How does Desert Ridge Academy compare to other middle schools in Indio?

Desert Ridge Academy has a Scope Score of 26.6/100, ranked #1411 among California middle schools. 10% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,845 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Desert Ridge Academy?

9.6% of students at Desert Ridge Academy exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 26.3% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Desert Ridge Academy improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Desert Ridge Academy's proficiency rate decreases by 10.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This pattern in test scores may reflect a variety of factors beyond the school itself.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Desert Ridge Academy?

32.1% of students at Desert Ridge Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Desert Ridge Academy

Middle School

Desert Sands Unified IndioRiverside County92203

📍 79-767 Avenue 39

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

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Building Momentum

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Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

1,018 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

81%

Teachers

44 full-time

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+27.0 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+12.8 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

13.1%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 200 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic84.6%

White7.9%

Asian0.7%

Black1.7%

Other5.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Desert Ridge Academy
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	9.6%
Met Standard	16.7%
Below Standard	73.7%

Score Factors

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 9.6%

7.7pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 26.3%

13.3pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

▼Growth (G6→G8): -10.3pp

Scores decline across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 32.1%

12.8pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 26.3%

Below state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

▼Suspension rate: 4.9%

0.8pp above state avg (state avg 4.1%)

10% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The middle school Scope Score is weighted across 6 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "26% proficient" for Desert Ridge Academy and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

9.6% of students exceeded standard while 16.7% met it. That exceeded rate is 7.7 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.7 points below the Desert Sands Unified district average of 13.3%. Compared to the 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 4.1 points higher (vs 5.4% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Proficiency drops by 10.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased significantly and Math increased year-over-year. 13.1% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 32.1%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

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

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

9.6%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

26.3%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

-10.3pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

32.1%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

4.9%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,845

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

How proficiency compares across grade levels this year (different students, same test year)

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	275	14.9%	22.2%	25.8%	37.1%	37.1%
7th	315	12.4%	24.1%	24.4%	39.0%	36.5%
8th	335	6.3%	24.2%	24.5%	45.1%	30.4%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	274	11.3%	13.1%	25.9%	49.6%	24.4%
7th	313	9.3%	9.3%	22.0%	59.4%	18.5%
8th	333	3.3%	7.2%	20.7%	68.8%	10.5%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Ronald Reagan Elementary

50.5# in state

Andrew Jackson Elementary

19.6# in state

▼

Middle

Desert Ridge Academy

26.6# in state

This school

▼

High School

Shadow Hills High

No score# in state

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.