Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bakersfield, CA

Leo B. Hart Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Leo B. Hart Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060639009339
0/100100/10028/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Leo B. Hart Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of California schools.

#50 of 97
elementary schools in Bakersfield · Resource Index
28
Resource Index · Lower
26.1:1
large classes for California
54.7%
free-lunch eligible

Leo B. Hart Elementary has class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Leo B. Hart Elementary ranks #50 of 97 elementary schools in Bakersfield, CA.

Enrollment

705

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

27.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26.1:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+21% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

54.7%

vs 55.5% California avg

-1% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Leo B. Hart Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Leo B. Hart Elementary

Leo B. Hart Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Bakersfield, California, enrolling 705 students.

Class loads run heavy: 26.1:1 is larger than about 86% of California schools and 21% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 705 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,470 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #543.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and White (19%) (diversity index 63/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Bakersfield's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students): Leo B. Hart Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.1:1 vs 25.6:1).

Panama-Buena Vista Union also operates Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students) and Douglas J. Miller Elementary (994 students) alongside Leo B. Hart Elementary.

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 Leo B. Hart Elementary compares

Leo B. Hart Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 26.1:1 ▲ 21% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 54.7% ▼ 1% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 705 top 23% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

26.1:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
705
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
54.7%
free-lunch eligible - 1% 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
26.1:1
students per teacher - 21% above state mean
Top 86% in California - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
34.9%
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
$14,357
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat 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 + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 56.0%
White 18.9%
Asian 10.5%
African American 8.9%
Two or More 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 62.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 62.9, Leo B. Hart Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Panama-Buena Vista Union, which includes Leo B. Hart Elementary.

$14,357
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How Leo B. Hart Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Douglas J. Miller Elementary Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Stonecreek Junior High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Earl Warren Junior High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Berkshire Elementary Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Leo B. Hart Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Panama-Buena Vista Union · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Bakersfield

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Leo B. Hart Elementary's federal record.

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 Leo B. Hart Elementary

How many students attend Leo B. Hart Elementary?

Leo B. Hart Elementary has 705 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bakersfield, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Leo B. Hart Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Leo B. Hart Elementary is 26.1:1, which is 21% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Leo B. Hart Elementary?

54.7% of students at Leo B. Hart Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leo B. Hart Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Leo B. Hart Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 56.0% of enrollment, in Bakersfield, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Leo B. Hart Elementary?

Leo B. Hart Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Leo B. Hart Elementary rank among elementary schools in Bakersfield?

By Resource Investment Index, Leo B. Hart Elementary ranks #50 of 97 elementary 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 elementary schools in Bakersfield on the city page.

Is Leo B. Hart Elementary a good school?

Leo B. Hart Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Panama-Buena Vista Union?

Besides Leo B. Hart Elementary, Panama-Buena Vista Union also operates Dolores S. Whitley Tk-8 (1,151 students), Douglas J. Miller Elementary (994 students), and Stonecreek Junior High (986 students). See the Panama-Buena Vista Union district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.