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South High

Q: Is South High a good school?

South High ranks 1109 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1109^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 49% of California high schools

Summary

South High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 to approximately 2,100 students in Bakersfield, California, as part of the Kern High district.

The school has notable strengths, including a graduation rate above 90% that outpaces both the district and state, and particularly strong performance in English Language Arts. It also shows effective support for English Language Learner students. However, a critical challenge is its very low mathematics proficiency, which is less than half the state average. While the school's overall statewide ranking is near the middle, it performs better than several nearby schools like Mira Monte High, Del Oro High, and Kern Workforce 2000 Academy.

Compared to similar local schools such as Ridgeview High and Golden Valley High, South High is competitive, often leading in graduation rates. The school operates with moderate per-student spending and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate than its peers. A key takeaway is the school's ability to successfully guide students to graduation despite significant academic hurdles in specific subjects, suggesting robust support systems that could be focused on improving areas like math.

2,107

Students ?

24.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,036

Per pupil spending ?

96.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 Planz Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93304-6150

(661) 831-3680

District: Kern High

Feeder schools for South High:

Elementary:	Frank West Elementary
	Planz Elementary
	Prosperity Elementary
	Raffaello Palla Elementary
Middle:	Greenfield Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.0%

African American:

8.0%

White:

4.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 35th percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 49th (2025) from a 35th-percentile low (2015)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 21 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg31%

California avg41%

1,109^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^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	46.3	1109 of 2162	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	1023 of 2159	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	957 of 2170	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.2	1300 of 2123	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.8	1268 of 2133	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	1000 of 2017	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.6	846 of 2021	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.4	819 of 2039	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	33.6	1292 of 1994	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.6	1065 of 2426	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	39.7	1063 of 2354	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	41.2	1022 of 2367	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	38.7	1043 of 2281	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	34.0	1226 of 2238	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	33.2	1090 of 2117	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.7	997 of 2063	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	35.3	975 of 1968	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	36.3	893 of 1901	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	33.2	857 of 1653	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	446 of 523	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.9	271 of 517	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.8	368 of 521	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	367 of 522	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.0	311 of 592	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.7	361 of 582	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	3.8	564 of 582	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.6	988 of 1161	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	807 of 1117	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.7	539 of 1052	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.2	205 of 1085	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	53.2	294 of 1064	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	42.0	478 of 1044	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.4	553 of 941	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	634 of 938	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	1118 of 1906	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	1034 of 1915	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	899 of 1915	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.2	1246 of 1858	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.5	1199 of 1833	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.8	878 of 1760	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	763 of 1900	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	697 of 1902	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	553 of 1917	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	44.6	967 of 1861	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.5	920 of 1814	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.1	600 of 1742	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.6	912 of 2013	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	828 of 2026	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.4	689 of 2030	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.3	1059 of 1943	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.5	998 of 1937	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.0	696 of 1862	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.4	973 of 1942	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	893 of 1948	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	899 of 1963	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.3	1164 of 1916	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	1140 of 1880	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	1044 of 1834	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.4	65 of 85	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	87.6	7 of 85	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	57.2	31 of 74	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	936 of 1252	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	596 of 1216	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.2	748 of 1197	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	839 of 1155	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.7	645 of 1173	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.5	958 of 1193	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	939 of 1204	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	988 of 1222	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	929 of 1173	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)81st percentile+28 vs school

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)50th percentile~ school

Female (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)27th percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2025)25th percentile-23 vs school

Migrant (2025)24th percentile-25 vs school

Disabled (2022)15th percentile-24 vs school

African American (2025)15th percentile-34 vs school

Asian (2019)3rd percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy54%+5 vs state

Science24%-9 vs state

Mathematics17%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near South 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
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 Continuation High	Public	9-12	200 P St.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 327-8561	221	15	14.6	93.7%	11 (5.0%)	20 (9.0%)	183 (82.8%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	9.6	2038^th of 2162 public high schools	5.7%		12.5	1914^th of 2159 public high schools	11.3%	124											1.1		1.1	13.2	13.2	0.9	0.9	$30,241	$2,065	$28,176
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
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
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
Bakersfield High	Public	9-12	1241 G St.	Bakersfield	93301	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 324-9841	3,069	120	25.6	81.5%	349 (11.4%)	335 (10.9%)	2,216 (72.2%)	39 (1.3%)	24 (0.8%)	7 (0.2%)	97 (3.2%)	39.4	1276^th of 2162 public high schools	41.0%		33.6	1405^th of 2159 public high schools	34.9%	129											23.5		23.5	42.4	42.4	16.9	16.9	$17,416	$2,050	$15,366
Kern High Regional Occupational Center	Public	9-12	501 South Mt. Vernon Ave.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Kern High Regional Occupational Center	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(661) 831-3327	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Tierra Del Sol Continuation High	Public	9-12	3700 East Belle Terrace	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Kern High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 832-3700	241	17	14.5	98.3%	18 (7.5%)	23 (9.5%)	196 (81.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9.4	2043^rd of 2162 public high schools	5.5%		11.3	1986^th of 2159 public high schools	8.0%	57												0.0	0.0	3.3	3.3	2.3	2.3	$27,718	$2,638	$25,080
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

Frequently Asked Questions about South High

What schools feed into South High?

South High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Frank West Elementary
Elementary : Planz Elementary
Elementary : Prosperity Elementary
Elementary : Raffaello Palla Elementary
Middle : Greenfield Middle

How many students attend South High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,107 students attended South High.

What is the racial makeup of South High?

Students at South High are 84% Hispanic, 8% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

What district is South High in?

Kern High

Is South High a good school?

South High ranks 1109^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate South High!

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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.