Stella Hills Elementary School earned a Golden Bell Award for its innovative attendance program, which raised daily attendance from 88% to 94% and reduced chronic absenteeism from 72% to 17% through student incentives, family support, and strong relationships with students and their families.
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Pledge Across Kern returns for a third year, giving Kern County classrooms the chance to share their voices on KUZZ 107.9 FM. Teachers are invited to record their students reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for a chance to be featured on the station’s popular morning show.
Edison Elementary School District earned a 2026 Golden Bell Award for its personalized, collaborative approach to reducing barriers to attendance, increasing average daily attendance from below 90% to 96.42% and cutting chronic absenteeism from roughly 40% to 8.89% through family support, student incentives, and schoolwide teamwork.
Kern County students continue to make gains in English language arts and mathematics, while graduation rates exceed statewide averages and chronic absenteeism remains below the state rate, according to newly released 2025–26 education data.
KCSOS celebrated 16 aspiring early childhood educators at its inaugural ECE Pathway Excellence Awards, recognizing their resilience, academic and professional achievements, and the impact of mentorship, financial assistance, and community support in helping them pursue careers in education.
California’s new Student Teacher Stipend Program is helping ease one of the biggest barriers facing aspiring educators — the financial burden of unpaid student teaching. See how the new $10,000 stipend is already making a difference for future teachers in Kern County.
The C.W. Richardson Child Development Center has a fresh new look following a three-year modernization project. From bright, welcoming classrooms to thoughtfully designed spaces for young learners, every detail was created with the center’s students and their unique needs in mind.
Eleven individuals and teams were celebrated for their contributions to students, schools and communities during the inaugural Kern County PURPOSE Awards.
Tehachapi High School’s Ned Maino has been named one of five 2027 California Teachers of the Year, marking the second consecutive year a Kern County educator has received the statewide honor.
Norris School District is preparing to build its fifth elementary school as continued residential growth pushes the district’s reach north into Gossamer Grove.
STEAM on the Streets returns Oct. 24 with a free morning of hands-on activities, creative challenges and family fun at The STEAM Yard.
For 67 years, the Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse and community volunteers have provided a sensory-friendly Special Friends Day at the Kern County Fair, serving thousands of children with special needs and creating an inclusive, joyful experience for families.
BCSD’s annual Community Partners in Education Day brought local leaders and students together at Harding Elementary to celebrate student leadership, school culture, community connections, and classroom learning while strengthening partnerships.
Mario Lizarraga, an Automotive Collision & Refinishing instructor at the KHSD Regional Occupational Center, became the first-ever Kern County recipient of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, receiving $30,000 personally and $70,000 for his program in recognition of his impact on students and skilled trades education.
Peak to Peak Mountain Charter School student Alekha Goldberg is a Top 30 finalist in a national STEM competition for her research showing that methylene blue may help protect against traumatic brain injury, inspired by her brother’s recovery from a severe TBI.
Student teaching often means hundreds of required classroom hours without a paycheck. A new $708 million California investment aims to ease that burden — and KCSOS is playing a key role in bringing the statewide effort to life.
A shared meal can be about much more than food. For more than three decades, Lamont Elementary School District’s Cene Con Sus Hijos has encouraged families to put away the distractions, sit down together and connect through conversation.
A three-day statewide convening in Bakersfield is bringing California education leaders together to advance math instruction through professional learning, collaboration, and implementation of the California Math Framework’s emphasis on deeper understanding, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Career Girls of Kern County launched its inaugural year-long program to empower young girls through career exploration, leadership development, mentorship, and community service.
The STEAM Yard is launching a new Community Academy this fall, giving students in grades 3–8 the opportunity to explore Visual Arts, Coding & Robotics, or 3D Printing & Laser Cutting through a series of hands-on after-school classes beginning the week of Oct. 27.
