Kern High
Kern High is a public school district based in Bakersfield, California, serving 43,237 students in 25 schools. By enrollment it ranks #10 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 98% of them. Its schools average 1,729 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Michael Zulfa. It spends about $13,940 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 23.9 students per teacher.
How Kern High compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Kern High | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,940 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,661 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $707.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $740.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,811 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 7,009 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 23.9 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 318 | 474 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The California median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Michael Zulfa
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino City UnifiedSan Bernardino | 44,192 | 76 | $16,530 | 20.5 | #8 |
| Clovis UnifiedClovis | 43,669 | 51 | $12,375 | 22.2 | #9 |
| Kern HighBakersfield · this district | 43,237 | 25 | $13,940 | 23.9 | #10 |
| Capistrano UnifiedSan Juan Capistrano | 40,358 | 59 | $12,431 | 23.0 | #11 |
| San Juan UnifiedCarmichael | 39,446 | 68 | $12,961 | 22.6 | #12 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebo DistrictSpanish Fork, UT | 43,696 | $7,722 | 26.9 |
| Portland Public SchoolsPortland, OR | 43,357 | $16,049 | 16.0 |
| Henry CountyMcDonough, GA | 43,012 | $10,537 | 15.8 |
| Killeen ISDKilleen, TX | 42,883 | $9,775 | 15.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ca-kern-high