Desert Learning Academy: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Desert Learning Academy posts low test scores — and grade 5 tests above grade 3 here this year, by 18.6pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Growth | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 31 | 15% | 27% | +18.6 | 5.6% | 0.5% |
| CA average · Elementary School | 45 | 21% | 43% | -2.9 | 17.9% | 1.6% |
Desert Learning Academy scores 31 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 19th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
📈 On the Rise — Ask how many years the improvement has held, not just the latest one — one strong cohort and a real turnaround can look identical in a single year of data.
Most rating sites would stop at “27% proficient” and call it done. Desert Learning Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Palm Springs, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 5.6% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
The seven-year arc
Climbed from the 1st to the 19th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 800 elementary schools.
The pandemic drop is behind this school: 27% of students meet the standard today, above the 18% who did in 2019.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | — | 38% | 29% | 42% | 8% |
| Grade 4 | — | 41% | 39% | 35% | 60% |
| Grade 5 | 18% | 45% | 55% | 17% | 37% |
| Grade 6 | 64% | 26% | 11% | 41% | 39% |
| Grade 7 | 50% | 44% | 31% | 34% | 55% |
| Grade 8 | 31% | 26% | 34% | 35% | 30% |
| Grade 11 | 48% | 50% | 50% | 52% | 49% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | — | 45% | 46% | 32% | 8% |
| Grade 4 | — | 18% | 21% | 26% | 33% |
| Grade 5 | — | 25% | 20% | 3% | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 27% | 7% | 11% | 21% | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 18% | 23% | 17% | 19% | 25% |
| Grade 8 | 13% | 5% | 16% | 12% | 18% |
| Grade 11 | 14% | 14% | 8% | 23% | 8% |
The 6 things our score weighs
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
- Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
- Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
- Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
- Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.
How every group of students does here
At Desert Learning Academy in Palm Springs, 44.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Learning Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.0% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 145 students tested.
8 of 13 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Showing up, and staying in class
Where the path goes
Desert Learning Academy serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here, with no school-to-school transitions.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
$252 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
On the state's science test (CAST), 19% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Desert Learning Academy a good elementary school?
What are Desert Learning Academy's CAASPP test scores?
How does Desert Learning Academy rank in California?
Is Desert Learning Academy getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Desert Learning Academy?
How does Desert Learning Academy compare to other schools in Palm Springs?
How does Desert Learning Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 42
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 13 | 8% | 0% | 23% | 69% | 8% | −36 |
| Grade 4 | 15 | 40% | 20% | 13% | 27% | 60% | +15 |
| Grade 5 | 19 | 16% | 21% | 11% | 53% | 37% | −11 |
| Grade 6 | 23 | 9% | 30% | 22% | 39% | 39% | −7 |
| Grade 7 | 29 | 17% | 38% | 21% | 24% | 55% | +7 |
| Grade 8 | 33 | 9% | 21% | 45% | 24% | 30% | −16 |
| Grade 11 | 39 | 13% | 36% | 15% | 36% | 49% | +2 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 13 | 0% | 8% | 8% | 85% | 8% | −38 |
| Grade 4 | 15 | 20% | 13% | 47% | 20% | 33% | −8 |
| Grade 5 | 19 | 5% | 11% | 32% | 53% | 16% | −20 |
| Grade 6 | 23 | 4% | 4% | 13% | 78% | 9% | −26 |
| Grade 7 | 28 | 11% | 14% | 21% | 54% | 25% | −9 |
| Grade 8 | 33 | 9% | 9% | 18% | 64% | 18% | −14 |
| Grade 11 | 39 | 3% | 5% | 10% | 82% | 8% | −16 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 102 | 4% | 15% | 72% | 10% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 145 | 44.1% | +8 | +6 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 116 | 44.0% | +10 | +5 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Learning Academy ← | — | 31 | 14.8% | 26.9% | +18.6 | 0.5% |
| Cielo Vista Charter | 1.1 mi | 47 | 26.9% | 56.2% | −24.9 | 0.8% |
| Katherine Finchy Elementary | 1.8 mi | 40 | 19.4% | 39.4% | −8.5 | 1.0% |
| Agua Caliente Elementary | 1.9 mi | 40 | 7.8% | 24.3% | +4.2 | 1.1% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | #5472 | 0.0% | 18.2% | 44.0% | 1.5% | — |
| 2022 | 36 | 49 | #2905 | 17.0% | 35.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | -6.4pp |
| 2023 | 35 | 40 | #3437 | 11.8% | 35.1% | 1.2% | 0.0% | +0.1pp |
| 2024 | 15 | 1 | #5672 | 9.5% | 25.8% | 27.1% | 1.0% | -26.8pp |
| 2025 | 31 | 19 | #4676 | 14.8% | 26.9% | 5.6% | 0.5% | +18.6pp |
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 47.5% | 1.4% | -46.1pp |
| Male | 56.4% | 2.0% | -54.4pp |
| Black/African American | 62.5% | 3.7% | -58.8pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 54.0% | 1.6% | -52.4pp |
| Two or More Races | 33.3% | 0.0% | -33.3pp |
| Students with Disabilities | 65.7% | 14.0% | -51.7pp |
| English Learners | 62.9% | 6.1% | -56.8pp |
| Homeless | 81.8% | 6.3% | -75.5pp |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 52.8% | 1.6% | -51.2pp |
| All Students | 51.4% | 1.7% | -49.7pp |
SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction