How does Desert Winds Continuation High compare to other high schools in Lancaster?

Desert Winds Continuation High has a Scope Score of 10.5/100, ranked #1686 among California high schools. 1% of students exceed standard, with a total of 528 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Desert Winds Continuation High?

1.3% of students at Desert Winds Continuation High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 7.0% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Desert Winds Continuation High?

76.7% of students at Desert Winds Continuation High 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 Winds Continuation High

High School

Antelope Valley Union High LancasterLos Angeles County93535

📍 415 East Kettering Street

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,649 California high schools

🌱

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

623 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

78%

Teachers

27 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

29.1%

AP Exam Prepared

Not offered

This school may not offer AP courses

A-G Completion

72.7%

College-Going Rate

27.2%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+25.1 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+19.8 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

9.5%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 64 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic57.3%

White5.5%

Black30.0%

Other7.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Desert Winds Continuation High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	1.3%
Met Standard	5.7%
Below Standard	93.0%

Score Factors

Holding Back

▼Graduation rate: 29.1%

58.3pp below state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

▼Exceeded standard: 1.3%

14.4pp below state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

▼College readiness: 0.0%

AP exam pass rate below state avg (state avg 35.3%)

20% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 7.0%

27.8pp below state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 76.7%

42.4pp above state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 7.0%

Below state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

▼Suspension rate: 8.4%

4.3pp above state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% 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 high school Scope Score is weighted across 7 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "7% proficient" for Desert Winds Continuation High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

1.3% of students exceeded standard while 5.7% met it. That exceeded rate is 14.4 points below the state average of 15.7%. That's 8.0 points below the Antelope Valley Union High district average of 9.3%. The 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 5.8% exceeded — 4.4 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 29.1%. 72.7% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 27.2% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 76.7%, above the state average of 34.3%.

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

1.3%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

7.0%

Students meeting standard

Chronic Absenteeism

76.7%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

8.4%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

528

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	266	1.9%	8.3%	27.4%	62.4%	10.2%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	262	0.8%	3.0%	6.9%	89.3%	3.8%

Estimated K-12 PathEstimate

Elementary

Academies of the Antelope…

No score

→

Middle

Academies of the Antelope…

No score

→

High

Desert Winds Continuation…

10.5

This school

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