1
What do you wish you knew before starting at Independence High?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,324
High
DISTRICT 1,713 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KERN HIGH·NCES 061954012132
Independence High
8001 Old River Rd., Bakersfield, CA 93311 · (661) 834-8001 · Kern County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,324 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of California public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-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 high schools
Student : Teacher
26.0:1
89 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.9:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
1,735 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 555 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 595 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 649 | 28% |
| Grade 12 | 525 | 23% |
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 62% · US 70%
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
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
66.4%
CA avg 49.1% . +8.4pp since 2014
Math
18.7%
CA avg 37.7% . -11.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 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 11 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 30.6% | 35.8% | 18.1% | 15.5% |
| Math | 6.8% | 11.9% | 24.9% | 56.4% |
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 year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 66.4% | 18.7% |
| 2023-24 | 59.8% | 18.4% |
| 2022-23 | 59.0% | 16.6% |
| 2021-22 | 61.5% | 19.9% |
| 2018-19 | 64.9% | 20.1% |
| 2017-18 | 55.6% | 20.7% |
| 2016-17 | 63.1% | 21.8% |
| 2015-16 | 69.0% | 35.0% |
| 2014-15 | 58.0% | 30.0% |
% 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
40.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.8%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 Independence High
Independence High's state test result (40.8% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence High this school | 2,324 | 74.7% | 40.8% |
| San Pedro Senior High San Pedro | 2,398 | 77.1% | 44.3% |
| Hillcrest High Riverside | 1,780 | 75.6% | 42.3% |
| Upland High Upland | 2,797 | 69.5% | 50.2% |
| Summit High Fontana | 2,725 | 72.1% | 51.5% |
| Merced High Merced | 1,943 | 79.4% | 27.6% |
Matched among California high 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 Independence High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.8% | #507 of 1,052 | #10 of 34 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 18.7% | #713 of 1,056 ▼ 58 | #15 of 34 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.4% | #326 of 1,056 ▲ 118 | #6 of 34 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.9pp | #534 of 1,044 | #17 of 32 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,324 | #155 of 2,093 | #8 of 48 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.0:1 | #1,272 of 1,352 | #33 of 38 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.0% | #546 of 1,351 | #15 of 38 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.7% | #754 of 1,575 | #28 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +10.4% | #125 of 327 | #12 of 22 |
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25Enrollment
2,324
+41 (+2%) vs 2020
+36% since 2010-11, when it was 1,709
Student : Teacher
26.0:1
was 27.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,324 | 89.3 | 26.0:1 | 75% (1,735) |
| 2023-24 | 2,334 | 89.5 | 26.1:1 | 74% (1,720) |
| 2022-23 | 2,394 | 91.4 | 26.2:1 | 71% (1,695) |
| 2020-21 | 2,283 | 82 | 27.8:1 | 53% (1,210) |
| 2017-18 | 2,106 | 75.4 | 27.9:1 | 57% (1,197) |
| 2015-16 | 2,071 | 63 | 32.9:1 | 53% (1,107) |
| 2010-11 | 1,709 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Independence High.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (2,106 to 2,324); teachers up 18% (75.4 to 89.3).
About Independence High
Independence High is a public high school run by Kern High in Bakersfield, California. The school's 2,324 students are in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 177% higher than the average for high schools in California, which is about 838.
Kern High is the district for Independence High. It has 25 schools and 42,814 students.
At 65%, Hispanic students outnumber all other groups at Independence High combined. It is also 14% White, 8% Black, 8% Asian, and 5% multiracial. Kern County's residents are about 57% Hispanic, 8 points below the school's share. The chance that two students picked at random at Independence High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 55%.
Independence High's 89.3 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 26.0:1. That ratio is over the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. The school's rate of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 75%. That is close to the 76% average for public schools in Kern County.
allk12 grades Independence High a B. The grade compares the school only with California public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
On BeatsExpectations, Independence High is 5.0 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.
Federal survey data for Kern County show that median household income is 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%. A total of 279 public schools operate in Kern County, serving about 197,431 students.
Buena Vista Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, Independence High ranks 5th on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes Independence High as Rural: Fringe.
Over 4 years, enrollment stayed close to where it was, going from 2,283 to 2,324. The number of students per teacher fell from 27.8 to 26.0 over 4 years.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Independence High covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Kern County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
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
Related schools
Other schools in Kern High
- Bakersfield HighHigh · 3,069 students
- Arvin HighHigh · 2,653 students
- Ridgeview HighHigh · 2,575 students
- Highland HighHigh · 2,530 students
- Stockdale HighHigh · 2,398 students
- Liberty HighHigh · 2,369 students
Other schools in Bakersfield
- Bakersfield HighHigh · 3,069 students
- Ridgeview HighHigh · 2,575 students
- Highland HighHigh · 2,530 students
- Stockdale HighHigh · 2,398 students
- Liberty HighHigh · 2,369 students
- East Bakersfield HighHigh · 2,331 students
Other Independence High schools
19 other US public schools in 15 states are named Independence High. Independence High is the largest of the 20.
- Independence HighSan Jose, CA · 2,289 students
- Independence HighSan Francisco, CA · 235 students
- Independence HighBrentwood, CA · 163 students
- Independence HighPaso Robles, CA · 137 students
- Independence HighAshburn, VA · 2,166 students
Nearby schools
- Buena Vista Elementary1.4 mi · 713
- Donald E. Suburu2.2 mi · 803
- Earl Warren Junior High2.2 mi · 965
- Sing Lum Elementary2.2 mi · 809
- Grow Public Schools2.3 mi · 1,446
- Old River Elementary2.4 mi · 795
Frequently asked questions
About Independence HighWhat is the total enrollment at Independence High?
Independence High enrolls approximately 2,324 students in grades 09-12.
Is Independence High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Independence High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Independence High?
Approximately 26.0:1 students per teacher at Independence High.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Independence High?
At Independence High, the student body is approximately 14% White, 65% Hispanic, 8% Black, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Independence High public or private?
Independence High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Kern High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.