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Desert Mirage High · Thermal

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

Desert Mirage posts 32% meeting the standard and 10.1% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

86150 Avenue 66, 92274 (opens in new tab)·Coachella Valley Unified·Thermal·Grades 9-12·1,875 students·97% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 397-2255·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4544
% Exceeded10%16%
% Met+32%36%
Grad rate91.5%87.6%
College readiness59.5%35.4%
Absence40.2%30.2%
Suspension4.9%3.6%
Scope Score
45
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,091 statewide · #3 of 5 in Coachella Valley Unified

Desert Mirage High scores 45 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 49th 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “32% proficient” and call it done. Desert Mirage deserves a closer read. The school sits in Thermal, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 49th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 32% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1143%31%26%42%48%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1115%8%4%7%15%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
32%
State 36%
Graduate
92%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
60%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 32 are proficient by 11th grade → 92 graduate → 60 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
91.5%
State 87.6%
3.9pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
10.1%
State 15.8%
5.8pp below state avg
College readiness
59.5%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
31.7%
State 35.7%
4.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
40.2%
State 30.2%
10.0pp above state avg
Suspension rate
4.9%
State 3.6%
1.2pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
14.6%
State 18.0%
3.4pp 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • 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 Mirage High in Thermal, 47.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 28.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Mirage High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 18.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (47.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 34.4 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 406 students tested.

All students at this school: 32% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 32%, district —, state 36%32%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 32%, district 25%, state 32%32% · −0 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 24%, state 32%31% · −0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 32%, district 26%, state 44%32% · +1 vs school
MaleMale: this school 31%, district 24%, state 42%31% · −1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 10%, district 9%, state 11%10% · −22 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 11%, district 8%, state 15%11% · −21 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 18%, district 15%, state 22%18% · −14 vs school

6 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 40.2%, district 34.3%, state 30.2%40.2% · +10.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 4.9%, district —, state 3.6%4.9% · +1.2pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1240.5%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Desert Mirage High
45/100
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.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 22:122:1
Teaching staff107 teachers
Avg. experience15.2 years
Fully credentialed86%
First-year teachers3%
Intern / emergency permit3.9%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$65,655 – $136,033
Principal salary$174,858 – $197,928
Superintendent salary$300,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered26
AP exam qualifiers131 students
CTE pathway completers98 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,666, CA average $14,815$22,666 · spent at this school
Federal share$79 per student

$79 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

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

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction64%
Instruction support11%
Student services11%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance8%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$16,179 per pupil
2019$14,627 per pupil
2018$14,846 per pupil
2017$14,930 per pupil
2016$14,857 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic98.6%
District 97.8% · CA 56.1%
Other1.0%
District 0.9% · CA 9.0%
White0.2%
District 1.0% · CA 19.9%
Black0.2%
District 0.2% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.1%
District 0.1% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 97.3% (33pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$39K · CA $85K
Median home value$164K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+6% · CA 35%
ZIP population18,167
Median age35 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 8% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Desert Mirage High a good high school?

Desert Mirage High has a Scope Score of 45 out of 100, placing it in the 49th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,091 statewide. 10.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.8 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Desert Mirage High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 31.7% of students at Desert Mirage High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 21.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.1% 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. 837 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Desert Mirage High rank in California?

Desert Mirage High ranks #1,091 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 49th 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 Mirage High?

40.2% of students at Desert Mirage High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 4.9%. 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 Mirage High compare to other schools in Thermal?

Desert Mirage High scores 45/100 (49th 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 1,875 students. Use the schools in Thermal page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Desert Mirage High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Desert Mirage High in Thermal, 47.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 28.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Mirage High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 18.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (47.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 34.4 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 406 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.

Your other options

All schools in Thermal →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

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%
91.5%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 55th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 44th pctile
College readiness · 20%
59.5%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 64th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
31.7%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 47th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
40.2%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 42th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.9%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 44th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
14.6%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 47th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1141817%31%27%25%48%+1
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114193%12%21%64%15%−8
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/117590%8%72%20%

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 Disadvantaged40647.5%+19+9
Hispanic/Latino40947.9%+18+9
English Learners13116.0%+7+6
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Desert Mirage High ←—4510.1%31.7%—4.9%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
91.5%
AP Exam Prepared
59.5%
A-G Completion
45.5%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
58.5%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194750#10238.4%29.1%22.2%7.7%—
20224042#12203.9%19.1%49.9%6.2%—
20233940#12962.9%14.7%50.8%5.0%—
20244245#11725.4%24.5%42.5%4.9%—
20254549#109110.1%31.7%40.2%4.9%—
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female20.9%41.9%+21.0pp
Male23.1%39.1%+16.0pp
Hispanic/Latino21.7%40.0%+18.3pp
American Indian/Alaska Native52.4%73.3%+20.9pp
Students with Disabilities32.9%51.2%+18.3pp
English Learners32.5%49.8%+17.3pp
Homeless28.6%54.5%+25.9pp
Military-Connected19.4%38.3%+18.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged22.1%40.5%+18.4pp
All Students22.1%40.5%+18.4pp
Foster Youth—85.7%—
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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

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