Fred L. Thompson Junior High

Fred L. Thompson Junior High is one of the mid-tier intermediate schools in Bakersfield, California, one of the schools within Panama-Buena Vista Union, with 714 students on its rolls from grades 7 through 8.

Panama-Buena Vista Union runs 25 schools in total, collectively educating 19,366 students. Fred L. Thompson Junior High is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Fred L. Thompson Junior High records that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 74% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school records 13% Black, 7% White, 3% multiracial, 2% Asian. By comparison, Kern County as a whole is about 57% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Fred L. Thompson Junior High logs 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 17.0:1. The state averages around 20.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 92% of students at Fred L. Thompson Junior High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Kern County runs at roughly 76%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Fred L. Thompson Junior High sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 24.9%; this one delivers 18.8%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Kern County put median household earnings sit near $70,210, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 15%. Fred L. Thompson Junior High is one of 279 public schools in Kern County (combined enrollment of about 197,431 students).

Nearest neighbor: Louise Sandrini Elementary, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Fred L. Thompson Junior High. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Fred L. Thompson Junior High at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 22.2%.

Fred L. Thompson Junior High operates from a metropolitan location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Fred L. Thompson Junior High's enrollment has edged down 7% since 2018, when it stood at 765 (now 714). Over the same period, the White share decreased from 13% to 7%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 21.4:1 in 2018 to 17.0:1 today.

On allk12, the feed for Fred L. Thompson Junior High typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.