Panama-Buena Vista Union
Panama-Buena Vista Union is a public school district based in Bakersfield, California, serving 19,366 students in 25 schools. By enrollment it ranks #60 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 89% of them. Its schools average 775 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Katie Russell. It spends about $13,968 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 23.2 students per teacher.
How Panama-Buena Vista Union compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Panama-Buena Vista Union | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,968 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,998 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $295.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $303.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 836 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,892 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 23.2 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 1,761 | 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 →Katie Russell
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama-Buena Vista UnionBakersfield · this district | 19,366 | 25 | $13,968 | 23.2 | #60 |
| Redlands UnifiedRedlands | 19,310 | 25 | $13,906 | 21.9 | #61 |
| Montebello UnifiedMontebello | 19,195 | 29 | $17,377 | 20.2 | #62 |
| Val Verde UnifiedPerris | 19,080 | 23 | $13,995 | 21.8 | #63 |
| San Marcos UnifiedSan Marcos | 18,860 | 19 | $13,048 | 23.5 | #64 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Caney ISDNew Caney, TX | 19,420 | $11,168 | 15.2 |
| Wylie ISDWylie, TX | 19,401 | $11,634 | 15.3 |
| Tuscaloosa CountyTuscaloosa, AL | 19,278 | $10,066 | 17.2 |
| Dearborn City School DistrictDearborn, MI | 19,262 | $13,709 | 14.8 |
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-panama-buena-vista-union