Kern County has 7 DMV field offices and 50 active public high schools serving 57,178 students. Teens anywhere in the county can take California's 30-hour online driver education course, then the permit test at any DMV office.
City guide in this county: Bakersfield, with each city's high schools and nearest DMV offices.
DMV offices in Kern County
Kern County averages about 8,168 high-school students per DMV office. The DMV lists the Bakersfield Southwest office as closed every day of the week (checked 2026-10-05), so it is not in this table. The Lake Isabella, Ridgecrest, Shafter and Taft offices are open only part of the week. No DMV office in Kern County lists weekend hours. Book on the DMV appointments page (opens in a new tab); what to bring is on our permit visit checklist.
| Office | Address | Hours | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvin DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 317 Campus Dr, Arvin 93203 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
| Bakersfield DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 3120 F Street, Bakersfield 93301 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
| Delano DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 631 Jefferson Street, Delano 93215 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
| Lake Isabella DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 5520 Lake Isabella Road G-1, Lake Isabella 93240 | Tue, Thu 8 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
| Ridgecrest DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 540A Perdew Avenue, Ridgecrest 93555 | Mon, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
| Shafter DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 548 Walker Street, Shafter 93263 | Tue, Thu 8 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
| Taft DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 165 Center Street, Taft 93268 | Tue, Thu 8 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 |
Cities in Kern County: nearest DMV and high schools
Each incorporated city with its 2026 population, the number of public high schools inside it or with its mailing address, and the nearest DMV office to them. Families in unincorporated Kern County use the office nearest home.
| City | Population (2026) | High schools | Nearest DMV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | 422,853 | 20 | Bakersfield (2.6 mi) |
| Delano | 52,384 | 4 | Delano (0.7 mi) |
| Ridgecrest | 28,638 | 4 | Ridgecrest (0.9 mi) |
| Wasco | 25,806 | 2 | Shafter (7.3 mi) |
| Shafter | 24,545 | 2 | Shafter (0.5 mi) |
| Arvin | 19,795 | 1 | Arvin (0.5 mi) |
| McFarland | 14,334 | 2 | Delano (6.1 mi) |
| Tehachapi | 11,800 | 3 | Arvin (23 mi) |
| Taft | 6,896 | 2 | Taft (0.8 mi) |
| Maricopa | 1,015 | 1 | Taft (6.5 mi) |
Licensed driving schools in Kern County
9 driving schools hold an Active California DMV license at an address in Kern County (DMV list checked 2026-10-04). The list is alphabetical; we do not rank schools. Confirm a license on the DMV lookup (opens in a new tab) before you pay.
| Driving school | DMV license | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Driving School | E4418 | 410 West J St D, Tehachapi | (661) 822-1990 |
| Akal Driving School Inc | E0240 | 4300 Wible Road Suite D, Bakersfield | (661) 444-4532 |
| GG Driving School LLC | E0668 | 20298 Valley Boulevard, Tehachapi | (661) 214-4108 |
| Kern Driving and Traffic School | E0263 | 2416 F St, Bakersfield | (661) 325-2650 |
| Punjab Driving School | E0454 | 1514 Watts Dr, Bakersfield | (661) 616-7779 |
| Rosamond Driving School | E4417 | 1431 W Rosamond Blvd 14A, Rosamond | (661) 256-1212 |
| Safeway Car Driving School | E0522 | 7844 Cox Ave, Bakersfield | (661) 331-0786 |
| Sangha Driving School | E0523 | 4112 Diorite Ct, Bakersfield | (661) 345-0882 |
| Shafter Driving School | E4743 | 101 South James Street, Shafter | (661) 746-4565 |
Mountain grades and desert two-lanes
East of Bakersfield, State Route 58 climbs toward Tehachapi. Caltrans plans to realign curves in four locations (opens in a new tab) between Bealville Road and Tehachapi. The same project adds a 3.5-mile eastbound truck-climbing lane and removes the eastbound junction at Bena Road. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2027 and end in fall 2030. Drive this grade in daylight first. Pass slow trucks only where a marked climbing or passing lane opens up.
The eastern desert has its own test. State Route 14 is the main way into the Inyo and Mono County recreation areas. Near the State Route 178 junction, Caltrans says the road still has a two-lane "gap" (opens in a new tab) between Mojave and US 395. Funding for the next widening segment has not been identified. In Mojave, a pavement project (opens in a new tab) tentatively set for 2027 will add an acceleration lane at Purdy Avenue. On two-lane highways, practice steady speeds and never pass across a solid yellow line.
Quick answers
Sources
- California DMV field office list (fetched 2026-10-05) (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Education: public schools directory, 2025-26 (fetched 2026-10-05) (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Finance: E-1 population estimates, January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- California DMV: Teen drivers (opens in a new tab)
- California DMV Occupational License Lookup: driving schools (checked 2026-10-04) (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans District 9: Keene Pavement Project (SR 58) (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans District 9: Freeman Gulch Widening Projects (SR 14) (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans District 9: Mojave Pavement Project (SR 14) (opens in a new tab)
Checked: October 5, 2026. Rules and forms can change; recheck the official page before acting.
See something wrong or out of date? Report a mistake on this page. We read every report and fix confirmed mistakes.