Original Research by School Decision on Centennial High
Centennial High is a mid-sized secondary school on the east side of Bakersfield, serving all four high school grades with a student body that is roughly evenly split between white and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, Black, and other groups. Close to half of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the school's position in a community where affordability is relative and economic need is substantial.
The school's academic performance shows uneven strength. In English language arts, proficiency sits at a solid level, suggesting students are meeting grade-level standards in reading and writing at rates in line with what many schools achieve. Mathematics and science are notably softer. Math proficiency is substantially lower, and science trails further still, indicating that these are areas where many students are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks. A parent may want to look into further with the school what support structures exist for students who struggle in these subjects, what the curriculum approach is, and what the trajectory looks like from year to year.
The school offers dual enrollment, a pathway that allows students to earn college credit while still in high school. This matters for families thinking about college readiness and cost; dual enrollment can shorten time to degree and reduce overall expense. The school website would have details on which courses qualify, entry requirements, and how broadly the program reaches across the student body.
Centennial sits in the Kern High School District, which recently adopted a semester-long ethnic studies course as part of a phased rollout leading to California's mandate that all high school graduates complete ethnic studies beginning with the class of 2030. The course was piloted during the school year just completed and will continue expanding. This is a district-wide curriculum change that affects every student's graduation pathway and has drawn local attention; families with strong views on curriculum content and social studies topics may want to review the course materials and ask the school how it fits into their broader humanities sequence.
Bakersfield itself is a rapidly growing mid-sized city shaped by agriculture, energy production, and health care, with a diverse population and relatively affordable housing compared to much of California. The city is car-dependent overall, though downtown offers some walkability and the Kern River Parkway provides a long ribbon of parks and trails on the city's eastern edge. Neighborhoods range widely, from upscale subdivisions to older historic districts, and new residential development is pushing northward and concentrating in downtown and southeast Bakersfield. The regional job market centers on health care, retail, and education, with higher-wage work in utilities and energy.
Housing in the school's zip code is modestly priced relative to the state average and remains more affordable than national benchmarks, though affordability has tightened somewhat. Rents are similarly moderate. The area is suited to families seeking lower housing costs without requiring a long commute to employment or services, though the region's car dependency means transportation is a real household expense.
Comparison data on graduation rates and chronic absenteeism was not available for this school, so a parent interested in those metrics should ask the school directly. The school's state testing results are reported only for the current year, making it impossible to assess whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining; multi-year trend data would help a family understand the school's academic direction.
See more original research from School Decision →