School Profile · Bakersfield
Highland High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.
Highland posts 35% meeting the standard against 35% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.
2900 Royal Scots Way, 93306·Kern High·Bakersfield·Grades 9-12·2,530 students·87% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 872-2777·Website
Scope Score
51
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #790 statewide · #7 of 25 in Kern High
Highland High scores 51 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 55th percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “35% proficient” and call it done. Highland deserves a closer read. The school sits in Bakersfield, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 50.8% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
35%
State 35%
Graduate
89%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
62%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 35 are proficient by 11th grade → 89 graduate → 62 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
50.8%
Low-income · ELA · met standard
Highland's most underrated number
50.8% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.
Highland low-income: 50.8%State low-income: 38.2%
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
88.7%
State 87.6%
1.1pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
12.2%
State 15.5%
3.3pp below state avg
College readiness
62.2%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
35.2%
State 34.6%
0.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.6%
State 32.1%
15.5pp below state avg
Suspension rate
6.8%
State 4.0%
2.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
7.8%
State 17.7%
9.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 44
Foothill High
Kern High · 2.4 mi
Developing
45/100
East Bakersfield High
Kern High · 2.4 mi
Developing
44/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 40
Dr. Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary
Bakersfield City · 0.6 mi
Developing
43/100
Horace Mann Elementary
Bakersfield City · 2.2 mi
Developing
40/100
Pioneer Drive Elementary
Bakersfield City · 2.1 mi
Developing
38/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 24
Sierra Middle
Bakersfield City · 2.2 mi
Needs Support
24/100
Walter Stiern Middle
Bakersfield City · 1.6 mi
Needs Support
24/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic74.4%
White15.1%
Asian2.3%
Black5.0%
Other3.2%
GenderFemale 50.7%Male 49.2%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,530
1,080 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
87%
24pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,507
District avg: $13,940 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
7.8% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$62,889 – $134,832
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Highland High in Bakersfield, 50.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Highland High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 44.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 477 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+36.7pp
53.3% vs 16.6% overall · n=30
Suspension · Black+10.6pp
17.4% vs 6.8% overall · n=144
ELA · Disabilities−44.9pp
10.0% vs 54.9% overall · n=40
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−20.7pp
0.0% vs 20.7% overall · n=17
Math · English Learner−15.5pp
0.0% vs 15.5% overall · n=18
Math Exceeded · Black−3.7pp
0.0% vs 3.7% overall · n=20
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income483 tested
ELA 50.8%·Math 13.1%· +3.7pp vs district
Hispanic441 tested
ELA 52.2%·Math 12.1%· +3.8pp vs district
White88 tested
ELA 67.8%·Math 29.6%· +7.6pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$66K
$19K below CA median
Median Home Value
$266K
$393K below CA median
Bachelor's+
17%
18pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
10.6 years avg experience
205 teachers · 5% first-year · 17% second-year
Teacher Credentials
82% fully credentialed
2.0% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
45 AP courses
189 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
88.7%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 51th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
12.2%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 47th pctile
College readiness · 20%
62.2%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 66th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
35.2%
↑ vs CA 34.6% · 50th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
16.6%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 62th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
6.8%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 38th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
7.8%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 47th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 565 | 21% | 34% | 24% | 21% | 55% | +8 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 573 | 4% | 12% | 22% | 63% | 16% | −8 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 587 | 6% | 23% | 65% | 6% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 477 | 50.8% | +4 | +13 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 436 | 52.2% | +4 | +13 |
| White | 87 | 67.8% | +8 | +6 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High ← | — | 51 | 12.2% | 35.2% | — | 6.8% |
| Foothill High | 2.4 mi | 45 | 9.9% | 31.0% | — | 9.7% |
| East Bakersfield High | 2.4 mi | 44 | 11.3% | 32.3% | — | 11.7% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
88.7%
AP Exam Prepared
62.2%
A-G Completion
49.2%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
54.5%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #793 → #952 → #709 → #783 → #790
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Highland High a good high school?
Highland High has a Scope Score of 51 out of 100, placing it in the 55th percentile of California high schools and ranked #790 statewide. 12.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.3 percentage points below the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Highland High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 35.2% of students at Highland High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 1,138 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Highland High rank in California?
Highland High ranks #790 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 55th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Highland High?
16.6% of students at Highland High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 6.8%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Highland High compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
Highland High scores 51/100 (55th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 2,530 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Highland High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Highland High in Bakersfield, 50.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Highland High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 44.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 477 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.