Enrollment
516
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lake Isabella, CA
Kern Valley High
Federal NCES profile for Kern Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061954002347
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kern Valley High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Lake Isabella · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.1:1
- small classes for California
- 65.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Kern Valley High has class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kern Valley High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Lake Isabella, CA.
School address
District: Kern High · California
NCES ID 061954002347 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kern Valley High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kern Valley High
Kern Valley High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Lake Isabella, California, enrolling 516 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 516 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,063 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #276.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 258 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 138 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 516 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Kern High also operates Bakersfield High (3,069 students) and Arvin High (2,653 students) alongside Kern Valley High.
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 Valley High compares
Kern Valley High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.9% | ▲ 19% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 516 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
516
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 28% in California - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.1%
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
$15,830
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 258 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 134 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.7 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
White 61.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.5%
Two or More 13.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 61.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.3, Kern Valley High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kern High, which includes Kern Valley High.
$15,830
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Kern Valley High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arvin High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridgeview High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stockdale High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kern Valley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,069
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,653
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,575
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,530
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 28.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar high 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 (~516 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kern Valley High's federal record.
- Compare Kern Valley High against another school. Compare schools
- Kern High'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 Valley High
How many students attend Kern Valley High?
Kern Valley High has 516 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lake Isabella, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kern Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Kern Valley High is 19.1:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% higher 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 Valley High?
65.9% of students at Kern Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kern Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Kern Valley High is White at 61.8% of enrollment, in Lake Isabella, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kern Valley High?
Kern Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Kern Valley High rank among public schools in Lake Isabella?
By Resource Investment Index, Kern Valley High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Lake Isabella, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Lake Isabella on the city page.
Is Kern Valley High a good school?
Kern Valley High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% 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 High?
Besides Kern Valley High, Kern High also operates Bakersfield High (3,069 students), Arvin High (2,653 students), and Ridgeview High (2,575 students). See the Kern High 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.