Enrollment
1,599
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Shafter, CA
Shafter High
Federal NCES profile for Shafter High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061954002352
👥 S:T ratio 7
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shafter High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #6 of 8
- public schools in Shafter · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.2:1
- students per teacher
- 76.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Shafter High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shafter High ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Shafter, CA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shafter High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shafter High
Shafter High is a high-poverty, large high school in Shafter, California, enrolling 1,599 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.2:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,599 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 330 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #167.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 320 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Shafter's high schools, it stands alongside Central Valley High (Continuation) (86 students): Shafter High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.2:1 vs 14.3:1).
Kern High also operates Bakersfield High (3,069 students) and Arvin High (2,653 students) alongside Shafter 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 Shafter High compares
Shafter 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 | 23.2:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.1% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,599 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.2:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,599
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
23.2:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 64% in California - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
37.2%
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 320 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 130 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 92.8%
White 4.8%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.6, Shafter High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kern High, which includes Shafter 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 Shafter High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arvin High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ridgeview High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Highland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stockdale High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shafter 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 in Shafter
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,599 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shafter High's federal record.
- Compare Shafter 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 Shafter High
How many students attend Shafter High?
Shafter High has 1,599 students enrolled. It is a high school in Shafter, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shafter High?
The student-teacher ratio at Shafter High is 23.2:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shafter High?
76.1% of students at Shafter High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shafter High?
The largest demographic group at Shafter High is Hispanic or Latino at 92.8% of enrollment, in Shafter, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shafter High?
Shafter High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Shafter High rank among public schools in Shafter?
By Resource Investment Index, Shafter High ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Shafter, 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 Shafter on the city page.
Is Shafter High a good school?
Shafter High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Shafter 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.