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School Profile · Lancaster

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

Desert Sands Charter posts low test scores — and suspensions run below the state rate (0.9% vs 3.6%). If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

44130 20th Street West, 93534 (opens in new tab)·Antelope Valley Union High·Lancaster·Grades 8-12·727 students·79% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 942-3357·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
30
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,646 statewide · #11 of 13 in Antelope Valley Union High

Desert Sands Charter scores 30 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 24th 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 →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “24% proficient” and call it done. Desert Sands Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Lancaster, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

As a charter, Desert Sands Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The 4 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
4.2%
State 15.8%
11.6pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
23.5%
State 35.7%
12.2pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
58.9%
State 30.2%
28.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.9%
State 3.6%
2.7pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

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.

Where the path goes

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

Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Academies of the Antelope…
36
→
Middle
Academies of the Antelope…
36
→
High
Desert Sands Charter
30
This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in Lancaster →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic59.8%
White11.3%
Asian0.3%
Black13.6%
Other15.0%
GenderFemale 49.1%Male 49.9%Non-binary 1.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 78.7% (15pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
727
723 below CA avg (~1,450)
Per-Pupil Spending
$13,452
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$50,398 – $133,882
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Desert Sands Charter in Lancaster, 37.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 34.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Sands Charter outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (6.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.7 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 97 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Disabilities−23.7pp
16.7% vs 40.3% overall · n=24
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Two or More Races−8.4pp
0.0% vs 8.4% overall · n=20
Math · Two or More Races−6.7pp
0.0% vs 6.7% overall · n=20

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income97 tested
ELA 37.1%·Math 6.2%· +3.0pp vs district
Hispanic67 tested
ELA 40.3%·Math 7.5%· +1.3pp vs district
Disabilities24 tested
ELA 16.7%·Math 0.0%· +7.1pp vs district

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 62%Support 36%Other 2%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$62K
$23K below CA median
Median Home Value
$375K
$284K below CA median
Bachelor's+
16%
19pp below 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
15.7 years avg experience
35 teachers · 3% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
53% fully credentialed
0.5% on intern/emergency permit
AP Exam Qualifiers
2 students qualified via AP

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 →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

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

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 22%
4.2%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 38th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
23.5%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 41th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
58.9%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 27th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.9%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 62th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 111198%32%29%30%40%−7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 111190%7%17%76%7%−17
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11258%24%68%0%

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 Disadvantaged9737.1%+3−1
Hispanic/Latino6740.3%+1+1
Students with Disabilities2416.7%+7−0
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Desert Sands Charter ←—304.2%23.5%—0.9%
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)1.3 mi5833.2%68.3%—0.3%
Lancaster High1.5 mi436.8%23.5%—10.3%
Antelope Valley High2.2 mi395.8%21.9%—14.9%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
Scope Score history
32%30%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1502 → #1476 → #1655 → #1652 → #1646
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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

How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is Desert Sands Charter a good high school?
Desert Sands Charter has a Scope Score of 30 out of 100, placing it in the 24th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,646 statewide. 4.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 11.6 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 Sands Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 23.5% of students at Desert Sands Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.2% 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. 238 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Desert Sands Charter rank in California?
Desert Sands Charter ranks #1,646 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 24th 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 Sands Charter?
58.9% of students at Desert Sands Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 0.9%, 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 Sands Charter compare to other schools in Lancaster?
Desert Sands Charter scores 30/100 (24th 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 727 students. Use the schools in Lancaster page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Desert Sands Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Desert Sands Charter in Lancaster, 37.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 34.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Desert Sands Charter outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (6.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.7 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 97 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.
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