👥 S:T ratio 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kern County Special Education earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Bakersfield · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 6.2:1
- small classes for California
- 53.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Kern County Special Education has class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kern County Special Education ranks #3 of 4 schools in Bakersfield, CA.
School address
District: Kern County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069101207112 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-71% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kern County Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kern County Special Education
Kern County Special Education is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bakersfield, California, enrolling 387 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.2:1, Kern County Special Education is leaner than roughly 98% of California schools and 71% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 387 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,341 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #307.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and White (24%) (diversity index 53/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 96.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Kern County Office of Education spends $93,561 per pupil, 467% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bakersfield's public schools, it stands alongside Valley Oaks Charter (1,087 students): Kern County Special Education is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (6.2:1 vs 21.7:1).
Kern County Office of Education also operates Valley Oaks Charter (1,087 students) and Kern County Community (325 students) alongside Kern County Special Education.
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 Kern County Special Education compares
Kern County Special Education on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.2:1 | ▼ 71% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.9% | ▼ 3% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 387 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.2:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
387
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6.2:1
students per teacher
- 71% below state mean
Top 2% in California - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
96.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$93,561
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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 63.8%
White 23.8%
African American 5.9%
Asian 4.9%
Two or More 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.0, Kern County Special Education is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kern County Office of Education, which includes Kern County Special Education.
$93,561
Per student
+467%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+464%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.5%
State 48.0%
Federal 22.5%
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.
How Kern County Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Oaks Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kern County Community | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kern County Juvenile Court | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kern County Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,087
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 191
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar other schools in Bakersfield
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~387 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kern County Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Kern County Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Kern County Office of Education'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 Kern County Special Education
How many students attend Kern County Special Education?
Kern County Special Education has 387 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kern County Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Kern County Special Education is 6.2:1, which is 71% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 61% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kern County Special Education?
53.9% of students at Kern County Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kern County Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Kern County Special Education is Hispanic or Latino at 63.8% of enrollment, in Bakersfield, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kern County Special Education?
Kern County Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Kern County Special Education rank among schools in Bakersfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Kern County Special Education ranks #3 of 4 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 schools in Bakersfield on the city page.
Is Kern County Special Education a good school?
Kern County Special Education earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. 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 Kern County Office of Education?
Besides Kern County Special Education, Kern County Office of Education also operates Valley Oaks Charter (1,087 students), Kern County Community (325 students), and Kern County Juvenile Court (191 students). See the Kern County Office of Education 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.