Bakersfield City: Bakersfield City schools score 14.5 points below the state average. The trajectory from grade 3 to 5 falls 4.8 points.
Bakersfield City has 39 ranked schools across elementary and middle levels with an average Scope Score of 30.3/100 — 14.5 points below the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Bessie E. Owens Elementary at 48/100, where 18.9% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $15,168 per student (above the state average of $14,815). 2 schools show positive growth trajectories. Chronic absenteeism averages 18.7%, near the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.
| Level | Avg Score | Schools | Exceeded | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Developing 30.8/100 | 33 | 7.9% | 18.1% |
| Middle | Needs Support 28.1/100 | 6 | 5.5% | 22.1% |
Bakersfield City's elementary schools average 30.8/100 — 14.1 points below the state average with a −4.8pp declining trajectory.
K–12 pipeline
The typical school path in Bakersfield City, top-scoring shown first.
District Analysis
Bakersfield City has 39 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 30.3/100 — 14.5 points below the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Strongest level: Bakersfield City's elementary schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 30.8.
District-wide elementary growth averages -4.8pp (state avg: -2.9pp) — a declining trend worth examining school by school.
Score range of 33.5 points — showing significant variation between schools.
District chronic absenteeism averages 18.7%, 0.8pp near the state average of 17.9%.
District suspension rate averages 2.3%, near the state average of 1.6%.
Bessie E. Owens Elementary leads the district at 48 with 18.9% exceeding standard.
How we score · Scope Score methodology
School archetypes in Bakersfield City
Hidden gems: 6 schools in Bakersfield City are classified as On the Rise (4) or Growth Engine (2) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.
Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more
Student demographics
District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data
District Funding
Bakersfield City spends $15,168 per student in current expenditures — $353 above the state average of $14,815.
Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020
Teacher compensation
CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25
Every school in Bakersfield City
ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP
Elementary Schools (33)
Bakersfield City has 33 ranked elementary schools averaging a Scope Score of 30.8 — 14.1 points below the state average of 44.8.
Growth averages -4.8pp district-wide — a declining trend worth examining.
The highest-scoring elementary school is Bessie E. Owens Elementary with a Scope Score of 48 and 18.9% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bessie E. Owens Elementary Bakersfield City Growth Engine | 18.9% | Developing 48/100 |
| 2 | Horace Mann Elementary Bakersfield City Growth Engine | 10.0% | Developing 46/100 |
| 3 | Downtown Elementary Bakersfield City Culture First | 22.3% | Developing 45/100 |
| 4 | Pioneer Drive Elementary Bakersfield City On the Rise | 7.3% | Developing 44/100 |
| 5 | Dr. Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary Bakersfield City Culture First | 19.3% | Developing 42/100 |
| 6 | Leo G. Pauly Elementary Bakersfield City On the Rise | 8.3% | Developing 40/100 |
| 7 | Frank West Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 7.6% | Developing 39/100 |
| 8 | Cesar E. Chavez Elementary Bakersfield City Culture First | 24.6% | Developing 38/100 |
| 9 | Evergreen Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 6.3% | Developing 34/100 |
| 10 | Harding Elementary Bakersfield City Culture First | 10.2% | Developing 33/100 |
| 11 | Ramon Garza Elementary Bakersfield City Culture First | 4.9% | Developing 33/100 |
| 12 | Franklin Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 8.5% | Developing 32/100 |
| 13 | Dr. Juliet Thorner Elementary Bakersfield City On the Rise | 6.6% | Developing 32/100 |
| 14 | Williams Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 1.8% | Developing 32/100 |
| 15 | Voorhies Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 7.5% | Developing 30/100 |
| 16 | William Penn Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 5.5% | Developing 30/100 |
| 17 | Hort Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 6.2% | Needs Support 30/100 |
| 18 | Caroline Harris Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 7.5% | Needs Support 29/100 |
| 19 | Wayside Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 3.9% | Needs Support 28/100 |
| 20 | Casa Loma Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.1% | Needs Support 28/100 |
| 21 | Roosevelt Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 8.1% | Needs Support 28/100 |
| 22 | Fremont Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 7.9% | Needs Support 27/100 |
| 23 | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.1% | Needs Support 27/100 |
| 24 | Henry Eissler Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 11.1% | Needs Support 26/100 |
| 25 | College Heights Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.4% | Needs Support 25/100 |
| 26 | Munsey Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 5.5% | Needs Support 24/100 |
| 27 | McKinley Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 4.6% | Needs Support 23/100 |
| 28 | Colonel Howard Nichols Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 12.3% | Needs Support 23/100 |
| 29 | Myra A. Noble Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.4% | Needs Support 22/100 |
| 30 | Jefferson Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 5.4% | Needs Support 22/100 |
| 31 | Mt. Vernon Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 3.8% | Needs Support 21/100 |
| 32 | Longfellow Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.3% | Needs Support 20/100 |
| 33 | Stella I. Hills Elementary Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.0% | Needs Support 15/100 |
Middle Schools (6)
Bakersfield City has 6 ranked middle schools averaging a Scope Score of 28.1 — 14.5 points below the state average of 42.6.
Growth averages -2.2pp district-wide — a declining trend worth examining.
The highest-scoring middle school is Paul L. Cato Middle with a Scope Score of 46 and 16.6% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul L. Cato Middle Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 16.6% | Developing 46/100 |
| 2 | Sierra Middle Bakersfield City On the Rise | 2.8% | Needs Support 27/100 |
| 3 | Walter Stiern Middle Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 3.4% | Needs Support 27/100 |
| 4 | Curran Middle Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 4.3% | Needs Support 25/100 |
| 5 | Washington Middle Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 2.9% | Needs Support 23/100 |
| 6 | Emerson Middle Bakersfield City Building Momentum | 3.2% | Needs Support 22/100 |
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.
Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology