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School Profile · Edwards

Desert Junior-Senior High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Desert Junior-Senior posts 31% meeting the standard and 12.8% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

1575 Payne Avenue, 93523 (opens in new tab)·Muroc Joint Unified·Edwards·Grades 7-12·497 students·13% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 306-4964·Website
Scope Score
53
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #644 statewide

Desert Junior-Senior High scores 53 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 70th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “31% proficient” and call it done. Desert Junior-Senior deserves a closer read. It sits at the 70th percentile of 2,160 California high schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
31%
State 36%
Graduate
100%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
70%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 31 are proficient by 11th grade → 100 graduate → 70 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 6 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
100.0%
State 87.6%
12.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
12.8%
State 15.8%
3.1pp below state avg
College readiness
70.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
31.0%
State 35.7%
4.7pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
31.0%
State 30.2%
0.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.0%
State 3.6%
1.7pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
High School
Desert Junior-Senior High
53/100
This school

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Your other options

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic36.0%
White36.4%
Asian1.0%
Black5.4%
Other21.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 13.3% (51pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
497
953 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
4 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$9,560
District avg: $12,801 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$52,283 – $108,519
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Desert Junior-Senior High in Edwards, 32.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Junior-Senior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 11.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.7% Math proficient); White students (45.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 27.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 37 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+10.5pp
41.5% vs 31.0% overall · n=82
Suspension · Filipino+5.7pp
7.7% vs 2.0% overall · n=26
ELA · Disabilities−27.9pp
17.6% vs 45.5% overall · n=17
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−12.5pp
0.0% vs 12.5% overall · n=17
Math · Hispanic−7.0pp
7.8% vs 14.7% overall · n=88
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−3.4pp
0.0% vs 3.4% overall · n=17

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income37 tested
ELA 32.4%·Math 16.7%· +11.9pp vs district
White93 tested
ELA 45.2%·Math 17.4%· +6.6pp vs district
Hispanic88 tested
ELA 38.1%·Math 9.1%· +8.2pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 39%Other 1%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$70K
$15K below CA median
Median Home Value
$199K
$460K below CA median
Bachelor's+
38%
3pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
10.2 years avg experience
33 teachers · 3% first-year · 9% second-year
Teacher Credentials
89% fully credentialed
AP Courses Offered
14 AP courses
21 students qualified via AP exam

Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Desert Junior-Senior High a good high school?
Desert Junior-Senior High has a Scope Score of 53 out of 100, placing it in the 70th percentile of California high schools and ranked #644 statewide. 12.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.1 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Desert Junior-Senior High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 31.0% of students at Desert Junior-Senior High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.8% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 109 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Desert Junior-Senior High rank in California?
Desert Junior-Senior High ranks #644 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 70th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Desert Junior-Senior High?
31.0% of students at Desert Junior-Senior High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 2.0%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Desert Junior-Senior High compare to other schools in Edwards?
Desert Junior-Senior High scores 53/100 (70th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 497 students. Use the schools in Edwards page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Desert Junior-Senior High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Desert Junior-Senior High in Edwards, 32.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Junior-Senior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 11.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.7% Math proficient); White students (45.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 27.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 37 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
100.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 65th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
12.8%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 47th pctile
College readiness · 20%
70.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 70th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
31.0%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 47th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
31.0%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 49th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.0%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 57th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 71009%34%30%27%43%−5
Grade 8976%37%37%20%43%−3
Grade 115524%27%22%27%51%+4
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 71005%11%36%48%16%−18
Grade 8963%14%33%50%17%−16
Grade 11542%9%26%63%11%−12
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111603%19%69%9%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged3732.4%+12−6
White9345.2%+7−17
Hispanic/Latino8838.1%+8−1
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Desert Junior-Senior High ←5312.8%31.0%2.0%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
100.0%
AP Exam Prepared
70.0%
A-G Completion
39.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
63.9%
Scope Score history
63%53%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #315 → #415 → #542 → #509 → #644
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue