Desert Ridge Academy: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Desert Ridge Academy has a Scope Score of 28 out of 100, placing it in the 17th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,850 statewide. 9.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.3 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.3% of students at Desert Ridge Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 16.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.6% 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. 1,845 student-subject combinations were assessed.

Desert Ridge Academy ranks #1,850 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 17th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), 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.

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Desert Ridge Academy decreases by 10.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

31.9% of students at Desert Ridge Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. 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.

Desert Ridge Academy scores 28/100 (17th percentile) among California middle 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 962 students. Use the schools in Indio page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

At Desert Ridge Academy in Indio, 30.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Ridge Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 4.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (32.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 30.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 762 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.