How does Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma compare to other middle schools in Palmdale?

Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma has a Scope Score of 22.9/100, ranked #1491 among California middle schools. 5% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,781 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma?

5.0% of students at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 19.9% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma's proficiency rate increases by 5.6 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This suggests the school may be adding value over time.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma?

33.6% of students at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma 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 Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma

Middle School

Palmdale Elementary PalmdaleLos Angeles County93550

📍 36555 Sunny Lane

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

📈

On the Rise

On an upward trajectory — scores are improving faster than average. Worth a closer look.

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.

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Maintained

-1.1 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Declined

-5.6 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

20.3%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 134 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	5.0%
Met Standard	15.0%
Below Standard	80.0%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Growth (G6→G8): +5.6pp

Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 5.0%

12.3pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 19.9%

19.6pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 33.6%

14.3pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 19.9%

Below state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

▼Suspension rate: 10.8%

6.7pp 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 "20% proficient" for Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Ma and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

5.0% of students exceeded standard while 15.0% met it. That exceeded rate is 12.3 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.4 points below the Palmdale Elementary district average of 8.3%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 4.9% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Students here improve by 5.6 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value beyond what students arrive with.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance maintained and Math declined year-over-year. 20.3% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 33.6%, 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