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School Profile · Palm Desert

Palm Desert High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Palm Desert posts 53% meeting the standard; 23.1% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.

74-910 Aztec Road, 92260 (opens in new tab)·Desert Sands Unified·Palm Desert·Grades 9-Adult·2,079 students·60% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 862-4300·Website
Scope Score
55
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #529 statewide · #1 of 7 in Desert Sands Unified

Palm Desert High scores 55 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 76th 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 “53% proficient” and call it done. Palm Desert deserves a closer read. The school sits in Palm Desert, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 62.3% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
53%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
57%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 53 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 57 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

62.3%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Palm Desert's most underrated number

62.3% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Palm Desert low-income: 62.3%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
96.4%
State 87.6%
8.8pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
23.1%
State 15.8%
7.3pp above state avg
College readiness
56.6%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
53.4%
State 35.7%
17.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
23.6%
State 30.2%
6.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.2%
State 3.6%
0.6pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
13.3%
State 18.0%
4.6pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Palm Desert High
55/100
This school

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

Your other options

All schools in Palm Desert →

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

Hispanic48.5%
White35.3%
Asian5.8%
Black1.9%
Other8.5%
GenderFemale 50.3%Male 49.7%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 60.2% (4pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,079
629 above CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
26:1
5 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,762
District avg: $13,985 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
13.3% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$63,775 – $132,451
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Palm Desert High in Palm Desert, 62.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palm Desert High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 27.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (26.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (60.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 65.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 297 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+35.2pp
58.8% vs 23.6% overall · n=17
Suspension · Two or More Races+4.3pp
8.5% vs 4.2% overall · n=94
ELA · English Learner−65.8pp
3.5% vs 69.3% overall · n=29
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−30.2pp
3.5% vs 33.6% overall · n=29
Math · English Learner−34.1pp
3.5% vs 37.5% overall · n=29
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−12.6pp
0.0% vs 12.6% overall · n=51

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income302 tested
ELA 62.3%·Math 26.5%· +27.2pp vs district
Hispanic251 tested
ELA 60.2%·Math 26.3%· +24.5pp vs district
White163 tested
ELA 81.3%·Math 46.6%· +19.2pp vs district

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 62%Support 35%Other 3%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$70K
$15K below CA median
Median Home Value
$490K
$170K below CA median
Bachelor's+
38%
3pp above 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
15.4 years avg experience
85 teachers · 14% first-year
Teacher Credentials
90% fully credentialed
0.7% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
105 AP courses
189 students qualified via AP exam

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
Graduation rate · 25%
96.4%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
23.1%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 58th pctile
College readiness · 20%
56.6%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 62th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
53.4%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 63th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
23.6%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 55th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.2%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 48th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
13.3%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 45th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1148834%36%19%12%69%+22
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1149313%25%26%36%38%+14
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1149412%32%52%5%

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 Disadvantaged29762.3%+27+24
Hispanic/Latino24960.2%+24+21
White16081.3%+19+19
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Palm Desert High ←—5523.1%53.4%—4.2%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.4%
AP Exam Prepared
56.6%
A-G Completion
80.2%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
79.0%
Scope Score history
59%55%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #449 → #418 → #442 → #417 → #529
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

Frequently asked questions

Is Palm Desert High a good high school?
Palm Desert High has a Scope Score of 55 out of 100, placing it in the 76th percentile of California high schools and ranked #529 statewide. 23.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.3 percentage points above 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 Palm Desert High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 53.4% of students at Palm Desert High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 23.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 23.1% 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. 981 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Palm Desert High rank in California?
Palm Desert High ranks #529 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 76th 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 Palm Desert High?
23.6% of students at Palm Desert High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 4.2%. 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 Palm Desert High compare to other schools in Palm Desert?
Palm Desert High scores 55/100 (76th 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 2,079 students. Use the schools in Palm Desert page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Palm Desert High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Palm Desert High in Palm Desert, 62.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palm Desert High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 27.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (26.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (60.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 65.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 297 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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