History of Shafter High School

Shafter is home to the Richland School District which oversees operation of four schools: Golden Oak Elementary School (K-6), Redwood Elementary School (K-6), Sequoia Elementary School (K-6) and Richland Junior High School. The district operates under the leadership of superintendent Dr. Ken Bergevin. Class sizes in grades K-3 average 20 students, grades 4-5 average 30 students and grade 7-8 average 30 students, but may have as many as 33. The district boast four libraries as well as a strong marching band program and other special programs for its students. As with many districts in the region, one of the biggest challenges facing the district is to meet state and national testing standards with large segments of migrant and English-learning populations among its student body.^[5]

Shafter is also home to Shafter High School, a member of the Kern High School District. Built by architects Edwin J. Symmes and Clarence Cullimore^[6] in the late 1920s. Officially founded in 1928, Shafter High School has a history as old as the town itself. Today, it is administered by Principal John Davis. The school has undergone many recent renovations including the construction of a new cafeteria and new classroom space to meet the needs of a growing student body. The school is also home to the historical Fred L. Starrh Performing Arts Center, a large theater building with a fully functional Fly System.

Shafter is also the home of the Shafter Research and Extension Center (SREC)^[7] is the University of California's principal field research facility for cotton and serves as a good example of cooperation between the University of California (UC), federal and local government, and the cotton industry in the San Joaquin Valley. The University and the USDA provide scientists for the center; Kern County provides the land and facilities; and the cotton industry provides the funding for operations and support for cotton research. Shafter is one of nine Research and Extension Centers operated by the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR). ANR is a unit of the University that is administratively separate from the UC campuses. Many researchers who use this Center hold faculty appointments at UC Davis or UC Riverside or are Cooperative Extension advisors located in counties. In 1997 the SREC was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a plaque recognizing the Center as a California Registered Historical Landmark was placed at the site.

Shafter is also home to Kern Adventist Elementary. Kern Adventist Elementary is a small, one teacher Christian school. It has been in operation for over 92 years.