How does Sunny Sands Elementary compare to other elementary schools in Cathedral City?

Sunny Sands Elementary has a SchoolScope composite score of 47.9/100, placing it at the 62nd percentile statewide. 20% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,310 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Sunny Sands Elementary?

19.9% of students at Sunny Sands Elementary exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 45.5% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Sunny Sands Elementary improving or declining?

Sunny Sands Elementary's proficiency rate decreases by 3.9 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Sunny Sands Elementary?

14.4% of students at Sunny Sands Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Sunny Sands Elementary

Palm Springs Unified Cathedral City Riverside County 92234

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of elementary schools

State Rank

1,310 students tested

School overview

Enrollment

684 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

21:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

95%

Teachers

33 full-time

Student demographics

Hispanic 84.9%

White 7.0%

Asian 0.4%

Black 1.0%

Other 6.6%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Sunny Sands Elementary
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	19.9%
Met Standard	25.7%
Below Standard	54.5%

Exceeded

19.9%

Met

25.7%

Below

54.5%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "46% proficient" for Sunny Sands Elementary and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

19.9% of students exceeded standard while 25.7% merely met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 21.0%. That's 8.4 points above the Palm Springs Unified district average of 11.5%. Compared to the 4 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 7.7 points higher (vs 12.2% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 3.9 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5 — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

Chronic absenteeism is 14.4%, better than the state average of 18.7%.