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Public school district · California

Bakersfield City.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Bakersfield City—and look beyond a single district average.

Bessie E. Owens ElementaryDowntown ElementaryPaul L. Cato MiddleHorace Mann ElementaryPioneer Drive ElementaryCesar E. Chavez ElementaryDr. Douglas K. Fletcher ElementaryLeo G. Pauly ElementaryFrank West ElementaryHarding ElementaryEvergreen ElementaryFranklin ElementaryRamon Garza ElementaryDr. Juliet Thorner ElementaryWilliam Penn ElementaryCaroline Harris ElementaryWilliams ElementaryVoorhies ElementaryHort ElementaryRoosevelt ElementaryWayside ElementaryFremont ElementaryCasa Loma ElementaryHenry Eissler ElementaryWalter Stiern MiddleSierra MiddleDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ElementaryCollege Heights ElementaryMunsey ElementaryColonel Howard Nichols ElementaryCurran MiddleJefferson ElementaryMcKinley ElementaryWashington MiddleEmerson MiddleMt. Vernon ElementaryMyra A. Noble ElementaryLongfellow ElementaryStella I. Hills ElementaryBakersfield CityN ↑
39 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
The K–12 path at a glance
Elementary33 schools
avg 23.4/10025 Needs Support, 5 Developing, +3 more
Middle6 schools
avg 20.6/1005 Needs Support, 1 Solid

Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.

Stage 1 of 2

The elementary years

36 points separate Bessie E. Owens Elementary (43) from Stella I. Hills Elementary (6) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

36 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 33 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.

The strength

Bessie E. Owens Elementary is the strongest option at 43/100 — 18.9% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

25 of 33 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.

65th percentile · SolidScope Score 43/100
Downtown Elementary
Culture First
64th percentile · SolidScope Score 42/100
57th percentile · SolidScope Score 39/100

All 33 elementary schools, ranked, in the appendix →

Stage 2 of 2

The middle years

27 points separate Paul L. Cato Middle (41) from Emerson Middle (14) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

0100

6 middle schools span 27 points around an average of 20.6.

The strength

Paul L. Cato Middle is the strongest option at 41/100 — 16.6% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

22.1% of students are chronically absent (state: 18.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100
Walter Stiern Middle
Building Momentum
9th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 19/100
Sierra Middle
Building Momentum
8th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 18/100

All 6 middle schools, ranked, in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Bessie E. Owens Elementary at 43/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — 8 campuses here rank as On the Rise, their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring run through the district:

Bessie E. Owens Elementary 65th percentile · SolidScope Score 43/100Paul L. Cato Middle 62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100

Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

Bakersfield City has 39 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

33 comparable schools · average 23.4/100 · range 6.4–42.5

Middle schools

Explore middle →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

6 comparable schools · average 20.6/100 · range 13.8–41.1

Explore Bakersfield City by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
Bakersfield Citythis district23.0 / 10039Bessie E. Owens Elementary—
Kern High47.3 / 10015Stockdale High3.1 mi
Greenfield Union34.1 / 10011W. A. Kendrick Elementary4.9 mi
Fruitvale Elementary40.3 / 1005Fruitvale Junior High6.7 mi
Norris Elementary51.3 / 1002William B. Bimat Elementary7.0 mi
Rosedale Union Elementary40.8 / 1003Rosedale-North Elementary8.1 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in Bakersfield City

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Elementary schools in Bakersfield City · 33 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Bessie E. Owens Elementary
Bakersfield City On the Rise
18.9%65th percentile · SolidScope Score 43/100
Downtown Elementary
Bakersfield City Culture First
22.3%64th percentile · SolidScope Score 42/100
Horace Mann Elementary
Bakersfield City On the Rise
10.0%57th percentile · SolidScope Score 39/100
Pioneer Drive Elementary
Bakersfield City On the Rise
7.3%50th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 36/100
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
Bakersfield City Culture First
24.6%49th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 35/100
Dr. Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary
Bakersfield City Culture First
19.3%48th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 35/100

Middle schools in Bakersfield City · 6 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Paul L. Cato Middle
Bakersfield City On the Rise
16.6%62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100
Walter Stiern Middle
Bakersfield City Building Momentum
3.4%9th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 19/100
Sierra Middle
Bakersfield City Building Momentum
2.8%8th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 18/100
Curran Middle
Bakersfield City Building Momentum
4.3%6th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 17/100
Washington Middle
Bakersfield City Building Momentum
2.9%4th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 15/100
Emerson Middle
Bakersfield City Building Momentum
3.2%3rd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 14/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

Bakersfield City spent $22,638 per student in FY 2024–25 — $2,147 more than the median California district ($20,491), about 10% higher. About 65 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction65%
  • Instruction support11%
  • Student services10%
  • Administration5%
  • Buildings & maintenance9%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$59,232–$118,012
Teaching staff1,677 · FTE
District enrollment29,307 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 82.2% · White 7.6% · Black 7.8% · Asian 0.6% · Other 1.8%
Free/reduced lunch88% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond Bakersfield City?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 39 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Bakersfield City?
This SchoolScope directory lists 39 public schools in Bakersfield City with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in Bakersfield City?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Bessie E. Owens Elementary (43/100). Middle: Paul L. Cato Middle (41/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in Bakersfield City guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.