How to read California School Dashboard results
The California School Dashboard is the state's official report on public schools. For English language arts and math it reports distance from standard: how many points, on average, students scored above or below the level the state calls meeting standard on the Smarter Balanced tests. Zero means students averaged exactly at standard. Statewide in 2025, students were 8.1 points below standard in English and 42.4 below in math, and 87.8% of high school students graduated.
Each result also gets one of five colors, from red (lowest) through orange, yellow and green to blue (highest). The color blends the current score with the change from the year before, so a school with a middling score that improved a lot can earn green. Read both the score and the color. The figures on this page come from the Dashboard's 2025 downloadable data files, all-student group.
Bakersfield school districts compared
The California Department of Education's school directory lists more than 150 active schools with a Bakersfield address. Kern High School District runs the comprehensive high schools; Bakersfield City School District is the largest elementary district, with more than 40 schools, followed by Panama-Buena Vista Union with 26. The table covers the districts with the most Bakersfield schools.
| District | English (points from standard, color) | Math (points from standard) | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | -8.1 | -42.4 | 87.8% |
| Kern High (grades 9-12) | -6.4 (Orange) | -114.1 | 88.9% |
| Panama-Buena Vista Union (K-8) | -8.0 (Yellow) | -52.4 | n/a |
| Rosedale Union (K-8) | +2.2 (Yellow) | -29.1 | n/a |
| Fruitvale (K-8) | +7.8 (Green) | -25.6 | n/a |
| Norris (K-8) | +10.1 (Green) | -16.0 | n/a |
| Rio Bravo-Greeley Union (K-8) | +6.3 (Yellow) | -22.6 | n/a |
| Greenfield Union (K-8) | -22.1 (Orange) | -60.0 | n/a |
| Bakersfield City (K-8) | -59.3 (Orange) | -97.7 | n/a |
| Fairfax (K-8) | -46.3 (Yellow) | -77.4 | n/a |
| Beardsley (K-8) | -64.6 (Yellow) | -100.4 | n/a |
| Standard (K-8) | -70.2 (Orange) | -101.2 | n/a |
Source: California School Dashboard 2025 data files, all students. Colors are shown for English; n/a means the district does not run high schools. The K-8 districts are small enough that one or two schools can move the average, so look at the school, not only the district.
Bakersfield high schools
Every comprehensive public high school in the city belongs to Kern High School District. These stood out on the 2025 Dashboard.
Stockdale High School (Kern High), Buena Vista Road
Stockdale High, at 2800 Buena Vista Road in 93311, had the highest English result of any Bakersfield high school: 70.5 points above standard, blue. Math was 28.2 below standard, green, the best math result among the district's high schools. Its graduation rate was 93.4% across 592 students in the cohort.
Frontier High School (Kern High), Allen Road
Frontier High at 6401 Allen Road in 93314 posted the highest graduation rate among the comprehensive high schools, 98.1%, blue. English was 45.0 points above standard, green, and math 54.1 below.
Centennial, Liberty and Independence high schools (Kern High)
Three more schools scored well above the state in English: Independence High on Old River Road (37.4 above), Centennial High on Hageman Road (30.3 above) and Liberty High on Jewetta Avenue (27.9 above). Liberty graduated 96.6% of its cohort, Centennial 94.8% and Independence 93.0%.
Bakersfield High School (Kern High), downtown
Bakersfield High on G Street had the largest graduating cohort in the district, 744 students, and an 82.8% graduation rate. English was 31.5 points below standard and math 116.3 below.
Bakersfield elementary and middle schools
Ranked by the 2025 English result, these K-8 schools led the city. All are traditional public schools; check the address lookup before assuming any of them serves a home.
Highgate and Ronald Reagan elementary schools (Panama-Buena Vista Union)
Highgate Elementary on Pemberley Passage Avenue had the strongest K-8 result in Bakersfield: 61.5 points above standard in English and 33.7 above in math, both blue. Ronald Reagan Elementary on Rosslyn Lane was 45.0 above in English and 22.5 above in math. Both are in 93311.
Earl Warren and Stonecreek junior highs (Panama-Buena Vista Union)
Earl Warren Junior High on Mountain Vista Drive scored 47.3 points above standard in English, blue, though math was 28.9 below. Stonecreek Junior High in 93313 was 24.5 above in English. Both enroll more than 900 tested students.
Downtown Elementary (Bakersfield City School District)
Downtown Elementary on M Street was the top Bakersfield City school: 42.4 points above standard in English, green, and right at standard in math. The district runs a separate transfer window for it, February 1 to 12, 2027, so check eligibility with the district rather than assuming an attendance area.
Norris, Fruitvale and Greenfield schools
William B. Bimat Elementary (Norris) was 29.5 above standard in English and 15.2 above in math. W. A. Kendrick Elementary (Greenfield Union) on Faith Avenue was 32.2 above in English. Fruitvale Junior High on Calloway Drive was 18.7 above, and Independence Elementary (Rosedale Union) 19.9 above.
School choice in Bakersfield: transfers, programs and charters
Bakersfield City School District transfers
The district's transfer page lists these windows: intradistrict requests for grades 1 to 8 from November 30 to December 11, 2026; all grades, including TK and kindergarten, from March 15 to 26, 2027; and interdistrict requests from May 3 to July 30, 2027, filed in person at 1300 Baker Street. GATE school transfer applications open February 15, 2027, and the district also runs dual immersion programs.
Kern High School District transfers and open enrollment
Kern High's boundary page states that students attend the school where their parent or guardian lives, and links to its intradistrict transfer and open enrollment pages. Ask the district for the current deadlines.
Charter schools serving Bakersfield
The Kern County Office of Education's Valley Oaks Charter graduated 97.1% of its 2025 cohort, and Central Academy of Arts and Technology is a K-12 charter in 93301. Charters admit by application, not address.
How to check which schools serve a Bakersfield address
Never rely on a listing that says a home is zoned for a school. Boundaries change, and Bakersfield has many districts. Use these official steps:
- Kern High School District: use Find My School on the district's school boundaries page, or call Research and Planning at (661) 827-3256. The district says its map is for general information and does not replace recorded documents.
- Panama-Buena Vista Union: use the district's School Locator. The district is reviewing boundaries across all its schools, with any changes taking effect in the 2027-28 school year, so recheck before you buy.
- Bakersfield City School District: the school of residence is set by home address; call Student Services at (661) 631-4729 or the district at (661) 631-4600 to confirm.
- Other K-8 districts: the parcel's tax rate area on the Kern County tax bill names the elementary district, such as Rosedale, Fruitvale, Greenfield or Panama. Then call that district.
Compare results on the California School Dashboard. For homes and prices by area, see the Bakersfield real estate guide and the Bakersfield neighborhoods guide; our Kern County property tax guide explains how school bonds change the tax rate.