Kern County Districts: Kern High School District welcomed most students in 2023-24 school year

Kern High School District had the highest enrollment among Kern County school districts, welcoming 42,729 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the California Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 50.8% of them were boys, and 49.2% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were Hispanic or Latino, making up 71.8% of Kern High School District’s total enrollment.

Among the 47 districts in Kern County, Bakersfield City ranked second in enrollment numbers with 28,761 students, while Panama-Buena Vista Union School District welcomed 19,369 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Kern High School District roughly covers schools within Kern County and has a main office in Bakersfield.

In the previous school year, Maricopa Unified School District had the highest number of students among Kern County districts.

After peaking at 6.3 million in the early 2000s, public school enrollment in California has marked its seventh consecutive decline in the 2023-24 school year, with projections indicating it could fall to approximately 5.2 million by the 2033-34 school year. This trend is attributed to lower birth rates, slowed immigration, and families relocating out of state due to high housing costs. Rural and coastal districts have been particularly affected, facing tough decisions such as school closures and staffing reductions.

Although chronic absenteeism in California decreased in 2023, it remains double the pre-pandemic rate. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, chronic absenteeism in the state public schools reached 25% in 2023, up from 12% in 2019.