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Kern Valley High

Q: Is Kern Valley High a good school?

Kern Valley High ranks 1474 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1474^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 32% of California high schools

Summary

Kern Valley High is a public high school serving grades 9-12 for about 516 students in the rural community of Lake Isabella, California, and is part of the larger Kern High school district.

The school faces significant academic challenges, with student proficiency in core subjects like math and science consistently well below state averages, despite spending more per student than the typical California school. Performance has been volatile, with graduation and dropout rates fluctuating sharply from year to year, and a chronic absenteeism rate that is much higher than both the district and state, which likely impacts learning. There are no other high schools within a 20-mile radius for direct local comparison, but the broader Kern High district itself performs below state averages.

Key areas for improvement include addressing the high rate of students missing school, providing more consistent and effective support for all student groups, and implementing stable, evidence-based instruction, particularly in mathematics where proficiency is critically low. The school's long-term trend shows a general decline in its statewide ranking over the past decade, indicating a need for systemic changes to better support student achievement.

516

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,792

Per pupil spending ?

76.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3340 Erskine Creek Rd.
Lake Isabella, CA 93240-9609

(760) 379-2611

District: Kern High

Feeder schools for Kern Valley High:

Elementary:	Kernville Elementary
	South Fork Elementary
	Woodrow W. Wallace Elementary
Middle:	Woodrow Wallace Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.8%

Hispanic:

21.5%

Two or more races:

13.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2013 → 32nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Dropout rate above the California average (12% vs 8%)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg31%

California avg41%

1,474^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^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	30.8	1474 of 2162	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	1351 of 2159	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	1574 of 2170	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.1	1230 of 2123	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.5	1347 of 2133	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	1338 of 2017	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.8	1214 of 2021	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.0	1105 of 2039	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.8	920 of 1994	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	45.3	920 of 2426	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	40.1	1049 of 2354	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.5	788 of 2367	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.9	736 of 2281	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	50.6	728 of 2238	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.8	554 of 2117	73.8%	★★★★☆
2007	59.7	464 of 2063	77.5%	★★★★☆
2006	62.5	416 of 1968	78.9%	★★★★☆
2005	61.1	392 of 1901	79.4%	★★★★☆
2004	46.6	564 of 1653	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	40.3	549 of 1117	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.9	683 of 1052	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	1391 of 1906	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.4	1239 of 1915	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.4	1548 of 1915	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.4	1040 of 1858	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.2	1308 of 1833	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	1258 of 1760	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.3	1138 of 1900	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	1310 of 1902	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.4	1473 of 1917	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.8	1025 of 1861	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.5	527 of 1814	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	65.8	570 of 1742	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	1417 of 2013	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.0	1174 of 2026	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.0	1529 of 2030	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.6	1210 of 1943	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	1200 of 1937	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	1242 of 1862	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	1328 of 1942	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	1253 of 1948	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.8	1271 of 1963	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.0	1251 of 1916	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.5	1188 of 1880	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.9	1255 of 1834	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.8	983 of 1252	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	59.1	344 of 1216	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	18.2	1191 of 1197	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	1051 of 1155	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	983 of 1173	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	1078 of 1193	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	988 of 1204	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	1059 of 1222	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	1042 of 1173	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2019)51st percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)40th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile~ school

Female (2025)27th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)21st percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)9th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Science23%-10 vs state

Mathematics12%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kern Valley High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	CAST Science 11th 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
Kern Valley High	Public	9-12	3340 Erskine Creek Rd.	Lake Isabella	93240	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 379-2611	516	30	17.2	76.9%	319 (61.8%)	4 (0.8%)	111 (21.5%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (13.4%)	30.8	1474^th of 2162 public high schools	31.8%		35.6	1351^st of 2159 public high schools	37.4%	123	23.9	22.8	29.6	29.6	12.3	12.3	$27,792	$3,004	$24,788

Frequently Asked Questions about Kern Valley High

How many students attend Kern Valley High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 516 students attended Kern Valley High.

What district is Kern Valley High in?

Kern High

What is the racial makeup of Kern Valley High?

Students at Kern Valley High are 62% White, 22% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What schools feed into Kern Valley High?

Kern Valley High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Kernville Elementary
Elementary : South Fork Elementary
Elementary : Woodrow W. Wallace Elementary
Middle : Woodrow Wallace Middle

Is Kern Valley High a good school?

Kern Valley High ranks 1474^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Kern Valley High!

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Schools in Lake Isabella, 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.