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Independence High

Q: Is Independence High a good school?

Independence High ranks 751 st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

751^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 65% of California high schools

Summary

Independence High is a public high school in Bakersfield, California, serving 2,334 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Kern High District, which is ranked 984 out of 1,543 districts in the state.

Independence High consistently outperforms the Kern High District and the state of California in academic assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, 66.44% of 11th-grade students at Independence High were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 50.9% for the district and 56.96% for the state. The school also excels in Science, with 38.25% of 11th-grade students and 37.24% of all students proficient or better. Additionally, Independence High maintains a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 84.7% to 92.7%, and a lower dropout rate than nearby schools and the state average.

However, the school faces some challenges, including higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to nearby schools like Vista Continuation High and Vista West Continuation High. The school also has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, which may contribute to the higher absenteeism rates and the need for additional support and resources. Overall, Independence High appears to be a relatively strong-performing school within the Kern High District, with a focus on academic achievement, but there are areas for improvement, such as addressing chronic absenteeism and supporting all student subgroups.

2,324

Students ?

26.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,995

Per pupil spending ?

74.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8001 Old River Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93311-9752

(661) 834-8001

District: Kern High

Feeder schools for Independence High:

Elementary:	Bill L. Williams Elementary
	Buena Vista Elementary
	Donald E. Suburu
	Lakeside
	More...
	Sing Lum Elementary
Middle:	Earl Warren Junior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.5%

White:

13.6%

African American:

8.0%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Independence High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2013 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Kern High

✓Above the California median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 19 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg31%

California avg41%

751^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 35%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 25High Schools in the Kern High

984^th of 1,543Kern High among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.4	751 of 2162	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.1	813 of 2159	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	784 of 2170	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.7	658 of 2123	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.5	1090 of 2133	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.0	885 of 2017	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.1	816 of 2021	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.8	487 of 2039	76.1%	★★★★☆
2015	70.9	529 of 1994	73.5%	★★★★☆
2013	55.2	651 of 2426	73.2%	★★★★☆
2012	57.3	610 of 2354	74.1%	★★★★☆
2011	59.7	526 of 2367	77.8%	★★★★☆
2010	55.9	597 of 2281	73.8%	★★★★☆
2009	81.6	90 of 2238	96.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.8	118 of 523	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	36.8	306 of 517	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	277 of 521	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.2	173 of 522	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.3	134 of 592	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	33.9	377 of 582	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	350 of 585	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.7	434 of 573	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	470 of 591	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.3	326 of 581	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	10.7	526 of 582	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	497 of 581	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.4	490 of 1161	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.1	790 of 1117	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	714 of 1052	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	87.9	52 of 1085	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	51.0	330 of 1064	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	84.0	49 of 1044	95.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	688 of 1906	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	692 of 1915	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.7	726 of 1915	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	579 of 1858	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.0	755 of 1833	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	918 of 1760	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.6	565 of 1900	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.9	596 of 1902	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.0	531 of 1917	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.3	405 of 1861	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	62.3	586 of 1814	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.7	694 of 1742	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.6	606 of 2013	69.9%	★★★★☆
2024	59.7	721 of 2026	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.4	621 of 2030	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.1	398 of 1943	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	58.5	717 of 1937	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	792 of 1862	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	60.9	703 of 1942	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	808 of 1948	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.9	737 of 1963	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	672 of 1916	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.8	1007 of 1880	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.9	783 of 1834	57.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.6	392 of 577	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	396 of 515	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.3	243 of 422	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.5	110 of 366	69.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	322 of 1252	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.5	481 of 1216	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.4	311 of 1197	74.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	629 of 1155	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.6	480 of 1173	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	714 of 1193	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.6	684 of 1204	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.6	751 of 1222	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.8	780 of 1173	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)95th percentile+33 vs school

African American (2025)77th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2025)74th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)70th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)64th percentile~ school

Male (2025)64th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)58th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)46th percentile-20 vs school

Asian (2025)40th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)32nd percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+18 vs state

Science37%+5 vs state

Mathematics19%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)		CSA Spanish Listening (2025)		CSA Spanish Writing (2025)		CSA Spanish Reading (2025)		CSA Spanish Speaking (2025)	CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CSA Spanish Speaking 11th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independence High	Public	9-12	8001 Old River Rd.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 834-8001	2,324	89	26.0	74.7%	315 (13.6%)	187 (8.0%)	1,499 (64.5%)	184 (7.9%)	11 (0.5%)	11 (0.5%)	116 (5.0%)	62.4	751^st of 2162 public high schools	65.3%		58.1	813^th of 2159 public high schools	62.3%	62											38.3	5.6	37.2	66.4	66.4	18.7	18.7	$17,995	$1,765	$16,230
Ridgeview High	Public	9-12	8501 Stine Rd.	Bakersfield	93313	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 398-3100	2,575	96	26.9	71.8%	179 (7.0%)	122 (4.7%)	1,831 (71.1%)	207 (8.0%)	2 (0.1%)	12 (0.5%)	221 (8.6%)	49.3	1055^th of 2162 public high schools	51.2%		57	833^rd of 2159 public high schools	61.4%	222											23.1	25.1	24.0	53.0	53.0	16.6	16.6	$16,357	$1,854	$14,503
Stockdale High	Public	9-12	2800 Buena Vista Rd.	Bakersfield	93311	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 665-2800	2,398	87	27.5	44.3%	477 (19.9%)	129 (5.4%)	1,110 (46.3%)	417 (17.4%)	7 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	256 (10.7%)	83.9	335^th of 2162 public high schools	84.5%		77.1	455^th of 2159 public high schools	78.9%	120											47.7		47.7	74.6	74.6	40.3	40.3	$15,299	$1,254	$14,045
Kern Workforce 2000 Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	5801 Sundale Ave.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Kern High	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 827-3158	491	54	9.0	89.0%	22 (4.5%)	32 (6.5%)	429 (87.4%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10	2020^th of 2162 public high schools	6.6%		11.3	1983^rd of 2159 public high schools	8.2%	37											3.9	11.1	5.2	9.1	9.1	0.4	0.4	$17,872	$1,012	$16,860
West High	Public	9-12	1200 New Stine Rd.	Bakersfield	93309	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 832-2822	2,159	79	27.4	91.1%	147 (6.8%)	220 (10.2%)	1,627 (75.4%)	29 (1.3%)	15 (0.7%)	3 (0.1%)	115 (5.3%)	41.1	1236^th of 2162 public high schools	42.8%		33.2	1421^st of 2159 public high schools	34.2%	185										18.5			18.4	53.6	53.6	12.9	12.9	$18,039	$2,144	$15,895
Golden Valley High	Public	9-12	801 Hosking Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 827-0800	2,228	96	23.2	90.8%	62 (2.8%)	99 (4.4%)	1,968 (88.3%)	48 (2.2%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (2.1%)	47.9	1074^th of 2162 public high schools	50.3%		57	836^th of 2159 public high schools	61.3%	238	21.3	21.3	26.2	26.2	14.8	14.8	9.8	9.8	75.4		20.9	0.0	20.1	56.0	56.0	21.1	21.1	$17,078	$1,708	$15,370
Liberty High	Public	9-12	925 Jewetta Ave.	Bakersfield	93312	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 587-0925	2,369	89	26.7	43.1%	855 (36.1%)	72 (3.0%)	1,057 (44.6%)	127 (5.4%)	11 (0.5%)	3 (0.1%)	242 (10.2%)	68.7	623^rd of 2162 public high schools	71.2%		68.9	581^st of 2159 public high schools	73.1%	42											30.0		30.0	63.3	63.3	38.5	38.5	$16,746	$1,358	$15,388
South High	Public	9-12	1101 Planz Rd.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 831-3680	2,107	87	24.3	96.8%	86 (4.1%)	169 (8.0%)	1,769 (84.0%)	19 (0.9%)	9 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (2.5%)	46.3	1109^th of 2162 public high schools	48.7%		49.1	1023^rd of 2159 public high schools	52.6%	86											18.8	45.8	23.5	53.6	53.6	16.7	16.7	$18,036	$2,111	$15,925
Vista West Continuation High	Public	9-12	7115 Rosedale Hwy.	Bakersfield	93308	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 589-4242	375	26	14.2	89.3%	135 (36.0%)	34 (9.1%)	187 (49.9%)	5 (1.3%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	6 (1.6%)	11.5	1942^nd of 2162 public high schools	10.2%		10.9	2009^th of 2159 public high schools	6.9%	67											5.7		5.2	11.8	11.8	3.5	3.5	$25,696	$2,586	$23,110
Del Oro High	Public	9-12	1750 East Panama Ln.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 366-1750	1,927	77	25.1	96.3%	35 (1.8%)	97 (5.0%)	1,750 (90.8%)	12 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (1.6%)	26	1569^th of 2162 public high schools	27.4%		30.7	1474^th of 2159 public high schools	31.7%	95											13.8	2.9	13.0	38.3	38.3	7.6	7.6	$18,193	$2,002	$16,191

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence High

Is Independence High a good school?

Independence High ranks 751^st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Independence High?

Students at Independence High are 65% Hispanic, 14% White, 8% African American, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Independence High?

Independence High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bill L. Williams Elementary
Elementary : Buena Vista Elementary
Elementary : Donald E. Suburu
Elementary : Lakeside
Elementary : Sing Lum Elementary
Middle : Earl Warren Junior High

What district is Independence High in?

Kern High

How many students attend Independence High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,324 students attended Independence High.

Rate Independence High!

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Schools in Bakersfield, CA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.