Enrollment
2,159
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 061954002356
West High — Bakersfield, CA
Federal NCES profile for West High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
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)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West 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
West High reports 2,159 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 73.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 74% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% above the California average and 57% above the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 360 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 27/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 West 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 | 27.7:1 | ▲ 28% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.4% | ▲ 47% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,159 | top 98% | — | — |
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
81.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
27.7:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 95% in California — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
44.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 360 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 461 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,159 Top 98% in California — larger than 2% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 73.0
Students per teacher 27.7:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.4% +47% vs state
NCES ID 061954002356
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 75.5%
African American 10.2%
White 6.8%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 360:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.0%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 461
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kern High, which includes West 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
- 2,530
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
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
Highland High
Standard public school
2,530 students 25.2:1 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
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 West High
How many students attend West High?
West High has 2,159 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West High?
The student-teacher ratio at West High is 27.7:1, which is 28% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 74% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West High?
81.4% of students at West High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West High?
The largest demographic group at West High is Hispanic or Latino at 75.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bakersfield, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West High?
West High has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.