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Painted Hills Middle · Desert Hot Springs

Painted Hills Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Painted Hills posts low test scores — and grade 8 tests above grade 6 here this year, by 1.3pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

9250 Sonora Drive, 92240 (opens in new tab)·Palm Springs Unified·Desert Hot Springs·Grades 6-8·722 students·97% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 251-1551·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope2243
% Exceeded5%17%
% Met+19%39%
Growth+1.3+1.5
Absence44.2%18.5%
Suspension11.5%3.7%
Scope Score
22
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #2,072 statewide · #6 of 7 in Palm Springs Unified

Painted Hills Middle scores 22 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 7th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “19% proficient” and call it done. Painted Hills deserves a closer read. The school sits in Desert Hot Springs, where nearly all 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.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,238 middle schools statewide

Has stayed near the 7th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined)MathGreen(Maintained)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 19% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 632%23%23%27%22%
Grade 723%28%25%22%29%
Grade 823%24%25%24%23%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 618%14%10%12%10%
Grade 711%11%13%9%17%
Grade 812%10%10%11%12%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

18%
77%
Grade 6 · 23% proficient
23%
70%
Grade 7 · 30% proficient
18%
77%
Grade 8 · 23% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
4.5%
State 16.8%
12.3pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+1.3pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
18.9%
State 39.3%
20.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
44.2%
State 18.5%
25.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
11.5%
State 3.7%
7.9pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
12.6%
State 18.0%
5.3pp 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask what typically leads to a suspension, and what happens before it gets there.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Painted Hills Middle in Desert Hot Springs, 24.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Painted Hills Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 10.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (23.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 691 students tested.

All students at this school: 19% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 19%, district —, state 39%19%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 19%, district 29%, state 32%19% · +0 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 18%, district 27%, state 32%18% · −1 vs school
MaleMale: this school 19%, district 29%, state 42%19% · +0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 18%, district 30%, state 44%18% · −1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 1%, district 8%, state 11%1% · −18 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 2%, district 7%, state 15%2% · −17 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 27%, district 44%, state 56%27% · +8 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 18%, district 22%, state 22%18% · −1 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 21%, district 39%, state 56%21% · +2 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 20%, district 22%, state 26%20% · +1 vs school

6 of 17 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 1.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +3.5pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 44.2%, district 28.1%, state 18.5%44.2% · +25.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 11.5%, district —, state 3.7%11.5% · +7.9pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–641.5%
Grades 7–846.3%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 20:122:1
Teaching staff34 teachers
Avg. experience9.0 years
Fully credentialed77%
First-year teachers6%
Intern / emergency permit2.8%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$66,051 – $133,990
Principal salary$168,793 – $197,021
Superintendent salary$303,050

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $21,270, CA average $14,815$21,270 · spent at this school
Federal share$245 per student

$245 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,457 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction61%
Instruction support11%
Student services10%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance11%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$16,422 per pupil
2019$15,347 per pupil
2018$14,904 per pupil
2017$14,951 per pupil
2016$14,624 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic80.1%
District 82.2% · CA 56.1%
White8.9%
District 8.2% · CA 19.9%
Other6.0%
District 5.0% · CA 9.0%
Black4.8%
District 3.8% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.3%
District 0.8% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 97.2% (33pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$54K · CA $85K
Median home value$333K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+17% · CA 35%
ZIP population41,615
Median age36 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 9% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Painted Hills Middle a good middle school?

Painted Hills Middle has a Scope Score of 22 out of 100, placing it in the 7th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #2,072 statewide. 4.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.3 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Painted Hills Middle's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 18.9% of students at Painted Hills Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 14.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.5% 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. 1,428 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Painted Hills Middle rank in California?

Painted Hills Middle ranks #2,072 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 7th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), 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.

Is Painted Hills Middle getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Painted Hills Middle increases by 1.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Painted Hills Middle?

44.2% of students at Painted Hills Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 11.5%. 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 Painted Hills Middle compare to other schools in Desert Hot Springs?

Painted Hills Middle scores 22/100 (7th percentile) among California middle 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 722 students. Use the schools in Desert Hot Springs page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does Painted Hills Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Painted Hills Middle in Desert Hot Springs, 24.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Painted Hills Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 10.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (23.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 691 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.

Your other options

All schools in Desert Hot Springs →

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

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 · 38%
4.5%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 36th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+1.3pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 40th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
18.9%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 34th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
44.2%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 14th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
11.5%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 18th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
12.6%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 38th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 62395%18%28%49%22%−24
Grade 72467%23%30%41%29%−18
Grade 82265%18%24%53%23%−23
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 62403%7%20%70%10%−25
Grade 72496%11%24%59%17%−17
Grade 82282%10%19%69%12%−20
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/112291%8%66%25%

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 Disadvantaged69124.9%−11−13
Hispanic/Latino56623.7%−10−15
English Learners1701.8%−7−9
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Painted Hills Middle ←—224.5%18.9%+1.311.5%
Desert Springs Middle2.7 mi183.9%15.4%−3.28.8%
California average—4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
2019174#19295.7%19.6%26.4%18.2%-7.3pp
20222110#19584.3%18.2%38.9%15.2%-1.4pp
2023259#19844.6%17.5%50.9%15.8%+0.9pp
20242214#19134.7%17.4%46.0%10.3%-2.0pp
2025227#20724.5%18.9%44.2%11.5%+1.3pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 13 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female27.7%45.5%+17.8pp
Male25.1%44.0%+18.9pp
Black/African American45.5%47.7%+2.2pp
Hispanic/Latino23.1%43.5%+20.4pp
Two or More Races25.0%48.7%+23.7pp
Students with Disabilities50.0%55.1%+5.1pp
English Learners22.5%38.8%+16.3pp
Homeless40.5%54.3%+13.8pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged26.6%44.9%+18.3pp
All Students26.5%44.7%+18.2pp
Foster Youth—50.0%—
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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