Public school · Coachella Valley Unified · Coachella, California

Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High — Rating & test scores

Coachella · 7–8 · 668 students (2024–25)

82-489 Avenue 52, 92236cda.cvusd.us ↗(760) 398-0097
35thpercentileDeveloping

The dots are California’s 2,529 scored public middle schools, placed by Scope Score on spring 2026 tests. How it’s built →

Scope Score
32

Weighted composite · 2025–26
A weighted mix of five of the six middle school measures.

See this school’s score factors ↓
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100

Below California in English, well below in math, grades 7 and 8, spring 2026: 42% and 23% scored Proficient or Advanced, against 50% and 37%.

Source
Source
California’s state tests (CAASPP), California Department of Education, spring 2026
Students
all students tested in grades 7 and 8: 616 in English, 621 in math
Comparison
California: CDE’s grade 7 and 8 rows for the whole state combined, weighted by students tested (our calculation; 838,600 in English and 838,896 in math tested).

From spring 2026, the state calls its top two levels “Proficient or Advanced” (formerly “Met or Exceeded”).

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Campus map · © OpenStreetMap

Drawn from OpenStreetMap. Volunteers map it, so a new building may be missing. Buildings with no mapped height are drawn one storey high.

A picture of the campus, not an attendance boundary or a rating.

Schools maintain a closed campus policy. For students’ safety, visitors may enter a campus only with the school’s official permission; this drawing implies no permission to enter.

On spring 2025 tests, students in grades 7 and 8 scored below what the state expected in English (−14 pts) and math (−7 pts). The state bases that expectation on each student’s earlier scores.

Sources
The sentence above
CDE growth model, 2025. Students with scores in both years in grades 7 and 8: 620. Points are scale-score points against the state’s expected score for each student; the category is CDE’s, quoted as published. It describes results, not causes.

Common questions

How do I get in?

Ask Coachella Valley Unified which school serves your address. Evidence ↓

Is Cahuilla Desert Academy a good middle school?

Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High scores higher than 35 in 100 of California’s 2,529 scored public middle schools: 35th percentile, Developing, spring 2026. Evidence ↓

How often do students miss school or get suspended?

In 2025–26, 30 in 100 students missed 10% or more of school days, against 38 in 100 at the average Coachella Valley Unified middle school. 4.4% of students (29 of 654) were suspended at least once in 2025–26, against 3.7% at the average California middle school. Evidence ↓

More questions (4)

Did students here score above what the state expected?

Below what the state expected, in both subjects. In 2025, students here in grades 7 and 8 scored −14 points against the state’s expected score in English, which the state calls Moderate. In math, they scored −7 points, which it calls Moderate.

  • Included in this measure: 620 students

Evidence ↓

How do kids like mine do here?

In spring 2026, 40% of low-income students in grades 7 and 8 at Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High in Coachella scored Proficient or Advanced in English, against 39% for the same group across California. Evidence ↓

Where does it lead?

By the district’s published 2025 attendance boundaries, Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High is zoned to Coachella Valley High. Boundaries change, are approximate at the edges and don’t guarantee placement, so confirm your address with the district.

  • Coachella Valley High: 28th percentile (Developing) of California’s regular public and charter high schools, 2025 Scope Score

Evidence ↓

What should I ask on a visit?

The questions drawn from this page are under Next steps, ready to copy. Evidence ↓

Academic achievement

How did students here do on state tests?

Below California in English; well below it in math.

State tests (CAASPP), spring 2026

In grades 7 and 8, spring 2026, 42% scored Proficient or Advanced in English and 23% in math, against 50% and 37% across California.

Source
Source
California’s state tests (CAASPP), California Department of Education, spring 2026
Students
all students tested in grades 7 and 8: 616 in English, 621 in math
Comparison
California: CDE’s grades 7 and 8 rows for the whole state combined, weighted by students tested (our calculation; 838,600 in English, 838,896 in math tested). The comparisons use the same grades and year.
AdvancedProficientBelow the standard

English

Grades 7 and 8 · spring 2026 · 616 tested

Advanced
12%
Proficient
30%
Below the standard
58%
This school42%
California50%
Coachella Valley Unified31%

42% Proficient or Advanced in grades 7 and 8.

Math

Grades 7 and 8 · spring 2026 · 621 tested

Advanced
11%
Proficient
12%
Below the standard
77%
This school23%
California37%
Coachella Valley Unified15%

23% Proficient or Advanced in grades 7 and 8.

Results for each grade, spring 2026English and math · grades 7 and 8 · every level, with tested counts

What each level means: California's level descriptions.

English

English, grades 7 and 8: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 7Grade 8
Proficient or Advanced43%40%
Advanced13%11%
Proficient30%29%
Developing level27%30%
Minimal30%30%
Tested325291
California51%49%
Difference−8−9

California is CDE’s statewide English row for each grade, counting every student tested there; the comparisons in the chapters combine these rows for their grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

Math

Math, grades 7 and 8: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 7Grade 8
Proficient or Advanced22%24%
Advanced11%10%
Proficient11%14%
Developing level25%26%
Minimal53%50%
Tested327294
California38%36%
Difference−16−12

California is CDE’s statewide math row for each grade, counting every student tested there; the comparisons in the chapters combine these rows for their grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

A grade the school doesn't teach has no row. “Suppressed” marks a result CDE blanks because fewer than 11 students tested (CDE’s reporting rule); “none tested” marks a grade CDE lists with no students tested; “not on file” marks a result missing from the records we hold. None of them means zero.

New to these scores? Read CAASPP scores explained: how to read your child’s report →

How does math compare with English?

In grades 7 and 8, spring 2026, math trails English by 19 percentage points in the share who scored Proficient or Advanced, against 13 points across California. The grades 7 and 8 cards above give each subject’s share.

Have results changed?

English results were higher than in 2025; math results were similar. English went from 34% to 42% and math stayed at 23%.

English · top two levels · grades 7 and 8

202534%650 tested
→
202642%616 tested

This school

California, same grades49% → 50%2025 → 2026 · 848,364 → 838,600 tested

Math · top two levels · grades 7 and 8

202523%653 tested
→
202623%621 tested

This school

California, same grades35% → 37%2025 → 2026 · 851,806 → 838,896 tested

Each year is a different group of students.

Did students here score above what the state expected?

Below what the state expected, in both subjects. California sets an expected score for each student from that student’s own score the year before. In 2025, students here in grades 7 and 8 scored −14 points against that expected score in English, which the state calls Moderate. In math, they scored −7 points, which it calls Moderate.

Source
Source
CDE growth model, 2025
Students
students with scores in both years in grades 7 and 8: 620
Comparison
Points are scale-score points against the state’s expected score for each student; the category is CDE’s, quoted as published. It describes results, not causes.

Grades 7 and 8 · 2025 · 620 students with scores in both years

Points above or below what the state expected from the same students’ earlier scores.

−14 pts

English

The state calls it Moderate, the second of its five growth levels.

−7 pts

Math

The state calls it Moderate, the second of its five growth levels.

Ask: What extra help do students who are behind get, and how do you know it’s working?

All four levelsThe state’s test levels Advanced, Proficient, the Developing level (formerly Nearly met) and Minimal, with tested counts
Share of students tested at each level, spring 2026
StudentsAdvancedProficientDeveloping levelMinimalTested
English, grades 7 and 8 · This school12%30%28%30%616
English, grades 7 and 8 · California19%31%23%27%838,600
English, grades 7 and 8 · Coachella Valley Unified7%24%25%44%2,350
Math, grades 7 and 8 · This school11%12%25%52%621
Math, grades 7 and 8 · California21%16%23%40%838,896
Math, grades 7 and 8 · Coachella Valley Unified6%9%20%65%2,358

Below the standard combines the state’s Developing and Minimal levels, its two lowest. Data source: California Department of Education, spring 2026. The state comparison combines CDE’s rows for the same grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation). The district row combines its public schools in the same grades, weighted by students tested.

Read English and math separately, then look at progress and the courses students can take.

Each grade’s results: English ↑ · Math ↑

Results since 20178 tested years shown · English and math have been below California in every tested year since 2017

Chart and table: 2017–2026.

English top two levels, grades 7 and 8
This schoolCalifornia
0%50%100%20172022202642%50%
Math top two levels, grades 7 and 8
This schoolCalifornia
0%50%100%20172022202623%37%

The lines break across the COVID years, when state testing was waived or optional.

In grades 7 and 8, the share at the state’s top two levels in English went from 28% in 2017 to 42% in 2026. In math, it went from 16% in 2017 to 23% in 2026, with 2025 and 2026 about the same. Each year is a different group of students.

Each year’s results and tested counts

English · top two levels · grades 7 and 8
YearThis schoolCalifornia
201728%
961 tested		49%
915,271 tested
201832%
949 tested		50%
919,277 tested
201933%
896 tested		50%
932,985 tested
202233%
655 tested		48%
852,094 tested
202329%
646 tested		47%
842,173 tested
202429%
685 tested		47%
849,026 tested
202534%
650 tested		49%
848,364 tested
202642%
616 tested		50%
838,600 tested
Math · top two levels · grades 7 and 8
YearThis schoolCalifornia
201716%
961 tested		37%
918,964 tested
201818%
948 tested		37%
921,089 tested
201923%
900 tested		37%
935,223 tested
202215%
655 tested		31%
853,132 tested
202318%
644 tested		32%
844,737 tested
202420%
686 tested		33%
853,781 tested
202523%
653 tested		35%
851,806 tested
202623%
621 tested		37%
838,896 tested
How the state’s growth measure worksPoints above or below what the state expected from the same students’ earlier scores

California uses each student’s English and math scores from the year before to set an expected score, based on how students with similar earlier scores did across the state. Zero would mean students here scored as expected. In English they scored 14 points below that expected score, and in math 7 points below it.

The state sorts every school’s growth result into five growth levels, from Minimal to Exceptional.

Here, as at most schools, the state’s figure blends the two most recent years, so it moves more slowly than one year’s scores.

What you can do

Who can act on Cahuilla Desert Academy’s results?

Coachella Valley Unified’s board decides Cahuilla Desert Academy’s plan.

The state hasn’t placed Cahuilla Desert Academy in a support program. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26. Source 

When is the plan set, and how can you take part?

Coachella Valley Unified’s board must adopt its yearly plan (LCAP) by July 1, after at least one public hearing at an earlier meeting.

How to take part

  • Watch the board’s agenda: the hearing is posted at least 72 hours ahead.
  • Send written comments on the actions and spending the plan proposes.
  • Raise questions through the district’s parent advisory committee; the superintendent must answer its comments in writing.
  • Read the midyear report, due by February 28.
  • Read Coachella Valley Unified’s 2026–27 plan (LCAP, PDF) 

Life at school

How often do students miss school or get suspended?

30 in 100 students were chronically absent in 2025–26.

State attendance and suspension records, 2025–26

That means they missed 10% or more of school days. At the average Coachella Valley Unified middle school, 38 in 100 were. 4.4% of students were suspended at least once in 2025–26, against 3.7% at the average California middle school.

Source
Source
CDE chronic absenteeism and suspension files, 2025–26
Students
chronic absence: 191 of 645 students counted for it; suspension: 29 of 654 students enrolled during the year
Comparison
Each comparison is the rate at the average school (our average of school rates), not a pooled rate. Also: suspensions at the average Coachella Valley Unified middle school 6.4%.

Chronically absent, 2025–26

30 in 100This school
38 in 100At the average Coachella Valley Unified middle school
18 in 100At the average California middle school

191 of 645 students were chronically absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of school days.

Suspensions, 2025–26

4.4%

of students were suspended at least once (29 of 654). Average California middle school 3.7%.

Ask: When a student is suspended, what happens before and after, and who talks with the family?

Ask families and staff yourselfWhat to ask the people at Cahuilla Desert Academy

Ask current families how the school keeps them informed, and what happened when their child needed help. Ask staff how long teachers tend to stay.

Questions for your visit ↓

Have a child here? Answer 7 questionsResponder en español

Teach here? Tell us Coachella Valley Unified’s email domain so staff can answer our workplace questions.

Every learner

How do kids like mine do here?

Low-income students scored below the same group across California in math.

Student groups, grades 7 and 8, spring 2026

22% of low-income students scored Proficient or Advanced in math (grades 7 and 8, spring 2026), against 26% for the same group across California. Every group’s English results are in the table below.

Source
Source
California Department of Education, CAASPP research file, spring 2026
Students
grades 7 and 8; each row gives its tested count. Low-income is CDE’s “socioeconomically disadvantaged”.
Comparison
California: the same group in the same grades, CDE’s rows for the whole state combined and weighted by students tested (our calculation).
Cahuilla Desert AcademySame group, California
  • Hispanic or Latino606 tested23%Same group, California 25%
  • Low-income557 tested22%Same group, California 26%
  • English learners112 tested3%Same group, California 7%
  • Students with disabilities77 tested3%Same group, California 9%

Proficient or Advanced, grades 7 and 8 math, spring 2026. In English the same groups run from 3% to 42%; every value is in the table below.

Who are the students?

2025–26 · students counted
1. Hispanic or Latino: 98%Unallocated share: 2%. 100% minus available shares; not a student group.Reported shares2025–26
  1. Hispanic or Latino98%
  2. White—
  3. Asian—
  4. Black or African American—
  5. Filipino—
  6. Two or more races—
  7. American Indian or Alaska Native—
  8. Pacific Islander—
  9. Not reported—
  10. Unallocated share2%
A dash means the share isn’t available; it isn’t zero. The unallocated share is what’s left after the shares we have; it isn’t a student group. Source and comparisons: the full student mix below.

Are English learners moving up on the state’s English test?

61% of English learners here moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top, spring 2025 to spring 2026.

Spring 2025 to spring 2026 · English learners with state English test (ELPAC) scores in both years

This school · 77 of 127 English learners61%
Coachella Valley Unified · 2,327 of 5,10946%
California · 355,274 of 748,91647%

It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent. Data source: California Department of Education, 2026 Dashboard ↗.

Who are the families and teachers?

84%of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25, 560 of 668. California: 63%.

39teachers, 2024–25

18 yearsaverage experience, 2024–25

3%in their first year, 2024–25

94%of teaching positions with proper credential and placement, 2021–22

Ask: What extra help is there in math for low-income students, and how does the school check that it works?

All group results, district comparisons and sources
Proficient or Advancedgrades 7 and 8 · spring 2026
Group and subjectHerevs Coachella Valley Unifiedvs California
Low-income · 553 tested in English, 557 in math
English40%+1030%+139%
Math22%+814%−426%
Hispanic or Latino · 603 tested in English, 606 in math
English42%+1131%+240%
Math23%+815%−225%
English learners · 109 tested in English, 112 in math
English3%03%−47%
Math3%03%−47%
Students with disabilities · 77 tested
English10%+55%−414%
Math3%+12%−69%

Each gap is to the same group, grades and subject: in Coachella Valley Unified, and across California. No group that is behind across California does 10 or more points better here.

Homeless students: fewer than 30 tested here. No published rate here for Asian, Black or African American, Filipino, White, American Indian or Alaska Native, Pacific Islander and military-family students, students of two or more races and foster youth. That can reflect privacy rules or small numbers; it isn’t evidence of a gap. This table covers groups by income, race or ethnicity, language and disability; girls and boys aren’t split out.

Full student mix, comparisons and sources, 2025–26
Students, 2025–26Here
Hispanic or Latino98%
White—
Asian—
Black or African American—
Filipino—
Two or more races—
American Indian or Alaska Native—
Pacific Islander—
Not reported—

Data source: California Department of Education chronic-absence file, 2025–26. Shares are of the students the file counts for attendance (CDE’s “eligible enrollment”); unavailable categories are shown as a dash.

How the credential rate is counted

CDE SARC report 2024–25, measured 2021–22: 94% of teaching positions, 34.2 properly credentialed teaching-position FTE out of 36.4 total position FTE. This measures positions, not individual teachers.

Next steps

What comes after Cahuilla Desert Academy, and how do I get in?

Coachella Valley High.

In the district’s boundaries, Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High draws from 5 elementary schools. Boundaries split some neighborhoods. Each school’s standing compares it with California schools at its own level.

Elementary · fed by
Middle · this school
Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High
High · next
Coachella Valley High 28th · Developing · 2025

Assigned

From the district’s 2025 attendance boundaries. Shares are our estimate of where the zone’s children live, from 2020 Census child counts, or land area where few children were counted; they describe children living in the zone, not a school’s enrolled students. A boundary doesn’t guarantee placement: transfers, permits, magnets and other programs can change the path. Check your child’s address and current assignment with the district. Explore schools on the map

All recorded links and nearby alternatives

Elementary links

High-school links

Links do not guarantee placement. Charter, magnet, transfer and other admission routes can differ. Each school’s percentile compares it with California schools at its own level (continuation and alternative schools only with their own kind); the stages are not one ranking.

Where the path ends: Coachella Valley High
Coachella Valley High28th · Developing · 2025 · Scope Score 49district-published assignment

The road from this school ends at Coachella Valley High. UC records 46 enrollees from Coachella Valley High for fall 2025. The AP Course Audit lists 19 AP courses its teachers are authorized to teach in 2025–26. Those figures come from dated records. A child starting here today would reach Coachella Valley High around 2028, and a school can change a lot in 2 years. By the state’s 2023 count, 67% of the students who finished high school at Coachella Valley High enrolled in college within 12 months, UC or not.

46 UC enrollees (fall 2025) · 19 authorized AP courses (AP Course Audit 2025–26) → full record on Coachella Valley High's page
Source: UC & College Board AP Course Ledger

How do I get in?

Ask Coachella Valley Unified which school serves your address.

School website: cda.cvusd.us ↗Office: (760) 398-0097Administrator: Anna Santa Maria

Location and visiting

Get directions  (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
82-489 Avenue 52, Coachella 92236

Directory location · Explore nearby schools on the map. Confirm which school serves your address with Coachella Valley Unified.

Questions for your visit

  1. Do families get each child’s absence count during the year, and what happens once a child starts missing school? 30 in 100 chronically absent, 2025–26 (191 of 645 students); average California middle school: 18 in 100
  2. What extra help do students who are behind get, and how do you know it’s working? 58% in English and 77% in math scored at the Developing or Minimal level, grades 7 and 8, spring 2026 (616 tested in English, 621 in math); California: 50% and 63%
  3. When a student is suspended, what happens before and after, and who talks with the family?
  4. What extra help do English learners get, and how do you know it’s working? 3% of English learners scored Proficient or Advanced in math, grades 7 and 8, spring 2026 (112 students tested); the same group across California: 7%
  5. Which math courses can students take, and how are placements decided?
  6. Which electives and high-school transition supports are available?

Office (760) 398-009782-489 Avenue 52, directions  (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Nearby middle schoolsClosest first, by straight-line distance

The closest middle schools, by straight-line distance from this campus. Distance isn’t an attendance boundary.

Nearby middle schoolsPercentile among California middle schools, 2026

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Explore nearby schools on the map

Source records

Every figure on this page, with its source, grades, year and count.

Score factorssource values, index and weights · 2025–26 · ranked #1,621 of 2,529 California middle schools we score · #1 of 3 in Coachella Valley Unified
Score factors, 2025–26
FactorSchoolIndexWeight
Advancedaverage of English and math11%4342%
Proficient or Advancedaverage of English and math32%4423%
Chronically absent30 in 100355%
Suspension rate4.4% (29 of 654)485%
English learners: top level30%605%

Index is where the school's value sits among the California middle schools we score, from 0 to 100, where 50 is their average; it is not a percentile. School values are from 2025–26. Chronic absence and suspension are CDE's all-students school rates; the score uses an adjusted version of each that pulls small schools toward the average, so their index can sit nearer 50 than the rate suggests. The weights above add to 80%: the remaining 20%, for measures with no value here, is shared out among the measures above.

Scope Score by year2018–19 to 2025–26 · each year’s inputs, and the score for each year we could verify

Scope Score

School yearScope ScorePercentileRankComparison group
2025–263235#1621California middle schools · 2,529 schools · current formula

2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 have records on file but no Scope Score we could verify against that year’s source files, so no score is shown for them.

School yearChronic absenceSuspension
2018–1920 in 10012.2% (119 of 976)
2021–22not on filenot on file
2022–23not on filenot on file
2023–2437 in 1004.6% (34 of 740)
2024–2532 in 1005.6% (39 of 701)
2025–2630 in 1004.4% (29 of 654)

Chronic absence and suspension are CDE’s all-students school rates for each year.

No 2019–20 or 2020–21 records in this SchoolScope series
Every tested year2017–2026 · rates, tested counts, and each grade

English and math by test year · all tested grades

Year · subjectStudents with scoresTop levelTop two levels
2026 · English61612%42%
2026 · Math62111%23%
2025 · English6506%34%
2025 · Math6539%23%
2024 · English6854%29%
2024 · Math6867%20%
2023 · English6465%29%
2023 · Math6447%18%
2022 · English6557%33%
2022 · Math6555%15%
2019 · English8966%33%
2019 · Math9009%23%
2018 · English9495%32%
2018 · Math9486%18%
2017 · English9613%28%
2017 · Math9615%16%

Each year names its school year end (2026 = 2025–26). “Students with scores” counts each subject on its own, so don’t add the English and math counts together. A dash is unavailable, not zero.

Earlier years · grade and subject

Year · grade · subjectStudents with scoresMet or exceeded
2025 · Grade 7 · English29838%
2025 · Grade 8 · English35230%
2025 · Grade 7 · Math29723%
2025 · Grade 8 · Math35623%
2024 · Grade 7 · English34930%
2024 · Grade 8 · English33629%
2024 · Grade 7 · Math34819%
2024 · Grade 8 · Math33822%
2023 · Grade 7 · English33732%
2023 · Grade 8 · English30925%
2023 · Grade 7 · Math33618%
2023 · Grade 8 · Math30817%
2022 · Grade 7 · English31636%
2022 · Grade 8 · English33930%
2022 · Grade 7 · Math31717%
2022 · Grade 8 · Math33813%
2019 · Grade 7 · English42639%
2019 · Grade 8 · English47029%
2019 · Grade 7 · Math42922%
2019 · Grade 8 · Math47124%
2018 · Grade 7 · English48232%
2018 · Grade 8 · English46732%
2018 · Grade 7 · Math48117%
2018 · Grade 8 · Math46719%
2017 · Grade 7 · English48428%
2017 · Grade 8 · English47728%
2017 · Grade 7 · Math48417%
2017 · Grade 8 · Math47715%

Current 2025–26 grade results are under Academic achievement, in Results for each grade. “Students with scores” counts the students tested in that grade, subject and year. A missing result is not zero, and each year’s row is a different group of children.

Science (CAST)schoolwide · spring 2026
Science (CAST)TestedAdvancedProficientDeveloping levelMinimal
Schoolwide2932%15%62%20%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Student groups: test resultsEnglish · spring 2026 · against the same group in the district and California
Group · EnglishTestedProficient or Advancedvs districtvs California
Low-income55340%+10+1
Hispanic or Latino60342%+11+2
English learners1093%0−4
Student groups: the state’s growth measureCalifornia School Dashboard 2025 · points above or below what the state expected · shown, not part of the score
GroupEnglishnCDE categoryMathnCDE category
All students−14620Moderate−7620Moderate
Hispanic or Latino−14614Moderate−7614Moderate
Low-income−15522Moderate−7523Moderate
English learners−19253Moderate−11252Moderate
English-only students−12248not categorized−9249not categorized
Recently reclassified as fluent in English−11157not categorized−9156not categorized
Long-term English learners (grades 6–8 only)−21115Minimal−9115Moderate
English learners only−3296not categorized−1396not categorized
Students with disabilities−1770Moderate−1171Moderate
Homeless−2322Minimal−3022Minimal

CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score — not a percentage or percentile. The table keeps the group records SchoolScope imported for this school, including rows below our narrative display threshold. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a valid growth score. SchoolScope uses that threshold for the shorter narrative view; the reported values stay visible here. “Not categorized” means this imported CDE row has a growth value without a performance category. Long-term English learner counts cover grades 6–8 only (CDE’s rule), so that row is not comparable to the All students row. At least one estimate here is a CDE weighted estimate; that describes how CDE combines years, not a year-over-year trend. A group absent from this table has no imported record shown here. Its absence alone does not establish its size or performance. CDE growth covers grades 4–8; here that is grades 7 and 8. SchoolScope does not use these CDE figures in its Scope Score.

Growth recordsthe state’s student-by-student measure
California growth model · points vs expected

State model · English−14 pts vs expected

matched students, grades 7 and 8

CDE California growth model · 2025 Dashboard

Weighted school estimate; assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25

All students, grades 7 and 8

620 students

CDE growth category: Moderate

California growth model, English: −14 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Moderate, against SchoolScope's −2-point median for California middle school records.

State model · math−7 pts vs expected

matched students, grades 7 and 8

CDE California growth model · 2025 Dashboard

Weighted school estimate; assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25

All students, grades 7 and 8

620 students

CDE growth category: Moderate

California growth model, math: −7 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Moderate, against SchoolScope's −3-point median for California middle school records.

Source notes. CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score for matched students, never a percentage. Among SchoolScope's retained California middle school records, the median English estimate is −2 and the middle half fall between −10 and +5 scale-score points — the spread is wide, so read the figure against it, not its sign alone. CDE's 2025 Dashboard weighted school estimate uses assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25; adjacent reporting editions should not be read as independent annual changes. The CDE measure covers grades 4–8; here that is grades 7 and 8, and it is not part of the Scope Score.

Attendance and suspensionsState records · this school and each student group · 2018–19 and 2025–26

CDE’s all-students school rates for 2024–25 and 2025–26; the change is the difference between the two rates as printed.

Year-over-year school rates
Chronic absenteeism2024–25 · 32 in 100 → 2025–26 · 30 in 100 · −2 in 100
Suspension rate2024–25 · 5.6% (39 of 701) → 2025–26 · 4.4% (29 of 654) · −1.2 percentage points
Group2018–192025–26Change
Female19 in 10028 in 100+9 in 100
Male20 in 10031 in 100+11 in 100
Hispanic or Latino19 in 10030 in 100+11 in 100
Students with disabilities32 in 10040 in 100+8 in 100
English learners20 in 10031 in 100+11 in 100
Homeless50 in 10042 in 100−8 in 100
Military families15 in 10012 in 100−3 in 100
Low-income21 in 10031 in 100+10 in 100
All students20 in 10030 in 100+10 in 100

Two reported school years only; no intervening-year result is implied. Source: CDE school-level chronic absenteeism by student group.

Fundingschool and district spending, from state and federal finance records · each row names its fiscal year and measure

Per-pupil spending

District · current expense$16,179 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · fall district membership: 17,299 pupils

California · selected district mean$14,491 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · SchoolScope’s unweighted mean across 818 selected California district finance records

School-level federal expenditures$153 per pupil

CDE ESSA · school-attributed per-pupil record · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 668

Central federal expenditures attributed here$5,143 per pupil

CDE ESSA · central expenditures attributed to this school · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 668

District current expense · FY 2024–25$25,961 per ADA

CDE SACS Current Expense of Education · district fiscal year ending 2025 · average daily attendance denominator

These figures are not directly comparable: school ESSA attributed spending and NCES district current expense use different measures and populations. Their fiscal years are labeled above.

How the California mean was selected

SchoolScope starts with its selected California finance records, not every NCES California district. For FY 2020–21, it calculates an unweighted mean of NCES F-33 current expense per pupil. District records contribute once, regardless of enrollment. The calculation keeps records with positive per-pupil current expense, enrollment over 100, CCD agency type 1, and a recorded district name; it excludes names ending in County Office of Education, Department of Education, or Superintendent of Schools. This is a SchoolScope calculation, not a state-published spending average.

Selected General Fund operating costs · FY 2024–⁠25 · SchoolScope calculation
Instruction 64%Instruction support 11%Student services 11%Administration 6%Buildings & maintenance 8%
The arithmetic behind these shares · FY 2024–25
GroupDollarsShare, to two decimalsPrinted
Instruction$238,337,99564.30%64%
Instruction support$40,089,12110.82%11%
Student services$41,699,21111.25%11%
Administration$20,366,2345.49%6%
Buildings & maintenance$30,148,1208.13%8%
Total$370,648,486100.00%100%

These shares are our arithmetic: each group’s dollars divided by the $370,648,486 total of the groups shown, rounded to whole percents by largest remainder so they add up to 100. Dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so they can differ from the total by a dollar. SchoolScope groups district-level CDE SACS UserGL actuals from Fund 01, using operating objects 1000–5999 and excluding retiree benefits, food and community services, facilities acquisition, other outgo, and nonagency goals. These shares use that filtered total; they do not exactly break down CDE's official current expense per ADA above. The school-level ESSA figure uses a separate source.

NCES F-33 district fiscal-year history, 2017–⁠2021; latest district record shown: 2021
2021$16,179 per pupil
2020$14,627 per pupil
2019$14,846 per pupil
2018$14,930 per pupil
2017$14,857 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

Staffing recordsstate teacher credential-and-placement and district salary records · each for its own year

Additional workforce records

Properly assigned intern credential holders0.0%

CDE 2024–25 SARC, Teacher Preparation and Placement table; measured school year 2021–22. Share of reported school teaching-position full-time equivalents assigned to properly assigned intern credential holders. A reported 0.0% is shown; unavailable rates are omitted. This is a position share, not a count of current teachers or of emergency permits.

The surrounding ZIP codeCensus Bureau survey, 2020–2024 · ZIP 92236 · not the school’s students
American Community Survey 5-year estimates · 2020–2024 · ZIP 92236 area
MeasureEstimate
Median household income$68,393
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)8%
ZIP-area population43,642
Median age33.4 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Median household income covers the past 12 months and is reported in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Bachelor's degree or higher uses adults age 25 and over as its population. A dash is unavailable, not zero; a reported zero remains zero. ZIP-area figures do not establish the school's attendance area or describe its enrolled students. These figures are not part of the Scope Score. See all schools in ZIP code 92236 →

Downloads, embed and methodologyCSV · embed code · sources · corrections

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<iframe
  src="https://schoolscope.co/embed/school/cahuilla-desert-academy-junior-high-2874"
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  title="Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High — SchoolScope scorecard">
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Data sources: public data sources, including the California Department of Education · state tests (CAASPP) 2025–26 · Scope Score from 2025–26 results, compared across 2,529 middle schools · attendance and suspensions by student group from 2018–19 and 2025–26 · district finance for the year each row names · Census survey (ACS) 2020–2024 · Data updated October 15, 2026

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