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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BAKERSFIELD CITY·NCES 060363000297

Emerson Middle

801 Fourth St., Bakersfield, CA 93304 · (661) 631-5260 · Kern County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL813 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 9% of California public middle schools
  • DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public middle schools

Enrollment
813
Middle
DISTRICT 731 · STATE 659
Student : Teacher
22.0:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.3:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
90%
733 students
DISTRICT 88% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 617522%
Grade 733741%
Grade 830137%
Student demographics
38%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
496%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 20% · US 43%
Hispanic
62777%
DISTRICT 83% · STATE 56% · US 30%
Black
10713%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
132%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 12% · US 6%
Two+
101%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
40%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
40049%
Female
41251%

Discussions

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Test scores

CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standard
English Language Arts
24.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +7.8pp since 2014
Math
5.9%
CA avg 37.7% . -2.1pp since 2014

What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 25 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 6 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 8 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 2 points.

Performance levels, 2024-25

SubjectStandard ExceededStandard MetStandard Nearly MetStandard Not Met
English Language Arts4.9%19.8%18.6%56.7%
Math1.3%4.6%16.0%78.1%
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.

CAASPP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2524.8%5.9%
2023-2423.8%5.9%
2022-2324.6%9.2%
2021-2222.6%5.4%
2018-1921.4%6.1%
2017-1821.4%10.8%
2016-1720.9%12.3%
2015-1618.0%10.0%
2014-1517.0%8.0%
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
15.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
26.7%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.6pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 15% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 27% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Emerson Middle

Emerson Middle's state test result (15.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Emerson Middle this school81390.2%15.1%
Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy
Palmdale
82289.3%17.8%
Fred L. Thompson Junior High
Bakersfield
71491.6%19.9%
Monte Vista Middle
San Jacinto
89390.9%15.0%
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad
Palmdale
94889.7%19.9%
March Middle
Moreno Valley
68687.2%22.5%
Matched among California middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Emerson Middle ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn CaliforniaIn Kern County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
15.1%#1,145 of 1,224#41 of 46
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
5.9%#1,210 of 1,227
▼ 11
#43 of 46
▼ 1
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
24.8%#1,098 of 1,227
▼ 13
#40 of 46
▼ 1
3-year test score change
ranked biggest gain first
+1.4pp#694 of 1,214#23 of 46
Enrollment
ranked largest first
813#418 of 1,377#12 of 48
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
22.0:1#799 of 1,279#39 of 46
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
38.2%#845 of 1,278#23 of 46
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
90.2%#282 of 1,329#17 of 46
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+1.0%#230 of 257#18 of 18
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
813
+56 (+7%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 752
Student : Teacher
22.0:1
was 21.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-258133722.0:190% (733)
2023-2480937.421.6:195% (766)
2022-2375434.421.9:193% (704)
2020-217573521.6:198% (745)
2017-1880535.122.9:193% (752)
2015-167213024.0:190% (649)
2010-11848N/AN/A95% (807)
2000-018674021.7:183% (721)
1990-917525015.0:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Emerson Middle.

Since 2017-18: students up 1% (805 to 813); teachers up 5% (35.1 to 37).

About Emerson Middle

Emerson Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Bakersfield, California, under Bakersfield City. It had 813 students in 2024-25, spanning grades 6 through 8. Middle schools in California have about 659 students on average; enrollment here is 23% higher.

The district for Emerson Middle is Bakersfield City, with 44 schools and 28,365 students.

The student body at Emerson Middle is 77% Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 13% Black and 6% White. Among all residents of Kern County, the Hispanic share is about 57%. A diversity index of 38% means there is a 38% chance two randomly chosen students at Emerson Middle are from different groups.

There are 37 full-time-equivalent teachers at Emerson Middle, giving a ratio of 22.0:1. By comparison, the average for middle schools in California is 20.7:1. A total of 733 students, or 90%, are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 76% average for public schools in Kern County is 14 points.

Emerson Middle holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 9% of California public middle schools.

When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Emerson Middle is 11.6 points below its prediction. Actual: 15.1%. Predicted: 26.7%.

Kern County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $70,210, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 19% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 15%. Public schools in Kern County number 279, with about 197,431 students.

About 0.1 miles separate Emerson Middle from the closest public school, McKinley Elementary. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 19.6%; Emerson Middle's is 15.1%, ranking 4th of 6.

Emerson Middle is coded as City: Large in federal locale data.

Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Emerson Middle had a net gain of 56 students, or 7%.

Use the discussion section to ask about open houses, carpools, and field trips at Emerson Middle. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.

Kern County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
915,075
Census ACS
Median income
$70,210
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
279
197,431 students

Quick facts

School name
Emerson Middle
District
Bakersfield City
Address
801 Fourth St., Bakersfield, CA 93304
Phone
(661) 631-5260
County
Kern County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
813
Teachers (FTE)
37
Student–teacher ratio
22.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
733 (90%)
Locale
11-City: Large
NCES ID
060363000297
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Bakersfield City
Other schools in Bakersfield
Other Emerson Middle schools

5 other US public schools in 5 states are named Emerson Middle. Emerson Middle is the 3rd largest of the 6.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Emerson Middle
How large is Emerson Middle?
Emerson Middle enrolls approximately 813 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Emerson Middle serve?
Emerson Middle serves grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Emerson Middle?
Approximately 22.0:1 students per teacher at Emerson Middle.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Emerson Middle?
At Emerson Middle, the student body is approximately 6% White, 77% Hispanic, 13% Black, 2% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Emerson Middle public or private?
Emerson Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Bakersfield City.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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