Top Rankings
Bakersfield City School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 12 public middle schools serving 7,657 students in Bakersfield City School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 2/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in California.
Public Middle Schools in Bakersfield City School District have an average math proficiency score of 13% (versus the California public middle school average of 32%), and reading proficiency score of 28% (versus the 46% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 91% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the California public middle school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
45 Schools
3,459 Schools
# Students
28,365 Students
1,857,843 Students
# Teachers
1,386 Teachers
88,071 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
20:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Bakersfield City School District, which is ranked #1651 of all 1,903 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
Overall District Rank
#1614 out of 1932 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(Bottom 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
15%
34%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
27%
47%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
14%
29%
Chronically Absent Students
(2022-23)34.5%
27.7%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.30
0.64
% American Indian
1%
1%
% Asian
1%
11%
% Hispanic
83%
55%
% Black
7%
5%
% White
7%
22%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
1%
6%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $26,874 is higher than the state median of $26,022. The school district revenue/student has grown by 32% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $21,089 is less than the state median of $22,604. The school district spending/student has grown by 14% over four school years.
Total Revenue
$762 MM
$150,628 MM
Spending
$598 MM
$130,845 MM
Revenue / Student
$26,874
$26,022
Spending / Student
$21,089
$22,604
Best Bakersfield City School District Public Middle Schools (2026-27)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Downtown Elementary School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
2021 M St.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 631-5920
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 631-5920
Gr: K-8 | 317 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 66%
Rank: #22.
Paul L. Cato Middle School
(Math: 30% | Reading: 40%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
4115 Vineland Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5245
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5245
Gr: 6-8 | 694 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 81%
Rank: #33.
Chipman Junior High School
(Math: 21% | Reading: 35%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
2905 Eissler St.
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5210
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5210
Gr: 7-8 | 708 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 85%
Rank: #44.
Curran Middle School
(Math: 10% | Reading: 29%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
1116 Lymric Way
Bakersfield, CA 93309
(661) 631-5240
Bakersfield, CA 93309
(661) 631-5240
Gr: 6-8 | 973 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 95%
Rank: #55.
Abraham Lincoln Jr. High School
(Math: 7% | Reading: 31%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
800 Chico St.
Bakersfield, CA 93305
(661) 631-5950
Bakersfield, CA 93305
(661) 631-5950
Gr: 7-8 | 527 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 97%
Rank: #66.
Walter Stiern Middle School
(Math: 12% | Reading: 23%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
2551 Morning Dr.
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5480
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5480
Gr: 6-8 | 891 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 93%
Rank: #77.
Emerson Middle School
(Math: 10% | Reading: 22%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
801 Fourth St.
Bakersfield, CA 93304
(661) 631-5260
Bakersfield, CA 93304
(661) 631-5260
Gr: 6-8 | 813 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 94%
Rank: #88.
Compton Junior High School
(Math: 8% | Reading: 25%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
3211 Pico Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5230
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5230
Gr: 7-8 | 586 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 92%
Rank: #99.
Sequoia Jr. High School
(Math: 8% | Reading: 23%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
900 Belle Terr.
Bakersfield, CA 93304
(661) 631-5940
Bakersfield, CA 93304
(661) 631-5940
Gr: 7-8 | 746 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 97%
Rank: #1010.
Rafer Johnson
Alternative School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: ≤20%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
1001 Tenth St.
Bakersfield, CA 93304
(661) 631-5445
Bakersfield, CA 93304
(661) 631-5445
Gr: K-8 | 32 students Student-teacher ratio: 5:1 Minority enrollment: 97%
Rank: #1111.
Sierra Middle School
(Math: 6% | Reading: 21%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
3017 Center St.
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5470
Bakersfield, CA 93306
(661) 631-5470
Gr: 6-8 | 731 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 96%
Rank: #1212.
Washington Middle School
(Math: 4% | Reading: 18%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
1101 Noble Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93305
(661) 631-5810
Bakersfield, CA 93305
(661) 631-5810
Gr: 6-8 | 639 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 93%
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