School Profile · Bakersfield
North High: Low-income kids here outscore the state by 13 points. But suspensions run 3× the state rate.
North posts numbers for its most vulnerable students that most schools don't reach overall. The trend line is the part worth a closer look.
300 Galaxy Avenue, 93308·Kern High·Bakersfield·Grades 9-12·2,135 students·87% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 399-3351·Website
Scope Score
37
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,226 statewide · #18 of 25 in Kern High
North High scores 37 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 30th 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 “31% proficient” and call it done. North 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: 51.0% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.
The story this school is actually telling
The equalizer · low-income proficiency
51.0%
of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.
↑ the number zip-code rankings hide
The catch · suspensions
13.5%
of students were suspended, versus 4.0% statewide — a school visit will tell you more than this number.
↓ the part no ranking site shows you
Proficient by 11th grade
31%
State 35%
Graduate
83%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
25%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 31 are proficient by 11th grade → 83 graduate → 25 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
51.0%
Low-income · ELA · met standard
North's most underrated number
51.0% 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.
North low-income: 51.0%State low-income: 38.2%
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
82.8%
State 87.6%
4.8pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
11.2%
State 15.5%
4.3pp below state avg
College readiness
25.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
31.1%
State 34.6%
3.5pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
27.2%
State 32.1%
4.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
13.5%
State 4.0%
9.4pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
8.8%
State 17.7%
8.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask about the discipline philosophy and what a typical suspension is for. Numbers can't tell you whether a campus feels strict or chaotic — a visit can.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 33
Valley Oaks Charter
Kern County Office of Education · 2.6 mi
Developing
37/100
North Beardsley Elementary
Beardsley Elementary · 1.3 mi
Developing
32/100
Wingland Elementary
Standard Elementary · 0.5 mi
Developing
30/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Bakersfield Adventist Academy
Bernard St · Pentecostal · Grades Pre-K-12 · 128 students
13:1Private4.7 mi
Lifehouse Christian Academy
Manor St · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-11 · 115 students
14:1Private0.9 mi
Bethel Christian
E California Ave · Amish · Grades Pre-K-12 · 41 students
8:1Private5.3 mi
Golden State Baptist Schools
Woodrow Ave · Amish · Grades 1-11 · 7 students
4:1Private0.9 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic52.5%
White29.4%
Asian0.5%
Black5.4%
Other12.2%
GenderFemale 47.9%Male 52.0%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,135
685 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
87%
24pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
25:1
4 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,419
District avg: $13,940 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
8.8% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$62,889 – $134,832
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At North High in Bakersfield, 51.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. North High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (51.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 366 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+31.6pp
58.8% vs 27.2% overall · n=119
Suspension · Black+23.3pp
36.8% vs 13.5% overall · n=144
ELA · English Learner−48.1pp
5.0% vs 53.1% overall · n=40
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Black−21.5pp
0.0% vs 21.5% overall · n=21
Math · Disabilities−9.2pp
0.0% vs 9.2% overall · n=58
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income366 tested
ELA 51.0%·Math 8.3%· +3.8pp vs district
Hispanic226 tested
ELA 51.6%·Math 10.9%· +3.2pp vs district
White160 tested
ELA 56.1%·Math 5.5%· -4.1pp 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
$54K
$31K below CA median
Median Home Value
$284K
$375K 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
9.9 years avg experience
176 teachers · 9% first-year · 15% second-year
Teacher Credentials
73% fully credentialed
6.3% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
7 AP courses
41 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%
82.8%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 44th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
11.2%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 46th pctile
College readiness · 20%
25.0%
↓ vs CA 35.5% · 44th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
31.1%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 48th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
27.2%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 54th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
13.5%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 8th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
8.8%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 33th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 405 | 21% | 32% | 21% | 26% | 53% | +6 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 402 | 1% | 8% | 18% | 72% | 9% | −14 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 379 | 2% | 21% | 63% | 14% |
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 | 366 | 51.0% | +4 | +13 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 225 | 51.6% | +3 | +13 |
| White | 160 | 56.1% | −4 | −6 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North High ← | — | 37 | 11.2% | 31.1% | — | 13.5% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
82.8%
AP Exam Prepared
25.0%
A-G Completion
32.4%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
42.2%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1117 → #1201 → #1264 → #1189 → #1226
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is North High a good high school?
North High has a Scope Score of 37 out of 100, placing it in the 30th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,226 statewide. 11.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.3 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 North High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 31.1% of students at North High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.2% 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. 807 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does North High rank in California?
North High ranks #1,226 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 30th 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 North High?
27.2% of students at North 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 13.5%. 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 North High compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
North High scores 37/100 (30th 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 2,135 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does North High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At North High in Bakersfield, 51.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. North High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (51.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 366 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.