Summary:
Fred L. Thompson Junior High is a public middle school located in Bakersfield, California, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 728 students. The school is part of the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, which is ranked 790 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Fred L. Thompson Junior High has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California middle schools, with a ranking between 1,722 and 2,293 out of around 2,700-2,800 schools over the past 10 years. It has maintained a 1-star or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger during this time. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly lower than the district and state averages. For instance, in 2023-2024, only 28.45% of students were proficient in ELA, compared to 46.16% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school also struggles to support various student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 25% of California middle schools for Hispanic, White, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.
When comparing Fred L. Thompson Junior High to other nearby schools in the same district, it is clear that the school is underperforming. For example, Earl Warren Junior High, which is only 3.96 miles away, consistently ranks in the top 20% of California middle schools and outperforms Fred L. Thompson Junior High across all subject areas. The high percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients, coupled with the school's low performance and high chronic absenteeism, suggest that socioeconomic factors and student engagement may be significant contributors to the school's challenges. Addressing the dramatic increase in chronic absenteeism, from 8.8% in 2018-2019 to 38.1% in 2022-2023, should be a priority for the school and district.
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Detail:
Public 7-8
District:
Panama-Buena Vista Union
SchoolDigger Rank:
2293rd of 2,777 California Middle Schools
Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,637
Students who attend Fred L. Thompson Junior High usually attend:
Feeder schools for Fred L. Thompson Junior High:
Student/teacher ratio: 17.7
Number of students: 728
Racial breakdown:
Hispanic:
70.3%
African American:
14.8%
White:
8.2%
more
Two or more races:
3.3%
Asian:
2.1%
Pacific Islander:
1.0%
American Indian:
0.3%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.1%
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