How safe is the school, really?
Based on Niche’s student poll, 79% of the 61 Frontier students who answered feel safe at school, and California data republished by SchoolScope put the 2024–25 suspension rate at 4.2%, below the 7.8% of the average Kern High school; local news also reports a man with a gun arrested in the student parking lot in August 2022, an unloaded handgun found in a student’s backpack in December 2024, and a threat on the first day of school in August 2025 that was found not credible.
| Signal | What is reported | Who reports it |
|---|---|---|
| Students who say they feel safe at school | 79% (61 responses) | Niche student poll |
| Suspension rate, 2024–25 | 4.2% (90 of 2,161 students), against 7.8% at the average Kern High school and 3.2% at the average California high school | SchoolScope, from California data |
| Chronic absenteeism, 2024–25 | 12.6% (268 of 2,134), up from 10.0% the year before, against 19% at the average Kern High school and 22% at the average California high school | SchoolScope, from California data |
| August 2022 | A campus supervisor met a man carrying a gun in the student parking lot; a Kern High School District officer arrested him on Olive Drive, and the school was briefly locked down. The district said there was no sign he meant to enter the campus | Bakersfield Now |
| December 2024 | A parent alerted administrators to a possible threat; district police found an unloaded handgun in a student’s backpack and arrested the student, and extra officers were on campus as a precaution | Bakersfield Now |
| August 2025 | A threat on the first day of school was investigated by Bakersfield police and district police and found not credible | Bakersfield Now |
Niche’s review summaries mention that bullying is not always taken seriously, and ongoing vaping and drug use; Niche writes those summaries from student reviews, so treat them as impressions. We found no incident or discipline figures published by the school itself, so the front office is the reliable check on this year’s record.
How do students perform on state assessments in reading and math?
Based on California results republished by SchoolScope, 69% of Frontier’s grade 11 students met or exceeded the state standard in English in spring 2025, against 57% across California, and 33% did in mathematics, against 30%.
| Measure | Frontier | California |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 English, met or exceeded, 2025 (490 tested) | 69% (34% exceeded) | 57% (27% exceeded) |
| Grade 11 mathematics, met or exceeded, 2025 (490 tested) | 33% (15% exceeded) | 30% (14% exceeded) |
| Science test (CAST), schoolwide, 484 tested | 36% met or exceeded (8% exceeded, 28% met); 54% nearly met, 10% not met | Not shown |
| English, met or exceeded: 2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 | 65% · 57% · 71% · 71% | Not shown |
| Mathematics, met or exceeded: 2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 | 39% · 27% · 30% · 34% | Not shown |
| Low-income students, grade 11, 2025: English · mathematics | 67% · 30% | Not shown |
| Students with disabilities, grade 11, 2025: English · mathematics | 21% · 0% | Not shown |
English sits well above the state figure and mathematics close to it; mathematics is the subject every STEM field we review depends on. The school’s accountability report card is published as a file we could not read, so we have not matched these figures to it. SchoolScope is a third-party republisher of state data, which is why we mark this answer Inferred.
How qualified and stable are the teachers?
Based on California teacher-assignment data republished by whatschool.ai, 82.9% of Frontier’s 80.0 full-time-equivalent teachers held a clear credential in 2024, 4.8% taught outside their field and 2.7% held intern credentials; SchoolScope reports an average of 13 years of experience and 4% of teachers in their first year.
| Signal | What is reported | Who reports it |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching staff, full-time equivalent, 2024 | 80.0 | whatschool.ai, from the California Department of Education |
| Clear credential · out of field · intern · incomplete authorization, 2024 | 82.9% · 4.8% · 2.7% · 7.5% | whatschool.ai, from the California Department of Education |
| Average experience · teachers in their first year, 2024–25 | 13 years · 4% (162 teachers counted) | SchoolScope |
| Students per teacher | 26 to 1 (Niche) · 26.2 to 1 (whatschool.ai) | Niche; whatschool.ai |
| Counselors | 5.2 full-time equivalent, about one per 403 students (2021–22) | whatschool.ai, from federal civil-rights data |
| Teacher grade | B | Niche |
The two staff counts differ, 80.0 full-time-equivalent teachers against 162 teachers, and the ratio of 26 students to one teacher follows the smaller count, so the larger one probably counts other certificated staff. No source we found reports teacher turnover or how many teachers have left in the past three years, so stability is answered by experience alone. Asking the school for its retention figures is the reliable check.
What's the graduation rate, and how college-ready are graduates?
Based on California data republished by SchoolScope, 98.1% of Frontier’s 2024–25 cohort graduated in four years (506 of 516) and 67.6% were rated Prepared on the state’s College/Career Indicator, against 51.7% across California; 56.5% of the Class of 2023 enrolled in college within a year.
| Measure | What is reported | Who reports it |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation, 2024–25 | 98.1% (506 of 516) | SchoolScope; whatschool.ai gives the same figure |
| Dropout rate, 2025 | 0.8% | whatschool.ai, from the California Department of Education |
| College/Career Indicator, Prepared, 2024–25 | 67.6% (349 of 516), against 51.7% across California; 45.3% of the Prepared (158) through an AP pathway | SchoolScope |
| Completed the UC and CSU entry course requirements (A–G) | 59.9% | SchoolScope |
| Enrolled in the UC and CSU course sequence, 2025 | 96.6% | whatschool.ai, from the California Department of Education |
| Class of 2023 (478 completers), in college within a year | 56.5%: University of California 13, California State University 67, California community college 153, in-state private 7, out-of-state four-year 25, out-of-state two-year 5; 208 (43.5%) not enrolled | SchoolScope; whatschool.ai |
| Average SAT · ACT | 1190 (241 responses) · 26 (56 responses) | Niche, student-reported |
Graduation is near-universal; college-going is shorter: the largest group of the Class of 2023 went to a California community college, ahead of California State University and the University of California. The school publishes no list of where its graduates enrol, and the latest college-going figure is for the Class of 2023. Niche’s SAT and ACT averages come from few responses, so treat them as a rough guide.
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
Based on the school’s Project Lead The Way page, club directory and AP exam list, Frontier is developing in robotics and computer science, thin in cybersecurity and biotechnology, lacking in AI and clean energy, and absent in aerospace and battery storage. The overall score is 36/100, Weak.
| Field | Our grade | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Robotics | Developing · 3.0/5 | A four-course Project Lead The Way engineering pathway and the Titan Robotics club; no robotics course and no competition result |
| Computer Science | Developing · 3.0/5 | Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A and Cybersecurity, and a Software and Systems Development career pathway; no AP computer science exam listed |
| Cybersecurity | Weak · 2.0/5 | One Grade 12 course; no club, competition or certification record |
| Biotechnology | Weak · 2.0/5 | Agricultural Biology and Agricultural Veterinary Science; no biotechnology course |
| Earth & Geospatial | Weak · 2.0/5 | Agricultural Earth Science and AP Environmental Science; no geospatial course |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Weak · 2.0/5 | Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics and a college electronics course; no manufacturing course |
| AI & Data | Weak · 1.0/5 | Programming in the computer science courses; no AI or data-science course, and AP Statistics is not listed |
| Clean Energy | Weak · 1.0/5 | AP Environmental Science only |
| Aerospace | Weak · 0.0/5 | No coursework, club or record |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Weak · 0.0/5 | No coursework, club or record |
No field reaches the Excellent band. The grades rest on the school’s own pathway pages, because its course guide, bell schedule and accountability report are published as files we could not read, so a course missing from the pages we read may exist. Evidence confidence is lowest for aerospace (35) and highest for computer science (70).
Do students get access to advanced coursework, specialist electives and serious competitions?
Based on the school’s testing and Project Lead The Way pages, Frontier lists eleven Advanced Placement exams for May 2027, a four-course engineering pathway and a three-course computer science pathway; Bakersfield College lists nine dual-enrollment courses for the school, and the Academic Decathlon team won the Kern County title in February 2025.
- Advanced Placement: U.S. Government and Politics, English Literature, World History, U.S. History, Macroeconomics, Calculus AB, English Language, Spanish Language, Environmental Science, Psychology and Art: Drawing. Calculus AB and Environmental Science are the only mathematics and science exams on the list.
- Upper-level engineering and computing: Digital Electronics (Grade 11) and Civil Engineering & Architecture (Grade 12) in the engineering pathway, and Computer Science A (Grade 11) and Cybersecurity (Grade 12) in the computer science pathway.
- College credit: Bakersfield College lists nine dual-enrollment courses for Frontier: Career and Life Planning, General Psychology, Biological Psychology, Leadership in Agriculture, Introduction to Animal Science, Digital Photography, Basic Electronics (DC), Types of Literature and Beginning Floral Design.
- Competitions: the Academic Decathlon team received the Claude W. Richardson perpetual trophy as overall winner of the 44th Kern County Academic Decathlon on 1 February 2025, with 115 students from 13 schools competing, and represented the county at the state finals.
Exam fees are published by the school: $99 on time, or $20 for low-income students, with a $40 deposit due 23 October 2026 for the regular fee. We found no science, engineering or computing competition result, no AP exam scores published by the school, and no AP exam in computer science, biology, chemistry, physics or statistics. The course guide could not be read, so electives that are not on these pages may exist.
How strong is it in robotics, engineering and hands-on problem solving?
Based on the school’s Project Lead The Way page and club directory, Frontier’s robotics and engineering rest on Titan Robotics, a club for Grades 9–12, beside a four-course engineering pathway from Introduction to Engineering Design to Civil Engineering & Architecture; we found no robotics competition result, and we grade robotics Developing, at 3.0 out of 5.
| Course or group | Grade | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Titan Robotics | 9–12 | A club in the school’s directory (“We build BOTS!”, Room 1012), with a 2026–27 interest form |
| Introduction to Engineering Design | 9 | Project Lead The Way; students work through the engineering design process, applying math, science and engineering standards |
| Principles of Engineering | 10 | Project Lead The Way; a survey of engineering topics, including mechanisms |
| Digital Electronics | 11 | Project Lead The Way; a foundation for electrical engineering, electronics and circuit design |
| Civil Engineering & Architecture | 12 | Project Lead The Way; the pathway’s final course |
The school says three of its pathways, agriculture, engineering and Titan Robotics, require an application or interest form, so places are not guaranteed to every student. The only competition trace we found is a 2019 VEX robotics event at the Kern County Fairgrounds, where Frontier students took part and no results were reported; we found no FIRST, VEX or other robotics record from 2023 to 2026, which is why we stop at 3.0, and no robotics course.
How strong is this school in AI, data science and computer science compared with other schools?
Based on the school’s Project Lead The Way page, Frontier teaches computer science as a three-course sequence, Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A and Cybersecurity, and lists no AI, machine-learning or data-science course; we grade computer science Developing (3.0 out of 5) and AI and data Weak (1.0).
| Course | Grade | Field |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science Principles | 10 | Computer science; also in the Software and Systems Development career pathway |
| Computer Science A | 11 | Computer science |
| Cybersecurity | 12 | Cybersecurity, graded separately |
| Web Design; Advanced Web Design; Computer Graphics | Not stated | Computer science, in the Software and Systems Development career pathway |
No artificial-intelligence, machine-learning or data-science course appears on the pages we could read, and neither AP Statistics nor an AP computer science exam is on the school’s May 2027 list. We found no computing club or competition. The Quest Center has two computer labs and Chromebooks, with tutoring on set afternoons. The course guide could not be read, so a course missing from these pages may exist.
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for Frontier — not what the brochure claims.
36/100 — Weak overall. Frontier’s strongest provision is structured: a four-course Project Lead The Way engineering pathway, from Introduction to Engineering Design through Principles of Engineering and Digital Electronics to Civil Engineering & Architecture, with Titan Robotics beside it, and a computer science pathway that runs from Computer Science Principles through Computer Science A to Cybersecurity.
But: aerospace and battery storage are absent, and AI and clean energy are lacking.
Best positioned forNone
Underdeveloped inAerospace, Batteries, AI & Data
Future-critical exposure2/15 domains
Very strong
- None
Strong
- None
Limited
- Robotics
- Computer Science
Little / no pathway
- Cybersecurity
- Biotechnology
- Earth & Geospatial
- Advanced Manufacturing
- AI & Data
- Clean Energy
- Aerospace
- Batteries
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No list reaching sixty-six clubs was found.
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No AP exam in computer science, biology, chemistry, physics or statistics is listed.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
No engineering, robotics or computing award was found.
Evidence seen
- Programming in Computer Science Principles and Computer Science A, the groundwork that data work builds on
What's missing
- No artificial-intelligence, machine-learning or data-science course in the pages that could be read
- AP Statistics is not among the eleven exams the school lists for May 2027
- No data or AI club, competition or project found
Curriculum
- Cybersecurity, a Project Lead The Way course in Grade 12 that introduces the tools and concepts of cybersecurity and encourages students to create solutions
Evidence seen
- It follows Computer Science Principles (Grade 10) and Computer Science A (Grade 11) in the same pathway
What's missing
- One course, with nothing after it
- No cybersecurity club, CyberPatriot entry or industry-certification record found
Curriculum
- Project Lead The Way engineering, one course a year: Introduction to Engineering Design (Grade 9), Principles of Engineering (Grade 10), Digital Electronics (Grade 11) and Civil Engineering & Architecture (Grade 12)
- Entry to the engineering pathway is by application
Evidence seen
- Titan Robotics, a club for Grades 9–12 with an interest form for 2026–27, listed in the school’s club directory with Mr. Bashor, Room 1012, as the contact
- A second route into the field: Bakersfield College Basic Electronics (DC), listed as a dual-enrollment course for Frontier
What's missing
- No robotics course: Titan Robotics is a club
- No robotics competition result from 2023 to 2026 found; the only trace is a 2019 VEX event at the Kern County Fairgrounds, with no result reported
- Access to the engineering pathway depends on an application
Curriculum
- AP Environmental Science, one of eleven exams on the school’s May 2027 AP list
What's missing
- No energy or climate-technology course, laboratory or project found
- No clean-energy club or competition record found
Curriculum
- Agricultural Biology and Agricultural Veterinary Science, courses in the Agricultural Science, Agricultural Business and Animal Science career pathways
Evidence seen
- Bakersfield College Introduction to Animal Science, listed as a dual-enrollment course for Frontier
What's missing
- No biotechnology, genetics or laboratory-technique course found; the agriculture courses are the nearest provision
- No biotechnology club or competition record found
Curriculum
- Project Lead The Way computer science: Computer Science Principles (Grade 10), Computer Science A (Grade 11) and Cybersecurity (Grade 12)
- The Software and Systems Development career pathway: Computer Science Principles, Web Design, Advanced Web Design and Computer Graphics
Evidence seen
- Two computer labs and Chromebooks in the Quest Center, with tutoring on set afternoons
What's missing
- AP Computer Science is not among the eleven exams the school lists for May 2027
- No computing competition, hackathon or club found
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing these. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- Entry to the engineering pathway is by application, as are agriculture and Titan Robotics, so these are not open to every student. Ask how many places each has, how applications are decided, and what a student who is not placed takes instead.
- Computer science rests on Project Lead The Way courses, and AP Computer Science is not on the school’s May 2027 exam list. Cybersecurity is one Grade 12 course with nothing after it, and no AI or data-science course was found. Ask whether Computer Science A prepares students for the AP exam and whether they sit it.
- Aerospace and battery storage have no course, club or output record at all — treat them as absent, not just thin. Clean energy reaches exposure only, through AP Environmental Science, and biotechnology rests on agriculture courses rather than a biotechnology course.
- Robotics is a club, not a course. The only competition trace found is a 2019 VEX event at the Kern County Fairgrounds, with no result reported. Ask what Titan Robotics enters, what it costs a family, and how the engineering courses feed it.
- In Grade 11, 33% met or exceeded the state mathematics standard in 2025 against 30% across California, and the school lists one AP mathematics exam and one AP science exam. Mathematics is the backbone of every field above. Ask about section sizes in mathematics and science, and what support runs beyond the Quest Center tutoring.
- The 2026–27 course guide, bell schedule and attendance calendar are published only as files that could not be read for this review, so course names rest on the school’s pathway pages and the district’s career-pathway list. Ask for the guide and the bell schedule, and which of the listed STEM courses are running this year.
- The path dots show how far each field reaches across Grades 9–12; the grade in which each course is taken follows the school’s Project Lead The Way page.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data | Verified | School Project Lead The Way page (Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A); school testing page (AP exam list, no AP Statistics); no AI, machine-learning or data-science course, club or competition found |
| Cybersecurity | Verified | School Project Lead The Way page (Cybersecurity, Grade 12); no club, competition or certification record found |
| Robotics | Verified · School-reported | School Project Lead The Way page and Kern High School District career-pathway page (Engineering Design); club directory (Titan Robotics); no competition record from 2023 to 2026 |
| Clean Energy | Verified | School testing page (AP Environmental Science); no energy course, club or project found |
| Biotechnology | Verified | Kern High School District career-pathway page (Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Veterinary Science); Bakersfield College dual-enrollment list (Introduction to Animal Science); no biotechnology course found |
| Computer Science | Verified | School Project Lead The Way page; Kern High School District career-pathway page (Software and Systems Development); school testing page (no AP Computer Science) |
| Earth & Geospatial | Verified | Kern High School District career-pathway page (Agricultural Earth Science); school testing page (AP Environmental Science); no geospatial course found |
| Aerospace | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, club or competition record found |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Verified · School-reported | School Project Lead The Way page (Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics); Bakersfield College dual-enrollment list (Basic Electronics, DC); school career-center page (Regional Occupational Center programs); no manufacturing course found |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, club or competition record found |
Academics
We feature both traditional and innovative course offerings that emphasize rigor and excellence.
We are proud to offer a wide variety of pathway programs for students to explore. Three of our pathway opportunities require an application or interest form: Agriculture, Engineering (Project Lead The Way) and Titan Robotics. Below are the programs we run and the Advanced Placement exams we offer in May 2027.
High School
Our comprehensive school program is highlighted by a locally, state and nationally recognized agriculture program, an outstanding career technical education program, and an award winning visual and performing arts program.
- Eleven Advanced Placement exams in May 2027; registration and the deposit are due by October 23, 2026
- Our students are able to take classes at a college while in high school once approved by our administration
- The Quest Center is a state-of-the-art facility for students, staff, and our community, with two computer labs, Chromebooks and tutoring
- Counselors by last name: Conley (A–CE), Renuk (CH–F), Batey (G–J), Pattison (K–MO), Pascual (MS–R) and Lewis (S–Z)
Project Lead The Way
We offer two Project Lead The Way pathways, Engineering and Computer Science.
- Engineering: Introduction to Engineering Design in Grade 9, Principles of Engineering in Grade 10, Digital Electronics in Grade 11 and Civil Engineering & Architecture in Grade 12
- Computer Science: Computer Science Principles in Grade 10, Computer Science A in Grade 11 and Cybersecurity in Grade 12
- In Computer Science A, students collaborate to create original solutions to problems of their own choosing
- Incoming freshmen interested in the Engineering Pathway apply through a form
Career Technical Education
We offer career technical education pathways through the Kern High School District.
- Agricultural Science: Agricultural Earth Science, Floral Design 1, Agricultural Biology, Floral Design 2, Agricultural Entrepreneurship, and Agricultural Government and Agricultural Economics
- Agricultural Business: Agricultural Earth Science, Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Communications, Agricultural Entrepreneurship, and Agricultural Government and Agricultural Economics
- Animal Science: Agricultural Earth Science, Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Communications, Agricultural Veterinary Science, and Agricultural Government and Agricultural Economics
- Architectural Design: Photography 1 and 2
- Production and Managerial Arts: Video Production, Feature Filmmaking and Advanced Feature Filmmaking
- Engineering Design: Introduction to Design, Principles of Engineering and Digital Electronics
- Software and Systems Development: Computer Science Principles, Web Design, Advanced Web Design and Computer Graphics
- Juniors and seniors may qualify for Regional Occupational Center programs at no cost, with free transportation
Activities
More than sixty-six clubs and student organizations provide opportunities for service and deepening interests for students.
- Our Titan students consistently earn awards in the areas of band, drum line, choir, FFA, art, photography, film, Academic Decathlon, Forensics, and athletics
- We now have over 500 FFA members/students enrolled in the Agriculture Program Pathway here at Frontier High School
- Titan Robotics: we build BOTS!
- Our Math Honor Society students look to foster a community that celebrates excellence in Mathematics, promotes peer tutoring and service and encourages curiosity and growth in mathematical learning
AP exams offered, May 2027
Ask about academics
Calendar
Our staff members take great pride in challenging students to exceed expectations in citizenship, academics, athletics, and in the arts.
The dates below are the ones still ahead on our events calendar and our 2026–27 testing page. Our full attendance calendar is a separate file, so ask below if you need us to confirm a date before you plan around it.
October
February
May
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
As a result of parent, community, staff and student collaborations, “Titan Pride” has become more than just a catchphrase; it is a way of life at Frontier High School.
We are a relatively new school, rich in traditions of excellence in academics, while offering highly competitive and successful athletic and co-curricular programs to students. We opened in August 2006 as a Grade 9–12 school of the Kern High School District. Below are the administrators who lead us.
Leadership
Vicky Thompson
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
Jennifer Maddern
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
Nick Onaindia
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
Deanne Murphy
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
Mathew Bradbury
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
Mike Gibson
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
Lanette Cornford
Through the main office: (661) 829-1107.
The fundamental belief that great achievements are possible through hard work and improvement is an idea that is represented by the mantra of Titan Quest, and it permeates throughout our school and community · We are the Frontier Titans.
Ask about our story
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