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What tradition at West High should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,159
High
DISTRICT 1,713 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KERN HIGH·NCES 061954002356
West High
1200 New Stine Rd., Bakersfield, CA 93309 · (661) 832-2822 · Kern County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,159 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 44% of California public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-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
27.5:1
79 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.9:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
1,967 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 | 618 | 29% |
| Grade 10 | 555 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 520 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 466 | 22% |
Student demographics
41%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
53.6%
CA avg 49.1% . +12.6pp since 2014
Math
12.9%
CA avg 37.7% . -2.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 13 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 13 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 16.6% | 37.0% | 24.9% | 21.5% |
| Math | 1.8% | 11.1% | 18.3% | 68.8% |
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 | 53.6% | 12.9% |
| 2023-24 | 38.2% | 14.4% |
| 2022-23 | 50.3% | 10.2% |
| 2021-22 | 38.4% | 11.4% |
| 2020-21 | 94.1% | N/A |
| 2018-19 | 44.2% | 13.2% |
| 2017-18 | 44.4% | 14.4% |
| 2016-17 | 47.7% | 13.8% |
| 2015-16 | 30.0% | 11.0% |
| 2014-15 | 41.0% | 15.0% |
% 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
29.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
26.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 26% 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 West High
West High's state test result (29.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High this school | 2,159 | 91.1% | 29.8% |
| San Jacinto High San Jacinto | 2,388 | 89.9% | 22.9% |
| West Valley High Hemet | 1,857 | 90.1% | 31.0% |
| John W. North High Riverside | 2,011 | 87.9% | 32.6% |
| Moreno Valley High Moreno Valley | 2,103 | 92.5% | 27.6% |
| Vista del Lago High Moreno Valley | 1,924 | 87.8% | 31.2% |
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 West High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.8% | #803 of 1,052 | #21 of 34 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 12.9% | #898 of 1,056 ▼ 117 | #22 of 34 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.6% | #617 of 1,056 ▲ 285 | #16 of 34 ▲ 11 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +8.3pp | #201 of 1,044 | #5 of 32 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,159 | #205 of 2,093 | #11 of 48 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 27.5:1 | #1,316 of 1,352 | #37 of 38 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.2% | #818 of 1,351 | #21 of 38 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 91.1% | #260 of 1,575 | #9 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.3% | #168 of 327 | #15 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
2,159
+150 (+7%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 2,301
Student : Teacher
27.5:1
was 25.4:1
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 | 2,159 | 78.6 | 27.5:1 | 91% (1,967) |
| 2023-24 | 2,090 | 73.2 | 28.6:1 | 92% (1,927) |
| 2022-23 | 2,025 | 73.3 | 27.6:1 | 91% (1,841) |
| 2020-21 | 2,009 | 79 | 25.4:1 | 87% (1,757) |
| 2017-18 | 2,012 | 75.4 | 26.7:1 | 84% (1,699) |
| 2015-16 | 2,027 | 75 | 27.0:1 | 84% (1,700) |
| 2010-11 | 2,113 | N/A | N/A | 76% (1,602) |
| 2000-01 | 2,145 | 87 | 24.7:1 | 40% (854) |
| 1990-91 | 2,301 | 86 | 26.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West High.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (2,012 to 2,159); teachers up 4% (75.4 to 78.6).
About West High
West High sits in Bakersfield, California, and is classified as a high school. It is open to students in grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 2,159 students. It has 158% more students than the average for high schools in California (about 838).
A total of 25 schools make up Kern High, with 42,814 students enrolled.
The share of Hispanic students at West High is 75%, a majority. The remaining students are 10% Black, 7% White, and 5% multiracial. Census figures show Kern County is about 57% Hispanic. A diversity index of 41% means there is a 41% chance two randomly chosen students at West High are from different groups.
Based on 78.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, West High has a ratio of 27.5:1. The gap from the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California is 9.3 students per teacher. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch stands at 91%. The 76% average for public schools in Kern County is 15 points lower.
West High earns a C+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 44% of California public high schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, West High is 3.6 points above its prediction. Actual: 29.8%. Predicted: 26.2%.
For Kern County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $70,210, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 19%, and roughly 15% of residents are in poverty. The county has 279 public schools and about 197,431 students.
Kern Workforce 2000 Academy, about 0.3 miles away, is the closest public school. Within five miles of West High, there are at least 8 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 19.7%; West High's is 29.8%, ranking 1st of 9.
Federal data place West High in the City: Large locale, which means it is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's student count rose 7% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio increased from 25.4:1 to 27.5:1.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 West High schools
20 other US public schools in 11 states are named West High. West High is the 3rd largest of the 21.
- West HighTorrance, CA · 1,775 students
- West HighSALT LAKE CITY, UT · 2,503 students
- West HighMadison, WI · 2,222 students
- West High SchoolAnchorage, AK · 1,702 students
- West High SchoolWaterloo, IA · 1,696 students
Nearby schools
- Kern Workforce 2000 Academy0.3 mi · 491
- O. J. Actis Junior High0.7 mi · 681
- Curran Middle0.8 mi · 973
- Stine Elementary0.8 mi · 615
- Munsey Elementary0.9 mi · 663
- Wayne Van Horn Elementary1.0 mi · 578
Frequently asked questions
About West HighHow many students attend West High?
West High enrolls approximately 2,159 students in grades 09-12.
Is West High an elementary, middle, or high school?
West High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at West High is approximately 27.5:1 (79 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at West High?
At West High, the student body is approximately 7% White, 75% Hispanic, 10% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees West High?
West High is overseen by Kern High in Kern County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.