How does La Quinta High compare to other high schools in La Quinta?

La Quinta High has a Scope Score of 61.2/100, ranked #630 among California high schools. 19% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,096 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at La Quinta High?

19.1% of students at La Quinta High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 46.8% 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 La Quinta High?

27.4% of students at La Quinta 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.

La Quinta High

High School

Desert Sands Unified La QuintaRiverside County92253

📍 79-255 Blackhawk Way

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

2,488 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

26:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

73%

Teachers

97 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

97.1%

AP Exam Prepared

6.6%

A-G Completion

73.6%

College-Going Rate

74.5%

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

Maintained

+0.4 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+18.7 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

17.8%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 174 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic75.6%

White16.5%

Asian2.3%

Black1.4%

Other4.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for La Quinta High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	19.1%
Met Standard	27.7%
Below Standard	53.2%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Graduation rate: 97.1%

9.7pp above state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

✓Exceeded standard: 19.1%

3.4pp above state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

✓Met or exceeded: 46.8%

12.1pp above state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

✓Chronic absenteeism: 27.4%

6.9pp below state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

✓Baseline proficiency: 46.8%

Above state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

✓Suspension rate: 3.0%

1.1pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% weight

Holding Back

▼College readiness: 6.6%

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

20% 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 "47% proficient" for La Quinta High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

19.1% of students exceeded standard while 27.7% met it. That exceeded rate is 3.4 points above the state average of 15.7%. That's 5.8 points above the Desert Sands Unified district average of 13.3%. Compared to the 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 16.3 points higher (vs 2.8% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 97.1% — above the state target. 73.6% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 74.5% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 27.4%, better than the state average of 34.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

19.1%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

46.8%

Students meeting standard

Chronic Absenteeism

27.4%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

3.0%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,096

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	548	28.1%	36.0%	17.9%	18.1%	64.0%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	548	10.0%	19.5%	26.3%	44.2%	29.6%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Gerald R. Ford Elementary

72.2# in state

Benjamin Franklin Elementary

46.0# in state

Harry S. Truman Elementary

42.4# in state

Abraham Lincoln Elementary

33.2# in state

Also serves area

Gerald R. Ford Elementary

72.2# in state

Amelia Earhart Elementary Scho…

48.5# in state

Benjamin Franklin Elementary

46.0# in state

▼

Middle

John Glenn Middle School of In…

58.1# in state

Also serves area

La Quinta Middle

30.8# in state

▼

High School

La Quinta High

61.2# in state

This school

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